Potted cactus trio cross stitch pattern

About this design

Each plant sits in a terracotta pot of DMC 922 Copper Light with a 920 rim. On the left, a tall saguaro-style cactus with a raised arm is striped in 988 Forest Green Medium and 986 Very Dark, which gives it ribs. In the middle, a round barrel cactus is checked in 3348 Yellow Green Light and 3346 Hunter Green, topped with a small pink 3708 Melon Light flower. On the right, a rosette succulent in 3817 Celadon Green Light has a darker 3815 heart.

How to work it

Stitch the three pots first, which gives you a firm baseline, then build each plant up from its pot. The ribbed cactus alternates two greens column by column, and the barrel cactus uses a diagonal check, so keep a close eye on the chart for those two. The succulent is the easiest: one colour with a few dark stitches at the centre.

Finishing ideas

At 36 × 24 stitches the design is about 2.6 × 1.7 inches (6.5 × 4.4 cm) on 14-count Aida and 2.0 × 1.3 inches on 18-count. Frame the trio in a long oval hoop, stitch it across a bookmark, or work just one plant for a tiny card.

Colour plan

DMC 922 Copper Light does the most work, 36% of the 399 stitches, followed by DMC 3348 Yellow Green Lt at 15%. DMC 3708 Melon Light (6) and DMC 3815 Celadon Green Dk (5) are used only a little: small details worth marking on the chart so you don't miss them. 54% of the grid is left empty.

Working notes

36 squares stand alone in their colour, with no same-coloured neighbour along a side; stitch those as you pass rather than starting a new thread for each. The busiest row changes colour 23 times.