Finally, a plant I can’t kill. A long time ago someone told me that I should start a succulent garden because those are almost impossible to kill. Hello, my name is Clumsy Crafter and I embrace the impossible. I killed that succulent garden and every living cactus plant I’ve had since then. However this rock garden is one that I cannot kill. This is a great DIY craft project for teens or anyone that just wants to make something cute that you don’t have to worry about killing.
Honestly, we only have plants in the landscaping outside because my husband takes care of them. I try to have a green thumb, I do… but it has never worked. That’s why when I saw this rock cactus garden on Pinterest, I got excited. I mean… I can’t kill these!
How to Make a Cactus From Rocks
Supplies you need to make this DIY Rock Garden Craft:
- River Rocks – smooth and round
- Tiny white pebbles (mine are actually white glass accents)
- Small terracotta pots – pick out the size that’s best for the river rocks
- Shades of green acrylic paint
- White acrylic paint
- paint brushes
- Sealant such as DecoArt DuraClear
- Rice, sand or other filler material
To start, pick out the rocks you want. I tried to chose long and flat rocks out of the bag of rocks that I bought from Hobby Lobby. It’s easy to find river rocks for sale in craft/ hobby stores.
You want at least one rock per flower pot if you are using the small pots. You might be able to fit two rocks in it if they are smaller rocks. If you use larger flower pots, you can fill them with a lot of rock cacti. Lay out the rocks before hand and get a game plan going for the number of rocks that you need.
Once you have your rocks, paint them different shades of green.
Tip:I keep a roll of parchment paper from the dollar store with my craft supplies. It’s easy to roll out a small section to protect my work station during messy crafts.
Whoever gets the most paint on them wins.
The rocks I used each required about three coats of paint to get solid coverage. However, rocks absorb the paint and dry very quickly.
Once your rocks are painted green, it’s time to add the white accents.
I used a tiny paintbrush to add white details. If you don’t have a small paintbrush, you can use a toothpick. Remember that the wrong end of a paintbrush makes perfect dots.
Once you have your designs finished, you can protect them with a quick coat of a sealer. I like DuraClear Satin Varnish by DecoArt .
This step is optional. You don’t have to seal them but it will keep them looking nice for a lot longer.
Once your rocks are painted and dry, it’s time to assemble.
Even though the pots are small, you need something to hold the rocks up. I used rice however you can also use sand, soil, beans… anything small will work. Fill the pot with your filler material but leave a little room at the top.
Place your rocks in the flower pot how you want them to go and then cover the top of your filler material with the small white pebbles or whatever you want to use on the top.
Now your cacti are ready to party. And by party, I mean live longer than a week.
This is an easy craft for most ages however there’s some teenage girls in my house that are dying to make their own.
If you’re looking for more crafts for teens, don’t forget to also check out the DIY Watermelon Makeup Bag .
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