It’s been five years since the last time I instructed a workshop hosted by the Aromas Hills Artisans at the Aromas Grange June 24th. Always a great venue for this sort of thing. 
All the attendees created a succulent wreath and a succulent/flower table arrangement. Everyone did a great job. Very creative!
Succulent pumpkins last for months when cuttings are just glued on. Tacky glue works well, although it’s not waterproof. The succulent cuttings don’t need water, so when it’s time, I just put them out in the rain, and they fall apart, so I can replant the cuttings and toss the pumpkin on the compost pile.
Start with an unblemished pumpkin. No pokes, scrapes, or soft spots that will lead to rotting. Wipe clean and circle with glue and add moss around the circle and press down. This provides a base that will help hold the succulent cuttings in place, and stop drips, while hiding the mess in the middle. It helps to let this dry for a few minutes before proceeding.
Start layering cuttings from bottom up. Dab a little glue along the stem of the sedum that hangs down, and insert under the moss and continue around in several spots, pressing down in place.
Add the rosette shaped (aeonium) cuttings. Try inserting into a spot, trimming the stem if needed to get a snug fit. Cut the stems at an angle, with glue on the bottom side, and insert into place. 
Spaced evenly, the layers of cuttings help support each other. If something slips, stick it back in (with glue if needed), and cup with both hands lightly and hold for a few seconds.
Continue with remaining succulent cuttings, around in the empty spots. As it fills up, you can just put a drop of glue on the end for the last few stems.
Let dry, occasionally cupping and pressing lightly to keep everything in place.
Heart shaped succulent wreaths, full of cuttings will last all year long. 14 inches $50 each
Also smaller round wreaths 10″ for $35 and one larger 16″ for $60
Handmade with love, these felt keepsakes show them how much you care. 3″ $8 each
Mini pots with floral foam, moss, pepper berries and succulents. $4 each
Wood signs: felt flowers for inside and ceramic embellished for garden 10″-18″ $20 each
Original watercolor card creations. Blank inside for your own message of love. $5 each or one free with purchase.
Starting off the fall season with lots and lots of succulent pumpkins!! These living arrangements last for weeks because the cuttings are glued onto to the top. When Thanksgiving is over, simply leave out in the rain to dissolve the glue, so the cuttings can be planted… to enjoy for years to come. 
Santa Cruz County Fair –
Monterey County Fair –
Almost missed the entry deadline for this event, and only entered three things.
Salvaged boots that are practically brand new are too pretty to plant with dirt. The perfect solution is a plastic bag of gravel in the bottom and a plastic cup with floral foam to hold the plants. The foam holds everything in place better anyway. After the flowers have faded, the succulent cuttings will root and continue to grow if watered occasionally.
This faux snakeskin boot needed a little more tropical look, so I added some carnivorous pitchers. 
Arrangements complete for two parties this week! The succulent flower combinations worked well and will last for weeks. When the flowers eventually fade, the succulents will continue to grow in the floral foam…or can be potted up or planted in the ground.
These wire frame chickens (and duck) are filling in nicely..
It’s always fun to enter things in the county fair and see what everyone else is doing… here are this year’s winners.
The succulent side table won First Place AND Best of Show!! 
It was our first year entering the Compost Challenge… took 1st place and won $50 prize money. 
The scarecrow competition was pretty tough in the ‘Shake your tail feathers’ theme catagory… but we took home 2nd place. 
The hummingbirds love the huge aloe flower spikes. 
This succulent frame looks so pretty with the pink and green sedum poking out. 
All the beautiful dishes that have been hiding in my cupboards are now living among succulents in dish racks lined with moss.
Checking out the exhibits at the fair every year is always so interesting. This was my first year with entries in the Santa Cruz County Fair… and brought home eight first place ribbons! County fairs are always a fun competition and a chance to meet other plant lovers.
These small terra cotta pots with mini jade ‘trees’, sedums and cute tools & furniture make whimsical little gardens… the perfect size for fairies. Water wise and easy to care for succulents, these fairy gardens will thrive for ages. 
I’ve always loved pretty dishes and hate to hide them away in the cupboard. This is a nice way to enjoy them every day. The salvaged dish racks are lined with moss and filled with potting soil and dishes. The succulents that I’ve chosen for these will stay compact and are meant to look like bubbles overflowing the sides. The silverware adds the finishing touch (and support for flowers).
This huge aeonium flower stalk is amazing! Already trimmed off a couple dozen stems of blooms for table vases, and it’s still going strong. Love the way the lower leaves are turning color.
Nasturtiums climb over everything with their perky (and also edible) flowers. 
This cactus used to be a 4″ tall in a pot on my windowsill over 20 years ago. 
Epiphyllum mixed with burro tail succulents love the shade of this oak tree.
My solar mariachi men have found a home in this cactus cantina planted in an old colander… and they brought their friends. Just in time to celebrate Cinco de Mayo!! 
