4 quick and easy projects - building an artificial 'tree' for cut plants - Brief Article

Sprays of goldenrod and purple statice dotted with golden yellow roses form the canopy of this tabletop "tree." The flower stems are kept moist in a block of florist's foam hidden atop a "trunk" formed by a wooden dowel. The dowel is anchored in plaster poured into a terra-cotta pot, allowed to harden, then camouflaged with a layer of sphagnum moss. You can make one pot or several as centerpieces for garden party tables and keep them on hand for fresh arrangements that vary with the seasons.

MATERIALS

* Terra-cotta pot, 4 to 5 inches in diameter

* Aluminum foil

* Plaster of paris ($4 for 4 pounds, enough for 10 trees)

* 3/4-inch dowel, 12 inches long; sanded on one end to a slightly rounded point

* Florist's foam (about $1 for a 4-by 9-inch block, enough for two trees)

* Sphagnum moss (a handful)

DIRECTIONS

Mix the plaster according to package directions. Loosely line the pot almost up to its rim with a layer of aluminum foil (plaster expands as it hardens, and can crack an unlined pot). Insert the dowel in the center of the pot (pointed end up). Pour the plaster around it to about 2 inches from the pot rim; allow to dry at least two hours or overnight. Cut the foam block in half and trim off the corners. Soak a rounded half-block in water, shake off the excess, then center it on the dowel.

Cut flower stems to about 6 inches long. Pluck off lower leaves to give 1 to 2 inches of clean stem, and poke the stems into the foam block, starting at top or bottom. Tuck sphagnum moss around the tree's base.

Mist the flowers every day or two with water from a spray bottle.

Grow an herb garden in a crate

Small-scale herbs make great gifts for gardening friends. And one handsome way to present them is in small wooden crates. The crate shown here is sold for storing audio tapes. It's just large enough - 9 3/4 inches long, 4 1/2 inches wide, and 2 1/2 inches deep - to hold three herb plants (2-inch-pot size) such as chives, cilantro, parsley, sage, or tarragon. Deeper crates sold for storing CD-ROM disks can hold slightly larger plants.

Line the sides and bottom of the crate with moist sphagnum moss, pressing the moss firmly into place. Add a layer of potting mix, then knock the herbs out of their containers and evenly space them in the crate. Fill in around the plants with potting mix. Finally, press a thin layer of sphagnum moss over the surface of the soil and water well.

Grow the herbs in a sunny window or corner of the patio. Water them regularly and feed weekly with a dilute solution of fish emulsion. Soft-stemmed herbs such as basil can stay in the container for a season, but woody-stemmed kinds that like to ramble - rosemary and mints will need transplanting into the garden after several months.

The wood crate shown, made by Napa Valley Box Co., San Diego, is available at stores that sell audio tapes and CDs (such as Blockbuster, Sears, and Wal-Mart). If you can't find the crates, call (800) 424-2269.

Party bouquet in a moss nest

When the weather warms and your garden is at its blooming best, it is an ideal time to entertain outdoors. And a living bouquet is a perfect centerpiece for a garden party. In the arrangement shown at right, the pale mauve pansies are growing in a 6-inch plastic pot wrapped in Spanish moss; white sweet alyssum spilling over the sides gives the bouquet a lacy look.

To make one like it, start with a planted pot of mixed annuals from the nursery. Or make up a pot at least two weeks before the party: Partially fill a 6- to 8-inch plastic pot with soil, set a blooming annual in the center (4-inch-pot-size pansies, bedding dahlias, and zinnias are colorful choices), and space small-flowered annuals (sixpack size) such as sweet alyssum around the edges. Water well.

To conceal the pot and keep it from soiling the tablecloth, slip it into a plastic bag. Then cloak the pot's sides with Spanish moss secured with florist's wire (often sold as paddle wire).

Two-piece birdbath

A birdbath needn't be big or fancy. This one combines two humble components: a straight-sided terra-cotta pot (10 1/2 inches in diameter) and a glazed saucer (16 1/2 inches in diameter). The saucer rests atop the pot and holds about 3 inches of water. It was set up on a bed of washed river rock adjacent to a shady border of sweet woodruff and sword ferns. Within minutes, it was visited by a Steller's jay and a flock of sparrows. Note, however, that this bath stands only about a foot off the ground - easy pouncing distance for a cat.