Spilled Pot Gnome Garden

I sometimes worry that gardening will fade in popularity in the way that sewing has. Growing up my Mom made all our clothes, but who does that any more? Sadly, sewing increasing seems to be a lost art. 

Experienced gardeners need to encourage a new generation of gardeners and I think fairy gardens are a project that appeals to young and imaginative minds.

What you need:

• Gnome or fairy house (my house was purchased at Michaels)

• gnome or fairy figure (Again, I found my gnome at Michaels.)

• Tree with swing or any other decorative objects (Michaels)

• Tiny mushrooms (Michaels)

• Animal figures (I used 2 rabbits)

• Clay pot (mine was 4.5" deep and 9" across)

• Green sheet moss (from any craft store)

• Pebbles (Dollar Store)

Tools & plants:

• Standard garden trowel

• 4 x 4" pots of alyssum

• 2 x 3" round pots of groundcover sedum

• 2 x 3" pots of Saxifraga rosacea

• 1 x 3" pot of Lamium 'White Nancy'

Note: I also had purple violets and forget-me-knots blooming in the same area as I created my spilled pot.

Step 1: This project works best, if your garden has a bit of a slope. With your garden trowel, inset the pot into the slope and fill the bottom third of the pot with dirt. 

Step 2: Disguise the dirt in the bottom section of the clay pot with a pieces of dried green moss (available at a craft store). In the picture above you can see the moss peeking out just behind the gnome's little house.

Step 3: To create a low groundcover in front of the clay pot, I used a two pots of magenta and two pots of pink Alyssum. Leaving space for a central pathway, plant the Alyssum to the left and right of the clay pot.

Groundcover sedum and Alyssum 

Saxifraga rosacea

Step 3: Plant your choice of annuals or perennials around the outer perimeter of the clay pot. Annuals will give you the best color throughout the gardening season. I used Lamium 'White Nancy', which has wonderful silver-green foliage. I also used a couple of unidentified groundcover Sedums that were inexpensive at Walmart. Finally, I planted two pots of Saxifraga rosacea, which has delicate, daisy-like flowers. 

Planting note: The Sedum and the Saxifraga like good drainage, so I worked some fine gravel into my soil when planting these perennials.

Step 4: To make the pathway, I used decorative pebbles that I got at the Dollar Store. I placed a sprinkling of pebbles on the upper rim of the clay pot to cover any bare earth.

My props included a tree with a tiny swing, a few miniature mushrooms and two white rabbits.

The flowers on the Saxifraga rosacea will fade, but the plant itself should make a nice green mound. If it doesn't hold up in the heat of summer, it may be something I have to replace. The perennials should do fine and the annual Alyssum should provide color right into the fall.

Simple DIY Pot Hanger that folds for Easy Storage

This type of pot hanger is not particularly a new idea. Variations on this theme have been around for years. The advantage of our version is the quick way the whole pot hanger can be collapsed for easy winter storage. 

At the end of the season, simply take down the hanger and remove the plant pot. 

Next, loosen the nuts on the eye-bolts on all four corners of the wooden frame. Remove an eye-bolt from one of the four corners. Fold the frame like a fan.

Reattach the eyebolt loosely to one of the corner pieces (just so it is less likely to go missing when you store the frame).

Place the chains, the S-hooks and the folded wooden fame inside the clean, empty plant pot. Store the compact unit it away for the winter.

Here's how to make your own pot hanger:

Materials you need:

• one plastic pot–7" pot with a total 9" diameter (including the lip) 

• 1x 1.5" S-hook

• 4 x 1.25" S-hooks

• 4 x 2.5" eye bolts and nuts

• 4 x 14" lengths of chain

• 4 x .25" washers

• 4 x 9.25" pieces of  1"x 1" cedar

Tools you need:

• measuring tape

• saw

• drill

• pencil

• pliers (optional)

A few words about the Pot:

I don't recommend a terra cotta pot. It's likely to be too heavy. I recommend a plastic pot with a lip for this project. The lip sits on the cedar frame and holds the plant pot in place. 

