Buddha Head Succulent Planter
I'm always on the lookout for cool new planters for my garden, especially funky unique vessels that aren't necessarily meant to be planters. When I'm out and about in the stores, my terminator vision scans the shelves in search of potential planters, anything I can stuff plants in, even better if it looks like something that's strong enough to drill a hole in without breaking. And then, once in a blue moon I find something really spectacular, something that makes me gasp and dive across the aisle while looking around to make sure nobody else spotted it before me.
In this case, it was a few years ago that I found a ceramic potpourri sachet in the form of a turtle. The turtle's back was full of holes which allow the scent of the potpourri inside to radiate out. These interesting little creations are meant for home decor and fragrance, but in my eyes they are totally meant to be succulent planters. The best part? It had a hole in the bottom, oh and it only cost me $4.99! So I snatched it up with a quickness and went home to get to work like a mad scientist, determined to bring an oddball idea to fruition... And it worked out exactly as I expected.
Ever since I created that first succulent planter from a little ceramic potpourri sachet, I was hooked. Nowadays, I always keep an eye peeled for more when I'm browsing the stores. Luckily, I've been able to find several, including an owl, a different turtle, a frog, a snail, a blowfish, a bird, and an elephant. I will be back with posts on the other designs, as I go filling them...
Anyway, for Christmas, my wonderful mother gave me the best one yet: a Buddha head! My eyes sparkled when I opened that gift, I could already imagine the spectacular planter that it would make. And guess what? I was so right….
Behold!
As you can see, the hole in the bottom enables me to pull the small bag of potpourri out so that I can give it a good wash. I'm showing you the elephant as an example because I forgot to photograph good'ol Buddha before I filled him with soil and plants! So, after I wash out the potpourri smell, I turn it upside down and fill with dirt from the bottom hole. I pack it in real good, while cupping the top of the object in my other hand to prevent soil from seeping out of the top holes - pack it in tight so the soil compacts and doesn't fall out as easily. Once I fill it up with soil, I stuff a few rocks at the bottom to create pressure at the hole and create a barrier so the soil doesn't fall through, especially when watered. Once I've filled it with soil I turn it back over and begin to push succulent and cactus cuttings into the holes. I use a chopstick to push down into the hole first, it creates a nice little worm hole for the plant cutting to ease into. From that point on it's a matter of creativity and creating a visually pleasing arrangement of succulents and cacti.
Sigh, I love it…
I filled the top of Buddha's head with succulents and then I decided that it might be too much to continue the succulent cluster all around the head... I filled the holes in the back of his head with small simple little cuttings of a neon green herbaceous perennial stonecrop succulent used for ground cover - it's called Sedum rupestre 'Angelina.' Hopefully these small cuttings will take root and establish themselves, they tend to be easy growers so I'm confident most of them will.
What else can I say? This Buddha's a beauty! Ogle away, I took plenty of photos....
It looks wonderful next to my other garden Buddhas, for example:
(All images in this post are protected under copyright, do not reuse photographs on this website without written consent from The Succulent Artist or Inspire Bohemia.)