Coastal Floral Arrangement with Succulents

When I got married last year, I asked my florist to design an arrangement that looked like someone had picked up a little piece of magic meadow and placed it in the center of the table, and I tried to describe it as if Martha Stewart had walked into a meadow, said it was just all wrong, and then fixed it.  I also said that I loved the arrangements done by Big Red Sun in Austin, TX.  Amazingly, I got what I wanted, and it was gorgeous.  Still inspired by my florist, other succulent arrangements, and just the idea of plopping a meadow on a table, I decided to create an arrangement of my own.

Generally, floral arrangements for weddings are best left to the professionals because of time constraints, but this is one that can be prepped 1-2 months in advance and finished in an hour or two the day before it's needed.  I have also selected plants that are easy to propagate, inexpensive, and easy to grow without much fuss.  An extra bonus of this arrangement is that you can raffle or donate them, and the succulents are going to last a lot longer than the flowers.  Or you could do what I would do and keep them all for yourself...

If you are getting married and want to do this, you will need someone to help you in the final 1-2 weeks prior to the wedding because, more than likely, you're going to be too busy to water, finalize, and transport.  However, it should be quite simple to pass this along to someone since the project is generally very simple.

Step 1 Materials

You'll need:

• Cactus/Succulent Potting Soil
• Succulent Cuttings
• Decorative Stone Mulch
• Small Decorations such as tumbled glass or seashells (optional)
• 3 Vases
• Galvanized Steel Stock Pan (potentially 2)
• Flowers
• Secateurs
• Drill
• Gloves
• Viles or Test Tubes
• Miter Box and Saw
• Permanent Marker
• Aluminum Foil (not shown)
• Neem Oil (not shown)

I mixed my own cactus/succulent potting soil which I kinda eyeballed because of how much I use, but if you need a recipe, you can find one here.

For succulents, I used bulbine, gopher plant, crown of thorns, and roadkill cactus.  I wouldn't recommend any succulents with spines, and if you absolutely have to use something with spines, make sure that they're the hard kind that don't come away from the plant such as the spines on a golden barrel cactus.  The roadkill cactus is spineless.  I picked up a 5 gallon container of bulbine last year for $16.  I got a 1 gallon of the gopher plant for about $10.  I got a 5 gallon container of the crown of thorns for $16 a couple months ago, and I got several 1 quart containers of the roadkill cactus for $1 each after the holidays last year.

I was able to purchase the stone mulch, decorations, and 2 vases from the Dollar store.  The third glass is a Tom Collins glass I pulled from the cupboard, but I originally purchased it from a restaurant supply store for $1.

I picked up the galvanized steel stock pan at Home Depot, but you can find them generally at hardware supply stores.  You may want a second pan to hold the first while it's sitting on the table.

For flowers, I used mums (4 stems), cock's comb (1 stem), dianthus (2 stems), and gerbera daisies (3 stems).  I picked these up at the grocery store, but you can order them in advance through a florist or wholesaler who sells to the public for less.  I picked these flowers for their coastal or meadow-esque feel, and I selected for a variety of shapes and textures.  I particularly liked the cock's comb and dianthus, but availability and price might not make them right for you depending on where you are and the season. In the end, I used approximately $9.50 worth of flowers for this arrangement.  Also when selecting flowers, consider allergies and sensitivities that your guests might have.

The viles I used are actually yeast viles that my husband uses for his home brew.  They're unblown soda rounds (aka soda bottles before being blown and shaped) and are made of plastic.  If you use glass, you won't need the miter box, saw, and permanent marker.  I cut the viles because they're just not as pretty as glass.  Still, we have a lot of them.

Comments

[onrust]

I love what the galvanized pan brings to the look.

[AngryRedhead]

Thank you! I love galvanized steel and metal. I have a large stock tank in my front garden/yard that I use for my annuals. I think it makes for a nice contrast and gives it a "farm" like feel like a farmer neglected it and nature decided to spill in. I need more land...

[onrust]

You say "stock pan". It looks like an oil drain pan..... and thats even cooler!

[AngryRedhead]

Well, it is a stock (as in livestock) pan that you would use for slopping food/water in, but if it looks like an oil drain pan and you like it, that's all that matters.

[onrust]

Interesting..... and good to know. Problem is, I cannot go into a tack shop...... I get stuck like Chuck!

[Ninzerbean]

This would be worth getting married again for.

[annaharris]

You don't need to go *that* far to make yourself a gorgeous table centre. Why not just do one because it's Tuesday and enjoy it. (-:

[Ninzerbean]

I have a cat that would destroy it... I can't have any plants in the house except on my kitchen window sill - but I like your attitude.

[AngryRedhead]

My cats are also bad, but they aren't allowed in the bedrooms which makes flowers safe there.