Pots with lips are pretty common, so I don't think you should have any difficulty finding one. I found the blue plastic pot you see here at the Home Depot for under $10.

A few pointers about the Chain:

Do yourself a favour and don't try to cut the chain yourself. It is hard to do unless you have really sharp cutters! Ask the retail assistant at the hardware store to cut you four 14" lengths of half-inch sized chain.

Step 1: Cut four 9.25" lengths of cedar (1" x 1" cedar boards).

Step 2: Place one piece of cedar on top of another and square the side and end of the boards as shown. Use the top piece of cedar to mark off a square on the bottom piece. 

Repeat the process marking a square at each end of all four pieces of cedar. You will have 8 squares marked off (one at each end) when you are done.

Next we need to mark the centre of each corner square.

Step 3: Using a piece of cedar as a ruler, draw a diagonal line from one corner of the square to the other. Flip your cedar ruler and draw a second diagonal line from the opposite corner. This is what you will have when you are finished:

Repeat the process of marking diagonal lines on each corner of the four pieces of cedar.

Step 4: Drill a hole at the centre of each X. You should have 8 holes when you are finished.

Step 5: Place one piece of cedar on top of the other and line up the holes. Pass an eye-bolt down 

through the holes.

Turn the wood over and place a washer and bolt on the end of the eye-bolt. Tighten them as necessary.

Repeat the process until you have all four corners together.

Step 6: Slip one end of a S-hook into a corner eye-bolt. Connect a length of chain onto the other end of the S-hook. Repeat this step for each of the other corners. (Optional: Close the S-hook with a set of pliers.)

A finished corner

Step 7: Gather the four lengths of chain onto a large S-hook at the top of the pot hanger. (Optional:Close the S-hook with a set of pliers.)

Place the plant pot into the frame and hang your finished project. 

I left my S-hooks open and found the hanger worked well all summer. If you want to be able to remove the pot to deadhead the flowers or to water the plant however, you may find that it is better to close the S-hooks with a pair of pliers.

The hanger is great for outdoor plants, but there is no reason you shouldn't be able to use it for indoor plant as well. 

Here I used a hanger for a pot of ivy.

This project is easy-to-do with minimal carpentry skills. Not only does the pot hanger come together quickly, it looks attractive too!

Succulent Terrarium

While the gardening world seems to has gone crazy for succulents, I have been very slow to embrace the trend.  Even so, I can see the attraction to these plants. They're easy-to-care-for, which is a bonus for budding green thumbs, who might have the interest, but not a whole lot of time to devote to indoor gardening. They're also pretty with their dusty-blue green hues and attractive sun-burst shapes.

Desperate for even the smallest signs of spring, I visited one of my favourite nurseries last weekend. There were pots of yellow daffodils, tulips and cheerful primroses, but it was the display of potted succulents and terrariums that caught my eye. "That could be a fun little project!" thought I. 

The next thing you knew, I was loading an assortment of the cute little succulents, some potting soil and a wire terrarium into the backseat of my car. 

Here's the materials and supplies you'd need to make your own terrarium:

• An assortment of succulents
• Potting soil with excellent drainage
• Terrarium or shallow dish of your choice
• Soft bristled paint brush
• Decorative pebbles
• Decorative object of your choice 

This is the terrarium I bought ($10 at Terra Nurseries). It comes with a convenient wooden tray that is already lined. The wire framework was black when I bought it, but I thought it would look nicer if it were green. Out came a can of dusty, sage-colored spray paint! (I used multi-surface spray paint that is available at most hardware and paint stores.)

If you can't find a terrarium like this, try using a shallow ceramic bowl, pot or perhaps try one of the low metal trays I have seen at Michaels.

Step 1: Add a base layer of potting soil that is an inch or so deep (the depth will depend on your container). I used a specific potting soil that's created for cactus and succulents. It offers much better drainage than regular potting soil.

These are the succulents I selected for my project. I used two larger plants and four smaller succulents. The smaller plants were just $2.50 each and the two bigger plants were just over $5 each.

