Hamster Wheel Garden Wreath

Even in the event that you don’t have time to care for a full-fledged garden, it is still possible to have a little green in your lifetime. Houseplants and window boxes are common alternatives, but wreaths and garlands are usually overlooked after Christmas. Try crafting a living wreath of tough succulents to hang on your door or lie flat onto a terrace.

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A wreath isn’t the first thing comes to mind if you think of an older hamster wheel. However, the metallic framework turns out to be a perfect structure for producing a wreath.

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Not only does the ring supply surfaces for pruning plants in and out, but also the middle bar creates a perfect little handle for transport.

Tip: If you can not find an older hamster wheel framework, you can buy a wreath framework at any craft store.

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Soak sphagnum moss in a bucket of water until saturated. Hold on the moss onto the faces of the frame and wrap the entire span with fishing line. Continue placing paints onto the framework and fastening it with all the line until the entire frame is covered.

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Once you have covered the framework in moss, pick the plants you want for the wreath. There are hundreds of succulents to select from, all with various shapes and sizes. Pick a mixture of big, medium and small succulents for variety, and include a trailing plant for movement.

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The more trailing plant that I used is commonly called donkey spurge. But be cautious: Donkey spurge, a euphorbia, may cause skin irritation when trimming and may be toxic when injested. Wear gloves or avoid the problem completely by using medium-size stonecrops.

For an expansive list of succulent choices, visit Drought Smart Plants.

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Attaching the plants is merely a matter of weaving the tough stems through the metallic grid of this framework. Make sure the ends of the stems wind up stuck in the wet moss. If a plant will not stay put, slide bobby pins through the metallic frame to maintain stems set up.

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After attaching the bigger succulents, fill in the empty spaces with bigger ones. Again, use a small bobby bin to attach the stems to the wire framework.

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As you pull off leaves out of the bottoms of the various stems, do not throw them off. Succulents can root from stems and in leaves, so all those leaves may make a new plant.

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Simply set the cut end of this foliage into a base of soil, and before long, the plant will begin sending up leaflets. After a couple of months, the entire plant can be transplanted to a different kettle or straight into the garden, or you may use it in a different living wreath.

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Every couple weeks, just pick up your wreath with its nifty handle, submerge it lightly in a huge tub of lukewarm water and permit the moss to become saturated again.

Your wreath will live through the spring and summer with very little care. It is possible to store it through the winter and revive the plants at the spring, or even just begin over again with new cuttings.

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