How to Plant a Pet-Proof Succulent Display (Photo Tutorial)

Houseplants are great to have around, unless you have cats and other pets who like to destroy them. Although it’s good that many types of succulents are safe for cats, it doesn’t mean that cats and succulents make a good pair.

This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you choose to buy something after clicking a product link in my blog. I include affiliate links because I like these companies and find these products useful. Read the full disclaimer here.

Do You Need a Pet-Proof Plant Display?

If your cats are anything like mine, they actively look for ways to ruin anything that you put hard work into. Most recently, Clementine decided to destroy this lovely succulent arrangement.

We must have kicked her out of that planter five times every day before this finally happened…

Clearly, all that exposed dirt was just begging to be dug up. And she couldn’t resist chewing on the leafier sedum plant (completely buried), which must have seemed just like grass to her.

I was finally sick of cleaning up dirt and nursing my poor disturbed succulents back to health on a daily basis, and there was just no fixing this. So I decided to take drastic measures and make what I consider to be a completely pet-proof plant display.

My Cat Proof Solution

If I’ve learned anything about Clementine (and I assume this applies to most cats), she’s smart enough to tell when I don’t want her to get into something. Given that she watches me do everything and knows exactly where I keep all the things I want to hide from her, I knew I had to get creative.

My solution: An impenetrable 8″ tall glass wall that provides no opportunities for digging or even curious sniffing. She hasn’t even looked at it once in the two months since I planted this.

In just a few weeks, the plants completely revived themselves and now look like this.

Required Materials

To make a pet-proof display like mine, you’ll need a few basic planting supplies:

• Large jar, vase or other clear glass container
• Succulent or cactus potting soil
• Gravel, aquarium beads or small stones (enough to fill your container about 1-2″ full)
• Screen or mesh fabric for separating drainage layer (optional)
• Established succulent plants to work with
• Newspaper or towel to catch dirt

I find that craft stores usually have a good array of vases and decorative rocks to choose from.

It’s also fun to repurpose things you might already have at home. I used a vase that I kept from a Costco tulip bulb arrangement. If you’re a member, I definitely recommend picking up a tulip arrangement when they come in because the vase can be reused in so many ways after your bulbs are done blooming.

If you don’t have a tall glass container like mine just lying around, there are lots of ways to get creative. I suggest starting in your basement or garage. If you’re anything like me, you probably have a few jars stashed away somewhere.

Large canning jars, unique vases or even the boring vases you might have saved from a cut flower arrangement can all work perfectly.

Anything with straight walls will work well. It shows off your finished product, but also is easier to work with in the planting phase. The ideal size for your jar will depend on how many plants you’re trying to fit in there. And as long as you can fit your hand through the opening, you should be all good.

How to Assemble Your Plant Display

Now comes the fun part! I’m making a second arrangement for this tutorial using baby succulents and a few plants that have outgrown their original pot.

Start by laying down your newspaper or towel for a clean work space. First, you’ll be putting down a drainage layer of rocks/beads so that your plants don’t get moldy sitting in too much water. I’m being frugal using gravel I took out of my landscaping.

Caution! Don’t just drop the gravel or beads into the jar from above. I can almost guarantee it’ll break, especially if you’re using a thin vase. Instead, tilt the jar to the side and reach in with a handful of gravel. Then gently place it on the bottom to avoid damage.

The amount of gravel you need will depend on the size of your jar. Aim to get your gravel about 1-2″ deep.

If you want to add a layer of material to help keep dirt from getting into your drainage layer, now’s the time. I didn’t put any screen material into my first jar and didn’t find it to be necessary. However, if you plan on doing that in yours, just cut the material a bit smaller than the interior of your jar and lay it on top of the gravel.

Next, add in a layer of succulent or cactus potting soil. I have found that there’s really no difference between soil for succulents and cacti. Not being an expert in this, I’m not entirely sure that there is a difference. I’d love to hear if there is actually something different here, so if you know, please tell me in the comments!

In my planter, I put about 2-3″ of soil down. It was just deep enough to position and cover the roots of my succulents. It’s okay to pack the soil slightly, but I found that it worked best to leave the soil a bit loose so you can arrange your plants well.

The best part, in my opinion, is arranging all of your plants into the jar. I was really happy with the range of plants that I already had, so I didn’t need to supplement it with any new plants. However, you can always order plants to fill out your displays. Succulents Box is a great place to get your plants!

In choosing my layout, I wanted to mash up textures and colors so there was enough contrast for visual interest. I used what (I think) is a type of sedum around the edge to frame everything, then positioned the other plants based on their shape, height and texture.

I used a few tiny succulents that will have the chance to grow into larger plants. They don’t look like much yet. But it doesn’t take long for succulents to get overcrowded if you try to stuff too many large plants in.

You may lose a few leaves from your succulents when positioning them, even if you’re careful. Be sure to save the leaves to regrow some new succulent babies. As you may know, succulent leaves will regrow into plants if you just leave them sit on top of some soil (as long as the leaf is intact).

These are some lovely succulent babies that have been growing for about two months. I put one in my display to see how it takes off.

Once your plants are in place, give the soil a nice pat around each one to nestle it firmly in place. If you want, you can finish it off by placing a few decorative stones around the plants for even more texture/visual appeal.

Care and Maintenance After Planting

Once your plants are situated, give them a little water to help them adjust. In my first planter, I made the mistake of putting just a bit too much water in, and it made the soil super damp for several days. So make sure you take it easy.

Because there’s no external drainage at the bottom of the planter, and because the walls are so high, I’ve found it takes a very long time for water to evaporate. I think my over-watering mistake was the culprit behind one of my succulents rotting and dying in my first planter.

I previously watered my arrangement weekly, but have since been watering it every three weeks now that it’s in the new container. I think a good rule of thumb is to just give your plants a little water every time the soil dries out. With this container having clear glass sides, it’s easy to see when water is needed. Happy planting!

Did you try this project? Leave a comment and tell me how it went!