It’s been busy around here, getting things ready for the Smart Gardening Fair.
Kitchen containers such as colanders are so pretty planted with succulents. This succulent dish rack looks like soapy water bubbling over with dishes and colorful silverware mixed in. 
Frames, succulent bonsai trees and assorted baskets are ready to go. The succulents growing out of the watering can looks like water pouring out. 
A planted side table holds a purse teacup and cute baby shoes filled with succulents. 
This iron bar stool is double-decked with succulents.
I put together these cute little succulent pots for holiday gifts during the first week of December. Just a small piece of floral foam stuffed into the pot, topped with moss… and a succulent cutting stuck in, to hold it together. Almost two months later, they are still thriving. The four on the left have been inside and are totally dry. The three on the right were outside on the patio, and are soaked from rain. So hardy and long lasting! And of course, they can be planted outside at any time.
Found this fire pit frame at a yard sale and knew it would look good planted with succulents that looked like fire. First I lined it with aviary wire and sprayed it black. Then came a layer of moss, and potting soil.
The ‘Campfire’ crassula capitella and Euphorbia tirucalli ‘Sticks on Fire’ really do look like flames.
The Crassula campfire stretches up tall with small white flowers and the Crassula perfoliata below gets amazing blooms. I like how the grey/green sickle shaped leaves look like shark fins.
We’re excited that Nest Egg Gardens did so well at the fair this year! Participating is a fun way to showcase special projects and living art as well as a good way to meet other plant collectors. We brought home the special award for Excellence in Horticulture (aka grand prize). Two entries won both first place and Best of Show for their category: 1) our big staghorn fern that looks like a moose and 2) the double brain cactus in the head vase pot. The succulent frame won 2nd place. The frame is one of the many works of art being donated by Aromas Artisans to the Art Raffle drawing November 22nd at the AHA Holiday Art Fair in Aromas.
I got a few frames for free and thought I would try using them for succulents…. here’s how I did it: First I sprayed the inside edge with sealer to help it repel water and hopefully last longer. 
I built a box to fit using a composite decking board (it’s made with plastic and won’t rot). 
Sprayed one side of a piece of hardware cloth black (the dark color blends in better than shiny metal until the plants cover it up) and stapled inside. 
Lined the hardware cloth with a layer of moss and filled with potting soil (packed tightly). 
Stapled some shade cloth and plastic fence over the potting soil into the back and added wires for hanging (either vertical or horizontal). 
Inserted succulent cuttings by poking roots into the moss with a skewer or stick. Lie flat and water regularly until the cuttings are rooted well before hanging.
This huge Aeonium davidbramwelli has shot up multiple stems. The flowering inflorescences on this large variety can be three feet tall and nearly as wide.
This red variety (Aeonium zwartkop) produces lots of long lasting yellow flowers.
Combining fresh flowers with succulent cuttings looks great in baskets. These were perfect for Easter. After the flowers fade, the succulents will last for months, growing into the floral foam. Or they can be potted up or planted in the yard. 
Promised to post this picture for a customer at the Smart Gardening Fair yesterday. These mini corsages or boutonnieres made from succulents and statice will last for weeks. The succulents will last forever if potted up or planted in your yard.
When I found this camping kit at a yard sale, I thought it would make a cute succulent display. Since it’s aluminum, it won’t rust and drilling holes in the bottom was easy. I really like how the cups hang off the side just like a punch bowl.
Three pots of Sedum morganianum (aka Burro tail) are thriving on the front porch in mostly shade. These plants have slightly fatter stems than Donkey tail. Both are delicate and drop leaves easily when disturbed, but these pots could really use a trimming. 
The cuttings are stripped of leaves for a few inches on the end and can be potted up to make a new plant or can be added to existing pots, by first poking a hole with a stick or skewer .
The leaves can be also sprouted into new plants by laying on top of the soil in a flat or 6-packs.
Sempervivum arachnoideum (aka cobweb house leek) is one of the hardiest of succulents. They stay compact which makes them perfect for shoes and other small containers. 
These unusual mushrooms sprouting up next to a clump of Aeonium caught my attention. They were so shiny and copper colored… so pretty. They almost look fake.
This old wheelbarrow has a flat tire, but still holds a full load of succulents and bulbs.
When you cut back succulents that have grown tall and leggy, leave the stem long and you can use them just like flowers in a table arrangement. To extend the stems, you can use florist picks (green wooden sticks w/wire on one end) like the jade cutting on the left. 
It helps to use florist foam with water in a container to weigh it down and hold the stems securely, but a vase would work. Think out of the box because the cuttings really don’t even need water. 
The bouquet will last for weeks, sprouting roots and eventually growing into the florist foam. The cuttings can be planted in the ground or a pot at any time… or you can take more cuttings from the new growth and start again.