Crafty Wednesday {string gardens}

  We got home from D.C. late last night and and I'll have my last post about that fun trip up tomorrow.  We had the best time but it is good to be home and to sleep in my own bed.  Today I had a crazy, busy day at work so I'm just getting the time to do my crafty Wednesday post.  

Last week I had some friends over and we made kokedema string gardens.  They are easy to make and they are the perfect craft for spring!  Here was our inspiration picture-so pretty!!!!  

 

Here is one I bought a few years ago at my favorite garden store. It still looks great!  To care for these little plants you just soak them in water for 15 minutes once a week.  Honestly a lot of weeks I forget to water this little plant and it still looks good.  

 

For this project you need:

Peat moss

Sphagnum moss

Sheet moss

Bonsai soil 

Fishing wire 

I got most of the supplies at Home Depot and I got the Bonsai Soil from Amazon. We made about 10 string gardens and I still have enough of the supplies left to make more! 

 

Here are the step by step instructions to make your own string garden.

1.Gently shake most of the soil from the roots of your plant. Be careful not to damage the roots when doing this.

 

2. Wrap you roots with spahagum moss.  You will want to set you moss in water for a few hours before you start your craft project.  It is easier to work with the moss when it's wet. 

 

3. Make a planting mixture using your Bonsai soil and your Peat moss.  Using a 7:3 ratio.  I did 7 cups of Bonsai soil and three cups of peat moss.  Add a little water and mix the soil and moss together.  It should form a clay like substance.  Shape the mixture into a ball the size of a grapefruit and then break the ball in half.   

 

4-You put your spahagum moss covered roots in the center of the ball and shape the ball into a grapefruit again.  Does this make sense?

 

 5- I did not do a good job about taking pictures of this step..but you cover your soil ball in sheet moss and wrap fishing wire around the sheet moss.  You want your string garden to stay together so we used A LOT of fishing wire.  I will be making more of these so I will get better pictures of this part of the craft and post them 😉

Here my friends and I are happy as can be with our new string gardens!  

 

Here are the three I  made three for the sun room of our new house. 

 

This is a great spring project!  And these make great gifts!  I hope to make a few more to give away as gifts. 

 

Happy crafting!

Xoxo