Upcycled Craft: Succulent Plant Rake Wreath

My rusty rake has a new life as a succulent plant rake wreath. These rake heads make great backdrops for all kinds of wreaths. 

You guys know I have a thing for succulents…..faux succulents, so I decorated the rake with all kinds of succulents in various colors.

The wreath is pretty darn classy considering the backdrop is a rusty rake. And my short video featuring 3 easy upcycled crafts at the bottom of the post is a must see!

This wreath works for any season of the year. The faux succulents are so colorful and the bold earth tone colors are definitely my thing.

The rake head is a multi-project piece that’s good to have in the junk stash. I’ve the rake to make a Fall wreath and a Christmas or Winter wreath.

The rake wreaths I make always have the tines hanging down but I’ve seen some really pretty ones hung the opposite way. Hanging the tines down just seems more logical to me.

Of course I guess you could hang the whole rake, wood handle and all. I don’t see why not except for maybe the weight.

When I decided on the wreath plan I looked through all the shelves in the workshop and found these faux succulents from past projects.

I’ve made succulent displays using martini glasses, vintage movie reels, and even a wood billiard ball rack. You would think I had enough succulents from these past projects but no.

I headed to the Dollar Tree and picked up a few more just in case I ran short. The succulent display on the rake needed to be really full or it would look inexpensive and tacky. My thinking anyway.

The reddish orange succulent in the pot was a pretty color so I grabbed it too. All I had to do was pull the succulent out of the pot and remove the stem before gluing it to the rake.

Find faux succulents on Amazon here.

The rake wreath needed a cool hanger and I thought this belt would be perfect. Plus it was  the only whole belt I had in my stash. I got it at the thrift store a while ago for 50% off. 

Trying out the belt as a rake hanger is new for me. I usually just use the cross bar on the rake to hang the wreath.

I removed the stems from the succulents and put them in a baggie in case I wanted to put them back together later. I will take the wreath apart at some point and reuse everything at some point in new projects.

Some of the succulents had clips instead of stems and I removed those too. Just needed a pair of pliers to pull the stems from the heads.

Next I pulled a piece of wire through the two screw holes at the top of the rake head and twisted the wire together so the belt wouldn’t slip through the open area at the top. 

Then I pulled the belt through and buckled it. Now it’s time to hot glue the succulents to the rake.

This is the part where you just have to wing it. I laid out the succulents in a pattern I thought looked okay then I grabbed the glue gun.

I started with the top left succulent and then went down. The succulents got shifted or moved completely during this process.

I eye-balled the overall look as I went trying to place the succulents in a pleasing arrangement. Once the succulents were glued in place I left them.

It would have been an easy job to pull them off and reposition them if they didn’t look great where they were.

Maybe I did a good job? I think so. Patting myself on the back. I hung the rake on our front door but the blue door in my reclaimed door stash makes the colors of the succulents really pop so that’s where I took the photos, mostly.

A shabby chic white door makes a good backdrop for the succulent plant rake wreath too. You could hang the wreath in a door in your home or maybe use it in a fireplace mantel display.

Maybe loop the belt hanger over a chippy lawn chair sitting on the front porch. There are all kinds of ways to display a wreath.

I had a few sheets of moss and tried using that under the succulents but it wasn’t a good look so I used the little green plant thingies as filler. Don’t know what this type plant is called. Someone help me out.

What do you think of the belt as a hanger? It adds a bit of character to the display and looks much better than a plain old metal wreath hanger.

I enjoyed putting this project together. Junk DIY’s are my favorite thing.

If you like recycling and upcycling in general take a look at my video below. There are three quick craft project ideas using lamp shades, wood picture frames, and terra cotta pots…..

3 Easy Upcyle Craft Projects

Want to know how I made these Tacky Pumpkins.….click here.

How about circling a teakettle with a cool belt or using a water dipper as a planter….click here.

Leave a note if you have time. The JTS and I are looking at paint samples on the master bedroom wall. We might need a little help. I’ll let you know. Thanks for being here, Kathy

Kathy Owen

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Author: Kathy Owen
Kathy Owen is the founder of the home decor blog Petticoat Junktion where she shares tutorials on painting furniture and upcycling thrifty finds into unique home décor. Her DIY projects have been featured on the Home Depot Blog, Plaid Crafts, Behr Designer Series, and in numerous magazines. Kathy’s newest website is HappyHomeDIY.com