I confess. When succulents first started becoming popular, I was not a fan. I’ve always loved plants that are big and blooming, and for the most part, succulents are the opposite of this. But what succulents lack in showiness, they make up for in ease of maintenance. Succulents are not incredibly fussy. In fact, if you do mother them too much, they may just die on you. (Speaking from experience here.) So now that I’ve gotten on board with succulents, I’ve been looking for creative ways to create succulent planters. And this cookie tin from my childhood turned out to be the perfect DIY tin succulent planter!
I had the privilege of teaching a 4-H Gardening Camp last week, and one of the bonuses of this was taking home a few extra succulents and some potting soil. What a win! Since the kids in the camp couldn’t plant a garden in the two days we were together, we focused on plant care and planning. One of our projects involved making a self-watering planter out of a mason jar, rocks, and milkshake straws. (I’ll post this activity later.) The 4-H director had grabbed succulents as the plants of choice for these planters, and she just happened to have some extras.
Why choose succulents?
As I mentioned earlier, succulents are fairly low maintenance, and this is perfect for low-key gardeners and children (who may forget their plants…whoops!). But they also come in a large variety of shapes and sizes. There are trailing succulents, such as string of pearls or string of bananas, useful succulents like aloe, and others. So there’s really something for everyone. In fact, in my first succulent planter project (DIY Hanging Succulent Planter), I chose string of banana succulents because they are so beautiful cascading down the side of the planter.
DIY Tin Succulent Planter
I chose this tin because it is a throwback to my childhood. I remember getting this tin full of cookies when my family and I lived in Wiesbaden, Germany, so it always brings about sweet memories (pun intended). The bright colors have retained beautifully, and it’s such a fun image on the side. I used to use it for Christmas cookies, but its smaller size doesn’t hold all of the cookies we now bake each December. So, it’s been sitting in storage for the past few years and is finally getting some new life.
So feel free to grab a tin from the dollar store, a yard sale, back in the kitchen cabinet, or from the thrift store. Any tin will do as long as it’s deep enough for the succulents you’ve chosen. If you don’t like the design on the side of your tin, feel free to take a little spray paint to the outside. (I’m all about spray painting planters over here!)
Also, see the video for a step-by-step of the entire process!
Here’s what you’ll need for this project:- Tin (with or without lid)
- Succulents (the amount and variety are up to you)
- Potting Soil (I use a mix for succulents because it drains well)
- Rocks
How to Put Your Succulent Planter Together
- Begin by placing a single layer of rock in the bottom of your tin. Fill in around the rocks with a bit of succulent soil.
- Still in their containers, place your succulents in the tin and determine how you want them arranged. Feel free to play around with what goes where. Remember, to keep taller plants towards the back. Once you’ve decided on placement, turn plants upside down and gently squeeze the sides of the container. The succulent should come easily out of the container. Use fingers to break up any soil around the roots and then place in tin. Repeat with the remaining succulents.
- Using the succulent soil, fill in any gaps between succulents.
- Use a damp paper towel to gently wipe away any soil that may be stuck to the edge or sides of your tin succulent planter.
- Display! (Follow any care instructions that came with your succulent. Many prefer sun and infrequent waterings.)
Other Posts to Enjoy:
How to Grow Blueberries in Containers
DIY Tin Succulent Planter
Use an old tin for a creative way to display succulents!
Materials
- Tin (any size, as long as it's deep enough)
- Succulent Soil
- Succulents
- Rocks
Instructions
- Begin by placing a single layer of rocks in the bottom of the tin. Then place succulents, still in pots, in tin so you know how you want them arranged. Set succulents to the side.
- Spread a thin layer of succulent soil on top of the rocks. Gently squeeze the plastic containers the succulents are in and release them. Break up the soil and roots at the bottom of each plant and place in the tin.
- Use succulent soil to fill in any gaps in your planter.
- Display! And follow the care instructions that came with your succulent.
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