How to Add Store-Bought Succulents to Any Bouquet on a Budget

The other day, I was wandering around the hardware store and found a bunch of mini succulents for a few dollars a piece. I really, really don’t need anymore succulents at this point, BUT (apparently) I can’t resist any item under $5. Whether I need it or not.

So, I brought home a few of these little guys and decided to try my own version of a succulent bouquet…on a budget. You can wire up the succulents super easily and use them just like a normal flower in a bouquet, but I have a couple of tips and tricks to help you out if you’re looking for a guide…

Here’s how to create wire stems for potted succulents in just a few minutes…

Start by removing each succulent from the starter pot they came in. Then carefully remove all the soil from the roots of the succulent as best you can. I preserved as much of the roots as I could for each succulent, so that I could re-pot them long after the flowers from the bouquet have died. Rinse off the soil from the remaining roots as best you can and pat dry.

Then, using a medium gauge floral wire, pierce all the way through the bottom stem area of each succulent. You want the wire to go through the stem at the thickest point possible. Pull the end of the floral wire through the other side, once its start to poke through, and bend each end of the wire downward once the sides of the wire are an even length.

Twist the wire together to create a sturdy stem for the succulent. Now that the succulent has a wire stem, you can use it just as you would a regular flower in a bouquet.

To create the finished bouquet I used 6 ranunculus, 1 stem of queen anne’s lace, 1 stem of nigella, and 3 wired succulents. For tips on how I typically put bouquets together, visit this post: how to make a giant floral bouquet.

Total cost of this bouquet: $27

Photography by Brittni Mehlhoff and Linda Jednaszewski
Concept and styling by Brittni Mehlhoff

Think you’ll give this budget bouquet a try?