The holidays are creeping closer, and in the spirit of a gentler, low-waste Christmas, I’ve been making a living succulent wreath for our front door.
It’s simple, it’s beautiful, and unlike a plastic wreath, this one keeps growing. After Christmas, you can hang it on a wall or use it as a table centrepiece, then bring it out again next year.
Keep scrolling for how to make this (relatively) easy DIY Succulent Christmas Wreath.
You will need (2025 update)
- A metal ring — mine is a 30 cm plant stand from Bunnings. I used pliers to cut out the middle to give it a more open centre. You can also use a wreath frame, chicken wire, or whatever you already have.
- Coir fibre or coir peat — this replaces sphagnum moss. It holds moisture, keeps plants in place and is a far more sustainable option.
- Thin, flexible wire — I used Wire-Pak from Bunnings.
- An assortment of succulents — small rosettes, trailing pieces, a few statement varieties and plenty of tiny fillers.
Why the coir swap?
This one and most tutorials call for sphagnum moss, but it’s usually harvested from wild peat bogs, fragile ecosystems that take centuries to recover. Coir is a renewable by-product from coconuts and works almost identically for this kind of project.
Step 1
Gently break apart your succulent plants, shake off excess soil and turn them into small cuttings. Succulents root easily, so you don’t need an intact root system for each piece — smaller cuttings make the wreath easier to shape.
Step 2
Rehydrate your coir in a shallow dish. If you’re using a coir block, soak it in warm water until it’s soft and fluffy. You want it damp, not dripping.
Step 3
Press handfuls of damp coir around your metal ring, building it up to roughly 3–4 cm thick if you’re using larger succulents. Shape it as you go, then wrap your wire around the ring at 2–3 cm intervals to hold everything in place.
Check for any thin patches and pack in more coir where needed.
Step 4
Now the fun part, time to add the plants.
Start with one or two anchor succulents, then work your way around, using scissors or a chopstick to create small pockets in the coir.
Mix sizes, textures and colours until it feels balanced. Sedum and tiny cuttings are great for filling little gaps.
Final notes
Your wreath needs to stay flat for at least six weeks while the plants take hold — eight weeks if most of your pieces are fresh cuttings without roots.
Keep it somewhere bright (outdoors in filtered sun or a bright indoor spot) and mist it lightly every day or two. Once everything has rooted, you can hang it up and enjoy it all year round.
More Ways to Celebrate a Sustainable Christmas
Here are our other guides to an eco-friendly holiday season:
- 11 Clever Ways to Wrap Christmas Gifts Without All the Waste
- Sustainable Christmas Gifts 2025: Thoughtful, Low-Waste Ideas
- Alternative Christmas Trees: From Potted Natives to DIY Fairy Light Trees
- Plastic-Free DIY Christmas Decorations Anyone Can Make
- Pretty DIY Fairylight Christmas Tree
