Jellyfish Succulents Will Transform Your Garden Into An Otherworldly ‘Aquarium’

Jellyfish Succulents Will Transform Your Garden Into An Otherworldly ‘Aquarium’

Do you dream of an ethereal backyard garden, a fairy-like front porch, or a balcony oasis that’s not just gorgeous, but easy to take care of? There’s a new gardening trend that is just the thing you need: Jellyfish Succulents.

Jellyfish Succulents

A Jellyfish Succulent is when you plant a variety of succulents in a hanging basket included with vine-like plants that grow down whimsically towards the ground. This is what gives these baskets their jellyfish-like appearance. 

The benefit of growing these plants is because they are made primarily of succulents, they are quite easy to take care of. These incredible little plants require very little water or attention, in fact, they grow best when you leave them alone, watering them only when the soil is dry to the touch.

These are the perfect plant to try this spring – green thumb or not

How to Make a Jellyfish Succulent

To make these planters, you first have to select your succulents for the “body” of the jellyfish and your plant that will make up the “tentacles”. From there, you can follow these steps to create your jellyfish:

Step 1: Gather Materials

To make a jellyfish succulent, you will need:

Your two types of plants

A hanging basket

Soil

Thin wire and needle

Sewing staples

There are a few different ways you can do this, however to achieve the true rounded shape of the body, you will want to choose a moss basket that you can fill with soil and turn over, planting the succulents around the top.

You will need four to six of the tendril plants and anywhere from 10 to 25 succulents, depending on the size of your basket and the size of your succulents. You want enough that it will fill out the entire basket once they’ve grown.

Step 2: Plant the Tentacles

Take your moss basket and pack it with high-quality potting soil. You can add fertilizer if you wish. From there, plant your tentacle plants a couple of inches in from the outside of the basket. Really, where you plant your tentacles depends on what look you are going for with your jellyfish.

Next, you need to cover the bottom of the hanger with felt fitted nicely around your tentacle plants. This is necessary because you will be turning the basket over, so it needs to be

Thick enough

Tight enough

Secure enough…

so the soil doesn’t fall out onto the ground, especially when it is heavier after you’ve watered it! Using the needle, thread the wire around, across, and in all directions to secure the felt strongly to the basket.

Step 3: Add Your Succulents

Once that is secured, turn the basket over, being careful not to crush the tentacles. To attach your succulents, first remove them from their pots and clear most of the soil off of their roots as well as any dead leaves.

Next, pick a spot on your plant to put your succulent. Stick it into the moss, then use your sewing staple to secure the succulent. Make sure it is facing outward and that the bottom of the plant is in contact with the planter so that the plant will be able to root into the basket.

You want to leave some space between succulents so they have room to grow. If you are unsure how wide in diameter they will grow, ask your florist.

Step 4: After Care

Hang and water your basket, checking the bottom carefully. Are there any bulges in the fabric covering the bottom? If so, get more wire and thread it through a few more times in that area. The last thing you want is to come outside and find all of your soil and tentacles in a pile on the ground!

At first, you want to ensure you keep the basket moist in part sun, part shade to give the plants a chance to establish themselves. After a few weeks they should be all okay. After that time, if any of the succulents don’t make it, or there are visible gaps, you can replace them.

Bonus:

For an extra touch, weave solar-powered fairy lights through the basket and down with the tendrils and watch your jellyfish glow and sparkle each night.

Though actually putting one of these together is quite a time commitment, the results are so beautiful that it makes the few hours of work that went into it worth it.