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Quick gift: Homemade holiday dish for plant lovers

For a cool quirky living gift, think outside the traditional pot.

Trying to come up with an original, budget friendly holiday gift? Or do you just want to add some cheer to a room? Dish gardening is a simple and unique idea that allows you to repurpose household items you already have around.

Dish gardens add a spark of interest to a room and they make great heartfelt gifts, especially for recipients who have everything.

Follow these simple steps to create a simple dish garden:

succulents in pot

  1. Choose a container. Look around the house, garage or second-hand stores for an open shallow container that will hold enough soil to support the plants you choose.
  2. Pick the plants. Root space will be limited, so opt for small slow-growing or starter plants like sedum, terrarium plants or cacti.
  3. Drainage is key. If the container doesn’t have holes in the base, use 1-inch to 2 inches of pea gravel. If there are holes, place broken pottery over them to prevent soil from washing away.
  4. Select soil. Use soil with coarse sand or perlite mixed in to promote good drainage.

Combine different plants to create dimension and textures that show off your personality (or that of the person to whom you are gifting.) How simple is that? Minimize any holiday stress and just let your imagination take over!

Picture of Juan Soulas
Juan Soulas
Juan Soulas is a conservation planner for San Antonio Water System. Since joining SAWS in 2007 his duties have focused on residential water use. He works with his Conservation colleagues to help customers find ways to reduce outdoor usage without compromising the health and aesthetic quality of their landscapes. Juan also coordinates engaging outreach efforts with SAWS’ conservation partners -- Bexar County Master Gardeners, Gardening Volunteers of South Texas, San Antonio Botanical Garden and Mitchell Lake Audubon Center – to increase community access to vital conservation information.
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