How to Create Garden Wall Art
What better way to create garden wall art than to make a piece of art that is alive? This type of art is not just alive to the eye with color and texture, but it is actually made of living organisms. Garden wall art enriches outside living areas by serving as accent pieces to hang on walls. Ideally, these wall hangings should be complementary to the surrounding garden area. You can accomplish this in a clever manner by creating garden wall art using live succulent plants, which combine the art aspect of a wall decoration with the horticultural aspect of the existing garden. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Roll of 1-inch wire mesh
- Wire snips
- 1 heavy duty black plastic trash bag
- Scissors
- Sphagnum peat moss
- Potting soil
- Time-release plant fertilizer
- Bailing wire
- Pliers
- Succulent plants (see resources)
- Screwdriver
Instructions
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Build the frame for the piece of garden wall art using the wire mesh. Using the wire snips, cut two pieces of wire mesh in the shape of 1-foot by 1-foot squares. Place one square of wire mesh on the ground. Spread a 1-foot by 1-foot square sheet of black plastic cut from the trash bag on top so that the edges of the wire and plastic are evenly aligned.
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Distribute a thick layer of wet sphagnum peat moss across the entire sheet of plastic in an even manner and pack firmly into place by hand. Spread enough of the sphagnum moss so that it is at least 2 inches thick after being packed into place. The sphagnum moss will serve as the rooting medium in which the plants will establish themselves and from which they will draw nutrients and water. Pack enough sphagnum moss into place to provide sufficient material in which to hold and grow small succulent plants.
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3
Spread an even layer of moist potting soil about 1-inch deep over the top of the packed sphagnum peat moss. Evenly distribute 2 tablespoons of time-release plant food such as Osmocote over the potting soil.
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Cover the potting soil and time-release plant food evenly with a layer of sphagnum moss, about 4 inches thick. Place the second 1-foot by 1-foot square of wire mesh on top of the layer of sphagnum moss. Press the square of wire mesh down firmly to compact the layers of sphagnum moss, potting soil and time-release plant food and attach to the other square of wire mesh using lengths of bailing wire.
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Insert the succulent plants into the sphagnum moss so that when you are finished nothing but succulents will show and little to no wire mesh framework will show. Use a screwdriver to burrow holes in the sphagnum moss and then slide the succulent stem into the hole. Pack additional sphagnum moss around the plant stem if necessary to help hold the plant in place.
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Tips & Warnings
Create different artistic expressions by mixing and matching different colors and varieties of succulents and grouping them together in different ways. By using plants of different colors and leaf patterns, you can create swirls and different designs of color and textures on the wall art.
Use a water soluble plant fertilizer like Miracle-Gro every time you water to ensure prolific and vigorous growth after the time-release fertilizer is used up.
