In this video, Tom Bowling AIFD PFCI demonstrates a charming composition that puts a fresh garden-like spin on the popular artificial succulent look.

Tom starts with the square carbon planter available from Pioneer Imports & Wholesale. He has already prepared this container with floral foam, but you could add your own perimeter moss or even small stones and pebbles as well.

Grasses are a component that is seeing a lot of use these days, and Tom wants to showcase its versatility with a creative artificial succulent pairing. Tom is working with the permanent botanical zebra grass from Pioneer – this product comes in a bush format, which he already separated into individual pieces. 

Tom points out how stick-straight the permanent zebra grass appears in its unmodified form. He pulls each piece across the back of a knife to give it some curl. The tighter you pull, the curlier each piece will get. The gentle curls have a little more interest and will soften the look of any composition it goes into.

He sets aside the permanent grasses and begins the composition with some artificial echeveria – a selection that has maintained its mainstream appeal for some time now. Tom inserts these bright green pieces right up against the foam itself, making sure to create a little bit of overlap between each. 

Tom then moves onto the darker artificial echeveria selections – you can see as he trims each piece from the spray to make each insertion individually. He builds up height as he works across the container. 

One of the newer products available from Pioneer is the blue green silk eucalyptus bush. Tom loves how it gives the composition such rich texture interest. Although this composition is already strong with the dynamic forms of the permanent echeveria, the silk eucalyptus adds texture that the smoother artificial succulents may lack. 

Next, Tom uses a silk eucalyptus with larger leaves. He trims the pieces and then balances them diagonally from the other silk eucalyptus. The dark berries of the seeded silk eucalyptus catch the color of the darker artificial echeveria for beautiful continuity. 

Tom goes back and snips apart the last pieces of dark artificial echeveria and adds them in. You can see how he has worked quadrant by quadrant to create smart groupings. 

And finally, it's time to add the zebra grass. Tom adds this not quite in the center, but slightly off to the side, following where he has already built up height with the silk eucalyptus and darker echeveria picks. He balances this height by adding a tiny bit more of the blue green silk eucalyptus to spill over one side and then the opposite side.

This is a great garden look with a subtle industrial twist – ideal for the home, home office, or even an office setting. 

Excited to try something new with artificial succulents? You can find the wholesale artificial succulents, permanent grasses, and the silk eucalyptus used in this demonstration available within the Pioneer Imports & Wholesale catalog.