Repurposing Leggy Succulents: A Bonsai-Style Planting Idea

Today, I’d like to share a bonsai-style planting project created by repurposing leggy succulents.

Leggy growth in succulents is extremely common. Too much watering and insufficient light are usually the main causes. When this happens, the plant often turns into a long, bare stem—something most people would consider unattractive.

At first glance, it really doesn’t look appealing. But if you take a closer look, that twisted, winding form begins to resemble a bonsai tree. And that’s the key point. Where else could you find such a ready-made mini tree? A traditional bonsai often takes many years of training, but leggy succulents appear year after year.

This planting idea started simply because I had a large pot full of leggy-growing succulents. I selected one particularly leggy stem. Although there were still some leaves along the stem, they were large, sparse, and visually unbalanced, so I removed them and used them for leaf propagation. I also placed two of those leaves directly in the pot, which you can still see in the photos.

Container and Base Layers

Let’s start with the container. This arrangement uses a square solid-wood planter made from burned paulownia wood. The surface has been carbonized, finished with a clear protective coating, and reinforced with metal corner guards. Inside, the planter is fitted with a plastic liner.

At the bottom of the pot, I added a base layer of lava rock gravel. On top of that, I pressed down a layer of damp sphagnum moss. I’ll share the full step-by-step process in a separate tutorial later.

Stone as Structure

The key element in this bonsai-style layout is stone. Here, the stone is not only decorative—it also functions as a structural support.

I chose dragon stone for this project. Three pieces were glued together, with intentional gaps left between them to act as planting holes. Of course, other types of stone can be used. The important thing is to understand that the stone also provides support and stability.

The succulent’s roots are located at the very bottom of its long stem, which fits perfectly into the gap between the stones.

Companion Plants

Next to the stone structure, I placed a small pot of golden pothos.

Within the stone crevice itself, I added a pink-toned plant called Cryptanthus (earth stars), which neatly covers the soil around the roots. For those who follow my blog regularly, Cryptanthus will be familiar—it appears frequently in my moss terrariums, various planters, and even alongside cacti. It was simply placed on top and required no special handling.

There is also one additional small plant in this arrangement. For now, I’ll leave it unnamed and share more about it once it has grown in.

to be updated...