Hands up who doesn’t love a unique planter? Something that adds a little magic to the garden? Something like this gorgeous succulent mushroom?

This gorgeous succulent mushroom planter is much easier to make than you might think. It takes a little time, but once those succulents take root and start spreading it puts on such a magical display. #Succulentplanter #uniqueplanter #ACraftyMix #PlanterIdeas

Isn’t she beautiful? We made two a few months back and I’m finally ready to share the tutorial with you all. I wanted to make very sure that they would work and that the succulents would be happy in their curved upside-down world.

This living succulent mushroom planter is much easier to make than you might think. It takes a little time, but once those succulents take root and start spreading it puts on such a gorgeous display. #Succulentplanter #uniqueplanter #ACraftyMix #PlanterIdeas

Succulents are such easy-care plants and if they’re in the right spot, they’ll just carrying on making babies year after year. And these babies are thriving. The succulent mushroom planter is much easier to make than you might think. It takes a little time but it’s so worth it in my opinion and once those succulents take root and start spreading it puts on such a gorgeous display.

This living succulent mushroom planter is much easier to make than you might think. It takes a little time, but once those succulents take root and start spreading it puts on such a gorgeous display. #Succulentplanter #uniqueplanter #ACraftyMix #PlanterIdeas

If you don’t have a whole bunch of succulents in your garden that you can look for overgrown pots of Sempervivum (hens and chicks) at the garden center and subdivide them.

This living succulent mushroom planter is much easier to make than you might think. It takes a little time, but once those succulents take root and start spreading it puts on such a gorgeous display. #Succulentplanter #uniqueplanter #ACraftyMix #PlanterIdeas

Okay, before we get to the living succulent mushroom planter tutorial, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. And don’t forget to subscribe so you’ll never miss a post!

What you Need

For the mushroom top

To make the mushroom top you’ll need a wire hanging basket with coconut fiber inner. Any size will work, just keep in mind, that the bigger the basket, the heavier it will be and the more succulents you’ll need to fill her up. You’ll also need:

  • A plastic drip tray/drainage plate that fits snugly inside the basket
  • Cable ties (3-4 per mushroom)
  • Drill, scissors, and permanent marker
  • Enough soil to fill the baskets. As a guide, a 31 cm (12″) basket holds approximately 9 liters of soil while a 36 cm (14″) basket will hold about 13 liters. 
  • Succulents. I used Sempervivum, sedums, echeveria, and a dassievygie for our mushrooms. They’re all hardy and make lots of babies really quickly.

There are many other low-growing plants that would work too. Creeping Charlie, String of Turtles (cutest name EVER!! ) and Thyme are just a couple that comes to mind.

Two hanging wire baskets and drainage plates that fit snuggly inside

For the mushroom stalks

  • Empty plastic bottles or PVC pipes
  • 10mm thread bar
  • Cement, sand, and water
  • Fabric (optional to make a frill around the stalk)

What kind of fabric can I use with concrete?

Something that can hold its own weight and is porous enough for the concrete mixture to adhere to. Felt, crinoline, toweling, fleece, flannel, and heavyweight interfacing are all good choices.

If you’re not keen on playing around with cement you can use a thick dried-out branch or stump to make the stalk instead. Or you can make this something similar using a polystyrene form.

Making the mushroom top

Preparing the mushroom planter top

Remove the chains and coconut fiber lining from the hanging baskets …..

What you need to make a gorgeous succulent mushroom planter

…. and paint the baskets to match the color of the coconut liner.

Paint the hanging baskets to match the coconut fibre. This step is optional

Once the paint dries place the coconut liner back inside. Use a permanent marker to mark where you want to plant your succulents. Trust me on this one. Trying to make holes in that coconut fiber liner after the soil has been added is really hard.

Use a pen to make poke holes in the coconut lining

Remove the liner and use an old pen, or something sharp to make a hole where you made the marks. Cut a slit using a pair of scissors or a sharp knife. If you’re not keen on the coconut fiber you can also line the basket with chicken wire and moss, as we did when we made the mossy pillow.