The two larger succulents went in first. They were originally potted up with lots of perlite. I tried to keep as much of the perlite as I could figuring it would improve the soil's drainage even more. 

Next, I tucked in the smaller plants. I found a soft bristled paint brush was a handy tool to clean up any potting soil that accidentally got on the surface of my succulents.

Most rocks are free for the taking, so I always feel a bit like I have rocks in my head whenever I buy decorative stones. These pebbles were pretty affordable at the Dollar Store (just $3), so it made me feel a bit more sane when I bought a plastic jar full of buff and grey colored pebbles.

I have to say that the pebbles made a nice top dressing for the terrarium.

The final steps were placing the wooden tray back inside the wire terrarium and adding a decorative object. I used a snail, but you could add a fairy, a gnome or any other object that appeals to you.

I'm rather pleased with the way the whole thing turned out. All together this succulent filled terrarium cost me under $40.

I think the biggest challenge will be not to overwater my succulents. The lined wooden tray has no drainage, so I will have to be really careful not to get carried away when I water. Here are a few pointers I noted on caring for succulents:

• Succulents like lots of light (4-6 hours).

• Too much water will cause succulents to rot. Succulents like it when the soil approaches dry before they are watered. In a tray like this or a pot with no drainage, it will take a bit longer for the soil to dry out.

• If you have one, use a water meter to check the moisture level of the soil. Another trick is to use weight to determine if your succulents require water. Lift the terrarium in your hands after you water it and make a mental note of how heavy it is. When the soil has dried out, the terrarium will be a lot lighter.

• Watch your succulents for signs there is a problem with soil moisture. If your succulent's leaves are mushy, its probably getting too much water. If the leaves are wrinkled or limp, its probably getting too little water.

• Use an organic fertilizer (following the label's directions) during the plant's growing season. 

Now that I have my first terrarium finished, I'm may try my hand at a few more projects using succulents. I may just have become the newest fan of these adorable little plants!

How to make a Wreath with Dried Roses

What you need to make this project:

• 12 dried sweetheart roses

• one bunch of dried Seeded Eucalyptus

• an 6" grapevine wreath

• scissors

• glue gun and glue sticks

How to dry your Sweetheart Roses:

One way to give Valentine's Day roses a second life is to dry them.

It really easy to do. Gather your roses into a bunch and secure then together with a rubber band. (The stems shrink a little as they dry and rubber bands adjust nicely to the changing size of your rose stems.)

Use a loop of the elastic band to hang your roses with the flower facing downward to dry.

If you are drying more than one bunch of roses, allow space between them so the air can circulate.

Depending on humidity levels, a bunch of roses may take a week or two to dry. Dried correctly, the stems of the roses will be stiff and hard. The roses should be somewhat crisp to the touch.

How to dry the Seeded Eucalyptus:

Seeded Eucalyptus is fairly easy to find. I found this bunch at the grocery store, but it is also commonly available at most florists. 

I fastened the stems of my Eucalyptus together with an elastic band and hung them to dry. They are quite dry to begin with, so they should be ready to use within a week or so.

(If you can't find Eucalyptus ask your florist to recommend some other greenery that might be dried. You could also use silk greenery from the craft store in a pinch.)

How to make the Rose Wreath:

Begin by breaking your bunch of dried Eucalyptus into stems that are six to eight inches long.

Take your grapevine wreath and insert a branch of Eucalyptus into the wreath and allow it to catch in the tangle of grapevines.

Working in a single direction continue inserting branches until you have made your way around the full circumference of the wreath. 

Use your scissors to cut the stems of each of your roses 1/2" below the head of each flower.

Apply a generous glob of your glue to the base of your first rose.

Again, working in a circle around the circumference of your grapevine wreath, attach your roses one at a time taking care to vary the angle of each flower slightly.

As a final step, I went back and turned the wreath on its side and added a few more Eucalyptus branches to fill out the greenery just a bit more.

And here is the final project. 

I think a wreath like this is a pretty way to prolong the romance of Valentine's Day roses!