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Make a Sweet and Succulent Valentine’s Box

If you have a plant lover in your life, trust me when I say this is THE gift to win them over. Show them how much you understand their plant love with this cutie succulent valentines. And hey, if you want to make one all for yourself, no one is stopping you from being your own secret valentine!

make a succulent valentines

This sweet and succulent valentines is just what Dr. Love ordered for the winter blues. It’s a thoughtful and unique way to brighten up someone’s day.

A colourful collection of succulent cuttings set in a heart-shaped candy box will surprise and delight your lucky loved one, and it’s also just the right size to root a collection of cuttings.

Make your own DIY succulent cutting propagation tray for Valentine’s Day, and these beauties will be ready to head out to the garden by the time the frost has passed.

Here’s how I made this adorable heart-shaped plant valentine using succulents.

make a succulent valentines
Sedum, Sempervivum, Echeveria, Aeonium, Haworthia, and Crassula are all great succulents to include in your valentine.

The Perfect Plant Valentine

It wasn’t easy, but I gave up sugar years ago to help reduce the inflammation that was causing me to have Fibromyalgia flare-ups. By “gave up sugar,” I mean that I stopped eating all sugar, honey, maple syrup, and fruit.

When I say, “It wasn’t easy,” it wasn’t just the cravings that were hard. I missed the celebrations that come with eating sugar. Two years’ worth of birthdays without even a bite of cake. Christmas cookies, pumpkin pie, and even cranberry sauce were left off my party plates. Since I love to celebrate, it has taught me to look for other ways to treat myself.

It’s a good thing I’m a gardener because there is no end to the treats found at a garden center! It’s hard to think beyond candy for decadent Valentine’s Day goodies. Of course, there are flowers and cards. I won’t turn down either of those.

I love turning little succulent propagations into the perfect Valentine’s Day plants. Just in case you are looking for the perfect gift for me this February, let me show you the way to my heart with this succulent valentines.

make a succulent valentines
A metal tin works best for this project since water will drain into it.

DIY Succulent Valentines

You might be surprised how easy this valentine is to make. Around Valentine’s Day, it’s pretty easy to find heart-shaped boxes. You can then head to the garden centre and get some small succulents or propagate your own to use as Valentine’s Day plants.

Materials

Make It!

succulents make perfect Valentine's Day plants
If you don’t have cuttings available, purchase already small succulents or ones you can divide.

You can make a succulent valentines with either small succulents in pots or with cuttings (my preferred method). If you have some overwintering succulents or overgrown succulents in need of dividing, those will work well.

When shopping for succulents, look for ones that are growing pups or have multiple stems. You can divide them up and root them for summer projects.

candy box

Remove all of the candy from the box and give it away. I won’t judge you if you eat it yourself!

poking holes into the heart plastic tray using a bamboo skewer
Don’t skip this step! Your plants need drainage to survive.

Use the bamboo skewer to poke a hole in each one of the candy cells to provide some drainage.

Fill the candy tray with cactus and succulent soil mix and water it to give the water time to absorb before planting.

filling heart tray with soil for succulent valentines
You don’t need much soil to fill the heart.

If you have potted plants, remove them from the pots and shake the soil off the roots. If the roots are long, give them a trim.

succulent with a small offshoot
separated succulent offshoot and mother plant for succulent valentines
See how many succulents you can get out of “one” plant!
freshly cut succulent
Any fresh cuts will need a few days to dry before being stuck in soil.

If you have plant divisions, remove them from the parent plant. Remove a few of the lower leaves to get a good stem to set into the soil. Allow these to dry for a few days before planting.

make a succulent valentines
Play around with shapes and sizes for the best effect.

Arrange the succulents in the tray by varying the colour, shape, and size of the plants. Use a paintbrush to dust excess soil off of the leaves.

Fill in the spaces around the plants with reindeer moss to give the arrangement a finished look.

make a succulent valentines
You can use dried or fresh reindeer moss for this project.

Care Instructions

Your succulent valentines is a great way to root and grow new succulents until they are ready to move to larger pots. Rooting them in the house around Valentine’s Day will mean they will have strong roots by May, when they can be used for a variety of projects.

Until then, water them sparingly and keep them somewhere sunny.

make a succulent valentines

FAQ About Succulent Valentines

What does giving someone a succulent mean?

If you’re interested in the symbolism behind your gift, you will be happy to hear that succulents represent tenacity and endurance due to their ability to survive with little water. So if you want to represent your strong, enduring love, this is a good choice!

How do I care for a succulent?

While drought tolerant, succulents still need regular watering. Water your succulents when the soil has gone completely dry, watering until the soil is damp. Succulents prefer lots of sun, so place them on a sunny windowsill.

Ensure they’re potted in soil designed for succulents and cacti and in a pot with drainage holes.

What succulent has heart-shaped leaves?

There are a few succulents with heart-shaped leaves. A hoya heart is on large heart-shaped leaf. String of hearts is another popular one, with trailing often variegated heart-shaped leaves.

hoya heart in a small blue pot
Hoya heart

More Plant Love Projects to Try

Comments

  1. What an awesome idea! Pinned to share and I can’t wait to find me a box to plant up. I am not supposed to be eating candy, but I will give it a go!

    Reply
  2. Great idea. I made a succulent pumpkin for October fun and potted up the babies that are now happily growing. This is just the ticket for winter doldrums! As far as your sugar woes, have you tried the natural, non caloric stevia or erythritol neither of which should affect you.

    Reply
  3. peut ton faire la même choses mais avec des semences de succulentes? J’ai une boite de chocolat avec le plastique et le couvert est transparent il pourrait servir de mini serre . si oui quand me conseillez vous de faire ma plantation et quel serait les outils pour bien réussir?

    Reply
  4. Hi Stephanie! It’s Jan! I love this post. So clever. I preordered your book and can’t wait to get it. I noticed you gave up sugar due to inflammation, which has been debilitating to me the last six months. You really gave up all fruit? I am desperate enough to try it. How long did it take before giving up all sugar made a difference in how you felt? (I already have a pretty good diet with very little processed foods). Bravo on all you are doing!

    Reply

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