The Plant Stand

A few weekends ago we headed out to our favorite place to buy plants and flowers, The Plant Stand in Costa Mesa. After buying a huge & gorgeous succulent at a plant sale for nearly pennies, I decided I needed a few more little guys to help fill it out for a project. This is by far one of my favorite places to buy plants! There is a huge warehouse full of nick-knacks, pots, soil, you name it. In the back are two additional warehouses full of larger plants, bushes and flowers. We normally just head to the front of the store and the little gazebo area to where they keep all of the succulents and cacti. 

 

All of the succulents are arranged by size and then by price. You can buy their pre made pots, but I like to pick out the plants that I feel will compliment each other nicely when planted together so I grab them all separately. They have such a huge selection! It is really visually stunning to walk up and down the rows. You can find them from 1" buds to as some almost 20" wide! They also start at nearly $1 so it is really affordable to spruce up your yard, porch, or they even make great indoor plants.

 

When arranging my succulents I normally stick to the rule of three's. Three plants always look more full and artistic then planting them in even numbers. In this case, I wanted to get three small plants to go around my single larger one. Also, when doing this I stick to a formula. I choose one that will be the focal point, another that is very textural and the last being very structured. I also try to vary the colors of the succulents I am picking up so they don't just blend in, but compliment each other. Also look for ones that look hydrated and where the soil is very dark. This will insure your plant is being adequately watered and that it is fairly fresh. If the plant and soil looks dry... keep going!

 

As you can see I picked up a deep purple floral, a minty green textural plant, and a mustard colored structural plant. All three are very vibrant and moist so I knew all of my pondering had led me to the right ones! Later that day, I picked up a bright green pot from Home Depot and some cacti potting soil. When planting succulents make sure the pot you are using has a hole at the bottom so your plant can drain, if it doesn't it is really easy to just drill a quick hole or two (which is what I had to do this time). I learned the hard way and have had pots bust at the seams or just start to almost drown in their own soil. 

All together this project cost me maybe $30 and I added all of this color and life to my front porch: