by Lis Friemoth
Green is always good
Keep on growing with a living wreath
I know, I know, we’re all winding down from another intense
growing season, but here’s one last reminder that green
things are great. A living wreath is a handy item to grow
for gifts or use in your own home decor. You can use cuttings
from your own garden or purchase some of those last remaining
plants at the garden center to make a living wreath.
If you have any of the following anywhere in your landscape,
you have the beginnings of a beautiful, growing piece of
art: boxwood, ivy, sedums, hen and chicks, lavender, mint,
rosemary, sage, scented geraniums, or thyme. You will need
a few hard goods, some sphagnum moss, and your plant cuttings
to get started.
Choosing plant material is a personal preference; pick
what you like in form and fragrance. When you check your
landscape for plants, be sure to plan for cuttings that
are long enough to allow for some healthy leaf nodes to
develop top growth. If you want to purchase some plants
to round out the choices, go for either a larger plant
that you can easily take cuttings from or buy some smaller
ones that can be inserted whole. Almost anything that will
adapt to an indoor climate is usable.
Calculate the number of plants needed for the size of
wreath by allowing growth space of 3 to 4 inches for each
plant. You may have to stagger the placement for complete
fill, so be sure to figure that into the plant count. Although
you will make the base of living greens, you can change
and update the look by inserting live or artificial flowers,
gourds and/or berries for whatever holiday celebration
feeds your fancy.
Once you have your plant plan and list in order, start
gathering the hard goods: wreath forms, sphagnum moss (if
making your own form), floral wire, wire cutters, pliers,
pruner, plant material, fertilizer, water, rooting hormone
(optional), container to soak wreath form, tray and platter
or plate to hold the finished wreath.
When choosing a wreath form, keep in mind that the larger
the form, the more plant material is needed to fill it.
Before going out and buying any of these hard goods, check
the garage, basement and other little hidey-holes for used
items that didn’t get tossed.
For the base of the wreath, there are ready-made living
wreath rings (sphagnum-filled plastic netting or wire forms)
or you can make your own by using one or two small, flat-sided
wire wreath forms. Assemble all hard-good materials and
purchased plants, and begin soaking the moss in a bucket
of water until well moistened. If making your own wreath
form that will lay flat on a tray of some sort, fill the
open side of the form with sphagnum moss. Just be sure
to leave enough working room in the moss to insert the
cuttings or small plants — firmly filled but not so much
that they are strangled. Secure the moss to the form by
wrapping together with floral wire, leaving enough space
between the wire wraps to get the plant material in. If
making a completely round wreath, just make two flat ones
and secure them with wire pieces in four or five places
around the outside.
Once the form is ready, you will need to remoisten the
moss, which is easily done by immersing the form into a
tub of water and allowing it to soak for a few minutes.
Be patient with this; good moisture levels throughout the
process are essential to plant survival. If using a ready-made
form, just soak enough to sufficiently moisten it and you
should be set for planting.
Now you can go out and take your cuttings, keeping them
moist under a damp towel until ready to use.
Now for the fun part — the plants. Use your imagination
and creativity to gather your favorites, but be sure to
allow enough space to accommodate top and root growth.
For cuttings, be sure to retrim immediately prior to inserting
them. For plants with roots intact, you can remove a bit
of the soil and root structure to slightly reduce the size.
Using a small piece of dowel or your finger, create the
opening appropriate for the size of the material, place
the plant in, and wiggle the material closed to get good
moss to plant contact. You may want to cover any surface
openings with some extra moss to eliminate the possibility
of dry root areas.
After all plant material is placed where you like it,
moisten the moss well, and put the whole thing into an
area of low light for four or five days, regularly checking
moisture levels, watering when needed. At this point, you
can begin bringing it into a higher light situation, gradually
moving it to full sun over the space of a few days. Be
sure to keep it well-moistened but not soggy; there should
never be standing water in the tray.
Expect the plants to grow at differing rates. You can
let them all go wild at their own pace or trim back the
determined growers to keep them in check. If well-tended,
these wreaths will last for quite a while. And after you
tire of the wreath, you can dissemble the form, remove
the rooted plants and pot them up for kitchen, houseplant,
or garden use.
— Lis Friemoth is a horticulture diagnostician. Contact her at (262) 745-2904, P.O. Box 58, Springfield, WI 53176, visit online at www.thegardenhoe.com or e-mail her at gardenhoe@tds.net. Listen to Liz from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. every third Saturday on WISN AM1130 radio. |