Cut holes in the coconut liner

Pack moist succulent potting soil tightly inside the baskets, patting it down firmly as you go. I find that using moist soil makes it easier to fill the basket completely. Try not to leave any gaps since it will make the coconut liner sag when it softens up from watering.

Fill the hanging baskets with enough potting soil and pat down firmly

If you can’t find succulent potting soil, you can make your own by mixing three parts potting soil with one-part perlite or fine gravel for drainage.

Sealing the bottom of the mushroom top

Drill 4-5 drainage holes in the bottom of the drip trays and another hole in the middle. Succulents hate it when their feet stand in water.  Place the drip trays inside the soil-filled hanging baskets to check that the soil’s been packed in there tightly enough and then drill 3 – 4 holes around the outer rim. Put the drip trays back inside the soil-filled wire baskets and use cable ties to secure the drip trays to the sides of the hanging basket.

Attach the drip tray with cable ties
Attach the drip tray with cable ties

Adding succulents to the mushroom planter

Flip the hanging baskets over and open up the holes you make earlier in the coconut fiber liner. Use your fingers to make a small cavity for each plant. Remove most of the soil around your succulents and break any clusters up. Carefully arrange the succulent roots and tuck them inside the hole. Continue planting, working your way around the mushroom top. Some of the smaller succulent pups can be tucked straight into the coconut liner. They can be held in place with floral pins until they take root.

Carefully tuck the succulents inside the holes you made earlier

Water well and allow the succulents to settle on a flat surface for a week or two before finishing off the mushroom. Remember to turn your mushroom tops every few days so all the succulents get the same light and have the best chance of settling in their new mushroom planter home.

This living succulent mushroom planter is much easier to make than you might think. It takes a little time, but once those succulents take root and start spreading it puts on such a gorgeous display. #Succulentplanter #uniqueplanter #ACraftyMix #PlanterIdeas

You may have to replace some of the succulents that didn’t root well and guide new chicks to fill any blank spots. Fortunately, ours all seemed happy in their new mushroom planter home.

This living succulent mushroom planter is much easier to make than you might think. It takes a little time, but once those succulents take root and start spreading it puts on such a gorgeous display. #Succulentplanter #uniqueplanter #ACraftyMix #PlanterIdeas

After a few weeks, you won’t be able to see the wire baskets as the succulents spread and cover it completely. The best succulents to use for the mushroom planter are low-growing, creeping species and those that form little rosettes. Echeveria, small Agaves, Crassula, Ghost plant, Beard of Jupiter, Mesems (vygie), and the classic Hen and Chicks are all good choices. You can read all about identifying and growing succulents here.

This living succulent mushroom planter is much easier to make than you might think. It takes a little time, but once those succulents take root and start spreading it puts on such a gorgeous display. #Succulentplanter #uniqueplanter #ACraftyMix #PlanterIdeas


Right, while you wait for the succulents to settle into their new home, you can start making some mushroom stalks.

Making the mushroom stalks

Just give me a moment here. Those stalks gave me all kinds of grey hairs. I just couldn’t get my head around how to make them. Well, until I tripped over a bag of cement in the garage that is. Duh, so obvious. A concrete stalk would be tough enough to keep the tops up and last in all kinds of weather too. Now all I needed to do was find a mold of some sort. And plastic soda bottles were perfect.

Cut the top 1/3 of the plastic soda bottles off.

The one mushroom top is quite a bit bigger than the other one, so it needed a longer stalk. Plastic bottles here in South Africa come in standard sizes and the biggest one was just too short. Easy enough to change. Just cut another one and insert it inside the first one.

Mix the concrete in an old dustbin

Poke 2 -3 holes in the bottom of the bottles to help drain the water from the cement mixture we’ll be adding in a minute.

Make a few small holes in the bottom of the plastic soda bottles

Mix up a batch of cement, sand, and water according to the manufacturer’s instructions. I used about 5 cups of ordinary Portland cement with 2 cups of fine beach sand and then added 4 cups of water for each stalk. Pour the mixture inside the bottles and insert a thread bar in the middle. That thread bar will go inside the mushroom top to keep the whole thing stable and attached. To hold the thread bar upright and in the middle, I used a piece of cardboard with a hole in the middle.

