Party Idea: How to Throw a Succulent Party

It’s your turn to host, so you need a nifty party idea. Board games are passé. TV is boring. Wine tasting is expensive. And it’s too hot /or / too cold to go outdoors. So what can you do?

Well, here’s a novel party idea: Throw a Succulent Party! Whether your guests are couples, teens, girlfriends, bridesmaids, family members —or a mix of all—they’ll have fun as they get creative, get hands-on with nature, get a bit dirty, and best of all, get something to take home and treasure.

So for your next party idea, here's how to throw a succulent party!

1. INVITE. Find an evite template or notecards with pictures of succulent plants, such as cacti, aloe, sedum, kalanchoe, or the like. List party details and end with a poignant phrase that entices a “yes” RSVP:

      “How's it Growing."          "I dig plants.”          “Plants are my soil mates.”

      “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”— Audrey Hepburn

 2. MAKE IT POT-LUCK.  Ask every guest to bring their own planter and be sure to remind them that holes in the bottom ensure proper drainage. Encourage creative recycling of household items, such as a crank-handle sifter, tea cup with saucer, metal birdcage, or empty tin. Repurposing gets rid of nonessentials and costs zero, plus it saves the environment. In fact, why not give a prize for the most creative repurposed container?

3. ORDER THE BASICS. Go online and order a variety of plants for arrival just a day or two before the party. With the succulent plant family, you’ll have endless options in terms of colors, forms, and textures. It’s easy and inexpensive when you order in bulk from Succulent Market, America’s foremost grower of succulent plants. And don’t forget succulent soil that’s specially prepared for drainage. It’s available in various sizes at Succulent Market, and delivery to your doorstep is made possible by the click of a mouse!

Also purchase colored sand and pebbles so your guests can top-dress their planters. To increase  the fun, pre-select a party theme. Gardens can reflect the wide world of sports, trolls and fairies, Japanese serenity, Wild Wild West, super heroes, upcoming holidays, or whatever else your imagination stirs up. You can probably find miniature figurines and props in your kids’ storage bins or purchase a few at your local craft store.

4. PARTY ‘N’ PLANT. Cover your tables with throwaway tablecloths that make end-of-party clean-up a breeze. At each setting have ready a pail or plastic bag filled with succulent soil and have on hand a few throwaway gloves for guests who hesitate to get down and get dirty. Place a variety of succulents in the center of the table for individual selection. For larger containers, teach your guests how to identify a thriller (focal point), filler (covers gaps between plants), and spiller (stems trail down for interest). Photos of succulent gardens or a couple pre-made containers will help them get their creative juices flowing. For extra fun, make it a competition and give more prizes for the truest to theme or best youngster effort.

5. TREAT ‘EM TO EATS. No party is complete with a sweet treat. Theme yours to match the party theme. For example, buy chocolate pudding cups (dirt), top with crushed dark-chocolate cookies (topsoil), and decorate with gummy worms as “backyard bites.” Top celery sticks with cream cheese or peanut butter and decorate with veggie cuttings or mini tomatoes so they resemble snails, butterflies, and other garden critters. Spear green grapes on a skewer and add a strawberry head as a caterpillar . . . and the list goes on, thanks to Google. If you serve adult beverages or specialty teas, coin them themed names, too.

As the party comes to an end, the gifts-to-go begins. The take-home planters will remind everyone about the super-succulent party hosted by YOU! You might want to provide a “succulent care sheet,” too,  so everyone’s planter not only survives, but thrives.

Pay It Forward: For an even greater impact, ask guests to donate their finished planters to residents at a retirement center or similar organization. Those recipients will be overjoyed with gifts of nature, and those staff members will be overjoyed that unlike people, succulents require very little care!