How to Plant Succulents in a Container Without Drainage

Awhile ago, I bought this rather handsome planter and I wanted to fill it with succulents. A few weeks ago, I finally decided to get off of my bum and put it together. To prepare, I picked up 6 plants at Lowe’s and some cactus dirt. Then I realized that since my planter doesn’t have any drainage, I’d have to get clever to make sure my plants didn’t sit in water (not good for dry-climate plants).

Unlike some situations where you could drill drainage holes, the decorative planter is wood, and therefore mightrot if exposed to water.

To compensate, I used a container-in-container system–BUT disguised it to look like it was planted right in the planter.

Here’s the planter:

I used some foam to create some space between the bottom and the plastic inner containers:

I used leftover plastic take-out containers for the inners. I tried a few different sizes to see what combination would work best:

Using a screw and a screwdriver to “drill” holes in the bottom, I created drainage:

Here are the plastic containers with holes inside the planter:

I filled the gaps with plastic bags to create a bumper on top of which I filled dirt to disguise the plastic containers.

Once the plants and dirt were added, I added a little water (sparingly–again, they’re desert plants!) and put them in the sun:

I love the combination of textures and heights, and I think they’re a great addition to my living room.