Insert a thread bar in the concrete mix and use a piece of cardboard to keep it upright and in place

Wait for about a day for the concrete to firm up and set. Not completely mind you, but just firm enough to not collapse in a puddling mess when you de-mold the stalks. To de-mold, carefully cut the plastic bottle away and leave the stalks in a warm space to dry and cure fully.

Waiting for the concrete to cure properly

Bulking up the mushroom stalks

To give the mushrooms a stalk-ish appearance I mixed up another batch of concrete and added a bonding agent. The bonding agent is super important. It helps the new layer of concrete grip onto the previous dried layer. Without the bonding agent, the new, thin layer of concrete becomes very vulnerable to the weather and can crack and crumble because it does not move or bend in the same way as the first layer.

To bulk up the mushroom stalks place some scrunched-up tin foil around the bottom of the concrete bottle stalk forms before applying a layer of concrete on top.

You can bulk up the bottom of the mushroom with some aluminium foil before you add the second layer of concrete

And then layer by layer, build up the form until you’re happy with the shape.

Making the mushroom skirt/frill

The little mushroom frill was a last-minute add-on. It’s made from fabric and draped over the mushroom stalk.

This living succulent mushroom planter is much easier to make than you might think. It takes a little time, but once those succulents take root and start spreading it puts on such a gorgeous display. #Succulentplanter #uniqueplanter #ACraftyMix #PlanterIdeas

I used some woven interlining cut into a circle. That’s the stuff you put in dresses to make them stiff and proper 😀

Put the fabric inside the slurry mix and drench to coat completely

Dip the fabric/interfacing in a watery mix of cement and water, often referred to as a slurry mix. I didn’t add any sand to my slurry mix. Just cement and water.

Put the fabric inside the slurry mix and drench to coat completely

Squash and knead and push the fabric into the mix so the whole thing gets drenched in the slurry. Lift the fabric out and wring it out, before dipping it into the mix again. Repeat until the fabric is completely slurrified. Sorry, that’s the best word I could come up with. It’s kinda like doing hand washing, only you’ll be doing it in gooey concrete 😉

Put the fabric inside the slurry mix and drench to coat completely

When the fabric is completely drenched/slurrified, place it around the top of the mushroom stalk and secure it with a rubber band. Wait for the frill/skirt to dry completely before cutting the rubber band.

Drape the concrete fabric over the mushroom stalk and secure with a rubber band

Finishing the succulent mushroom planter off

To finish the mushroom planter, simply insert the thread bar into the hole in the drip tray and glue it down.

Insert the thread bar into the hole in the drip tray

Place the living succulent mushroom planter in a spot in the garden and enjoy all the oohs and aaahhhhs from your friends 😉

This gorgeous succulent mushroom planter is much easier to make than you might think. It takes a little time, but once those succulents take root and start spreading it puts on such a gorgeous display. #Succulentplanter #uniqueplanter #ACraftyMix #PlanterIdeas

Happiness is when a succulent starts flowering in its new home 😀

This living succulent mushroom planter is much easier to make than you might think. It takes a little time, but once those succulents take root and start spreading it puts on such a gorgeous display. #Succulentplanter #uniqueplanter #ACraftyMix #PlanterIdeas
This living succulent mushroom planter is much easier to make than you might think. It takes a little time, but once those succulents take root and start spreading it puts on such a gorgeous display. #Succulentplanter #uniqueplanter #ACraftyMix #PlanterIdeas

And new growth appears.

