Mini Succulent Christmas Trees Are The New Poinsettias

Succulents have become all the rage in the past few years. What’s not to like? They’re adorable, come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, and they’re nearly impossible to kill. Now, house plant parents are getting even more creative with these beautiful bébés by creating succulent Christmas trees. That’s right — it’s time for a new way of decking the halls, and you’re gonna want one for every room of your house.

Whether you’re considering forgoing your traditional tree (succulent Christmas trees are lower maintenance than fir or pine) or just want to swap out the poinsettias this year, using the trendy perennials as part of your holiday decor is a win. Bonus: You don’t even have to be super crafty to create one but, if all else fails, they’re easy to find online, too.

What is a succulent Christmas tree?

While you might be imagining one small succulent decorating like a traditional Christmas tree, it’s a bit more involved than that. A succulent Christmas tree is a plant arrangement in the trademark triangle shape of a Christmas tree — but made out of succulents and, if so desired, adorned with Christmas garb.

How do you make a succulent Christmas tree?

Right off the bat, you’ve got a choice to make here: Do you want to go full DIY’er, or would you rather take a less craft-intensive route? If you feel confident in your crafting abilities, you can gather the supplies and make a succulent Christmas tree all on your own. Here’s what you need and how to make it happen.

Supplies:

• Chicken wire
• Compound (or aviation) snips to cut the chicken wire
• Floral foam
• Floral pins
• A planter or base of some sort
• A bucket filled with water
• Sphagnum moss
• An assortment of succulents (how many depends on how large you want your tree to be)
• Decorations

Instructions:

1. Start by cutting the chicken wire using your snips. For reference, a 12-inch by 12-inch square of chicken wire creates a tree that is just over a foot tall. Taking care not to cut yourself on the wire’s ends, fold back the edges and shape the wire square into a cone, hooking the edges into each other.
2. Fill the planter you’ve picked out with floral foam.
3. Soak your sphagnum moss in the bucket of water for around 10 to 15 minutes. Then, take one handful of moss out at a time, gently squeezing out all of the excess moisture. Slide the damp handfuls of moss into your wire cone until it’s full.
4. Time to bring your structure together! Place your newly filled wire cone atop your planter base. Secure the top to the bottom with floral pins.
5. Set your succulents aside. One by one, remove them from the containers they came in and brush or shake off any clinging potting soil. Think about how you’d like to arrange the succulents on your cone. If you have different colors and varieties, you can arrange them to create a pattern or design.
6. Attach your succulents to the chicken wire cone using floral pins.
7. If you want to decorate your succulent Christmas tree, now’s the time!

Now, if all of that sounds a bit more involved than you’d like, you can shell out roughly $100 (plus shipping) for a DIY succulent Christmas tree kit.

ClassyCactusFarm on Etsy offers one that comes with a tree frame made out of moss, succulents, floral pins, and green moss, along with instructions.

Where can you buy one?

Look no further than Etsy if you want to purchase succulent Christmas trees already made. Etsy shop owner Terracotta Corner FL put this trend on the map last year by selling gorgeous trees in their shop.

While they are no longer offering their version on Etsy, Rileys Oasis also sells gorgeous potted succulent trees that put the “fa” into fa-la-la. The small trees are around six to seven inches (plus four-inch pot) and the large is around nine to 10 inches tall. Adorning the succulents are silver, white, and red “bulbs,” plus little lights so you can nix the actual Christmas tree in lieu of this gorgeous plant. Pricing starts at $230 plus shipping.

Soundsofflowers is another perfect choice, especially if you can’t commit to watering your tree every week or so (no judgment here) since they sell faux succulent trees. This rustic farmhouse-style version sits on a galvanized metal base with a metal star on top. They cost $135 plus shipping.

There are a ton of succulent tree ideas on Instagram as well. So, have fun scrolling and shopping. Add to cart, and then all you’ll have left to do is name your festive new plant. And, you know, keep it alive (if it isn’t artificial). That brings us to care instructions.

How do you care for succulent Christmas trees?

Rejoice, non-green-thumbs! These festive creations don’t require a skilled gardening hand. For the first few days, it’s advisable to keep your tree in the shade while the cuttings start to take root in the sphagnum moss. Then, gradually move it out into the sun. You don’t want to overwater your tree, because fungal rot caused by excessive moisture can turn it into a very merry mess. So, check the moss routinely. When it’s dry, thoroughly mist the entire tree. To make sure all of your cuttings get sun exposure, you can rotate your tree every few days.

Succulent trees are a welcome change from the standard poinsettias or even tasking yourself with finding a Christmas tree this year. It’s 2021. Nothing has been typical or felt remotely normal, so why not buy a tree to match?