Succulents are so beautiful in their own right, so it really doesn't take much to create a great arrangement for them. These techniques will help your arrangements really stand out!
Over the past few years I've created a lot of succulent arrangements for myself, for my ebooks, for the Idiot's Guide, and for my friends and family. I've also been privileged to work with some incredible succulent designers, and photograph their arrangements.
Every one of these designers has his or her own style and techniques–but it seems every arrangement is a work of art!
Throughout this article, you'll find links to purchase the succulents I mention in each of the design sections. I know it can be tricky to find colorful succulents locally, so these links can help you track down the plants you're looking for.
One of my favorite things about succulents is that they come in virtually every color of the rainbow! This makes it a lot of fun to arrange succulents based on common colors and patterns. Since my background is in art, I'm always drawn to arrangements that really show off color schemes.
Some succulents are monochromatic–they have just one main color (usually green), but may have a variety of shades of that color.
When creating a monochromatic arrangement, it's great to use different shapes and textures to add more interest. Click here to see some succulents that would make an interesting monochromatic arrangement.
For succulents of a few different colors, you can look for groupings with analogous colors–shades that are next to each other on a color wheel. For example, you could use green, blue and purple or orange, yellow and green.
I tend to create arrangements focused on greens, blues and purples–but brighter arrangements with reds, oranges and yellows can be really eye-catching!
My favorite color schemes are based on complementary colors–shades that are opposite each other on the color wheel, like red and green, blue and orange, yellow and purple.
Blue and orange just happens to be my favorite color combination of succulents–probably because plants in blue or orange are very rare and unusual, and the colors are so intense. But this red and green arrangement is super vibrant and exciting, too!
You can see more examples of these tips in the photos below:
