Cactus Dish Garden

Add this miniature desert garden to your houseplant collection. Follow these four easy steps for a tabletop garden worth gushing over.

Thanks to this cactus dish garden, it IS possible to add a desert landscape to your space. This miniature garden can adorn a coffee table, act as a centerpiece on a dining table, or easily grace a windowsill. No matter where you decide to put it, this easy-to-make tabletop garden will last and last, as cacti are one of the most low-maintenance plants around! These miniature cactus plants may look adorable, but don't be fooled—even the tiniest pricks can hurt. Follow these simple steps to create a cactus garden of your own, all without pricking yourself.

Try making this tabletop succulent dish garden.

Working Time 30 Minutes
Start to Finish 30 Minutes
Difficulty Projects Easy
Involves Planting

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What you need

Tools

Dish
Pea gravel
Cacti
Cactus soil
Decorative rocks or sand

Materials

Scoop or large spoon
Gloves

How to do it

Step 1 Add Gravel

Start out with a wide dish that is at least 3 inches deep. To ensure proper drainage of your garden, pour a 1-inch layer of pea gravel into the bottom of the dish. Doing so will help water drain faster out of the bottom of the pot so your plants aren't sitting in too much moisture.

Step 2 Plant Cacti

When handling cacti, we found that two pairs of gloves did the trick in preventing needles from piercing our fingers. Put on neoprene-coated work gloves, then put on thick leather work gloves over the neoprene ones. Carefully place cacti atop the pea gravel in whatever formation you'd like. Be sure that the bases of the cacti are 1/2 inch lower than the lip of the dish.

Step 3 Fill in Cactus Soil

breaking up roots to get cactus on same level

To ensure that all of your plants are at the same height level in the dish, break up roots as needed. Use a scoop or large spoon to fill in the dish with cactus soil.

Editor's Tip: Don't mix cacti and succulents in your dish garden—although they're both desert plants, they have different water requirements.

Step 4 Top Off With Decorative Rocks

adding decorative rock top layer to cactus garden

For a final touch, add a top layer of decorative rocks or sand. Place your cactus garden in an area with full sun. Although cacti are rugged plants, they don't like temperature extremes. So keep them far from any heating or air conditioning units. Water your cactus garden sparingly, as cacti appreciate dry conditions.