This living succulent mushroom planter is much easier to make than you might think. It takes a little time, but once those succulents take root and start spreading it puts on such a gorgeous display. #Succulentplanter #uniqueplanter #ACraftyMix #PlanterIdeas
This living succulent mushroom planter is much easier to make than you might think. It takes a little time, but once those succulents take root and start spreading it puts on such a gorgeous display. #Succulentplanter #uniqueplanter #ACraftyMix #PlanterIdeas
This living succulent mushroom planter is much easier to make than you might think. It takes a little time, but once those succulents take root and start spreading it puts on such a gorgeous display. #Succulentplanter #uniqueplanter #ACraftyMix #PlanterIdeas
This gorgeous succulent mushroom planter is much easier to make than you might think. It takes a little time, but once those succulents take root and start spreading it puts on such a gorgeous display. #Succulentplanter #uniqueplanter #ACraftyMix #PlanterIdeas

I added some leaf cutting from a dassievygie to the smallest mushroom. And they have just gone crazy 😀

This gorgeous succulent mushroom planter is much easier to make than you might think. It takes a little time, but once those succulents take root and start spreading it puts on such a gorgeous display. #Succulentplanter #uniqueplanter #ACraftyMix #PlanterIdeas

She’s such a curious and rewarding little plant.

This gorgeous succulent mushroom planter is much easier to make than you might think. It takes a little time, but once those succulents take root and start spreading it puts on such a gorgeous display. #Succulentplanter #uniqueplanter #ACraftyMix #PlanterIdeas

The dassievygie (Oscularia deltoides or pink ice plant) is a low-growing, grey succulent that produces the most gorgeous pinkish, lavender-colored flowers in late Spring and Summer. She gets her name from her three-sided fat, succulent leaves. Deltoides is Latin for triangular 😀 Indigenous to South Africa, the dassievygie can be grown from leaf or stem cuttings.

These gorgeous succulent mushroom planters are much easier to make than you might think. It takes a little time, but once those succulents take root and start spreading it puts on such a stunning display. #Succulentplanter #uniqueplanter #ACraftyMix #PlanterIdeas

If you like the idea of adding a living succulent mushroom to your garden, don’t forget to pin it for later.

These gorgeous succulent mushroom planters are much easier to make than you might think. It takes a little time, but once those succulents take root and start spreading it puts on such a stunning display. #Succulentplanter #uniqueplanter #ACraftyMix #PlanterIdeas

Sharing is caring 😉

This gorgeous succulent mushroom planter is much easier to make than you might think. It takes a little time, but once those succulents take root and start spreading it puts on such a magical display. #Succulentplanter #uniqueplanter #ACraftyMix #PlanterIdeas

Oh and if you’re looking for some of the things we used, we’ve got you covered Disclosure: Clicking on the links below, means we may receive a commission from Amazon. But don’t worry it won’t come out of your pocket, and it helps us make more amazing crafts to share with you 😉

For the mushroom top

Kingbuy 8 Inch Metal Hanging Planter Basket with Coconut Liner Wire Plant Holder Watering Flower Baskets Black Pot Hanger Garden Decoration for Indoor Outdoor, 2 Pack
Shop Succulents | Radiant Rosette Collection of Live Succulent Plants, Hand Selected Variety Pack of Mini Succulents | Collection of 40
UPMCT 6 Pack Plant Saucer, 4 6 8 10 12 Inch Durable Plant Tray Flower Pot Saucer Round Pallets for Indoors and Outdoor, Plant Container Accessories (6 Inch, Red)

For the mushroom stalk

Sale Hartline 10006 Rockite Cement 15 Min 5 Lb, 80 Ounce
Sale SIKA 187782 R, White, Concrete bonding adhesive, admixture for portland-cement mortar, 1-Gallon
FabricLA Acrylic Felt Fabric - 72' Inch Wide 1.6mm Thick Felt by The Yard - Use Soft Felt Sheets for Sewing, Cushion, and Padding, DIY Arts & Crafts (1 Yard, Black)

And if you prefer to buy rather than DIY, then maybe these beauties will appeal.

Abbott Collection 27-FORAGE/187 SM Round Log Planter with Mushrooms, Brown
Dahlia Driftwood Stump Log Concrete Planter/Succulent Pot/Plant Pot, 7.4L x 3.9W
Design Toscano NE160015 Massive Mystic Mushroom Sculptural Outdoor Garden Stool Statue, 19.5' Wx19 Dx17 H, Full Color Finish

And as always, wishing you a wonderful, crafty week filled with lots of love. Thank you for popping in for a visit.

Made with love by a Crafty Mix