Succulent colour

Add bold lashings of vibrancy to your space – or someone else’s – with these bright mini gardens.

Abstract painted succulent pot.
Bright concrete block mini gardens

You will need: Concrete breeze blocks (from a DIY store), selection of Resene test pots, paintbrushes, water (for washing brushes), masking tape, newspaper (to protect your work surface), selection of succulents, weed mat, ordinary garden soil with stones for drainage.

Colours: Resene I Dare You (yellow), Resene Pink Ribbon, Resene Moana (blue), Resene Gobstopper (purple), Resene Dizzy Lizzy (green) and Resene Adrenalin (orange).

Paint tips: Use Resene Blackboard Paint and then you can write the plant name in chalk onto each block to help you remember which is which. When choosing colours, it’s generally best to avoid light colours as they will tend to show up marks sooner.

For extra shimmer and shine, use a Resene FX Metallic testpot for details.

How does it look: The designs are as varied as your imagination. We would love to see how your painted block gardens turn out.

Note: If you need to move the gardens, remember to put your hands underneath, where the hole is, to stop the weed mat, plants and soil falling out.

Step one
Collect together all your materials.

Step two (a)
Mark out your design using masking tape.

Step two (b)
Make sure you press it down firmly.

Step three
You don’t need to put a lot of paint on your brush, but try to ensure you get into the corners of your design to make a sharp pattern. The paint will dry quite quickly, but always check it is dry before you put it painted side down.

Step four
Choose a colour for the top rim of your block and paint away.

Step five (a)
Remove all the tape and leave the blocks to dry out completely.

Step five (b) Stripe details

Step 6
Line the blocks with the weed mat, pour in your soil.

Step 7
Add your plants as you get nearer the top.

Step 8
Remove any surface soil on the block rim with a brush.

Finished project

Closeup of pattern

Words and photos by Diane Turner

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