ACC student Carolyn Jarvis is rehabbing her Grandma’s Denver bungalow one project at a time.

Today, I’m going to share the perfect gift for the plant lover in your life, a succulent or cacti potted in a teacup. Both succulents and cacti are easy to take care of and are super cute!

Also, teacups are beautiful and warrant being showed off. So let your love for your familiar grow this holiday season with a little flora.

Materials:

• Cactus potting soil

• Tea cup(s) (I picked mine up at Goodwill for 49 cents each)

• Activated carbon (I had some on hand but you can find this at PetSmart or any store that sells fish supplies or you can even try to make to make your own.)

• Small rocks (ones from your yard are fine)

• Succulent or cactus plant (Walmart and Home Depot/ Lowes have tons)

In total I spent around $10 for both my cactus and succulent. I’ve seen these in tiny craft boutiques for $15-20 each, so I feel like this was a steal!

Directions:

• Place your rocks in the bottom of your cup. This will prevent your plant from rotting.

• Mix your activated carbon with a small amount of your soil and place over the rocks in your cup. (If you want to skip buying activated carbon, make a tiny drain hole in the bottom of your teacup or use a pot with a drain hole. The activated carbon simply helps purify excess water and absorbs odor.)

• “Plant” your new green friend in the soil mixture. Wet if you’re having a hard time getting the different soils to combine.

• Place more small rocks on top of your soil so that your plant looks tied together.

Done!

Tips: Leave your plants in a bright room, but not in direct sunlight. I water my plants about every two or three days, or when the top layer appears dry.