Hi there! Welcome to my GIRLY SPAZMS. I am most productive when I'm about to lose it. Easily distracted and daydreaming, I fight my way through the day just so I have moments like these. Please visit often as I am updating and adding new things when time allows . Feel free to drop me a line. Say hi, leave comments, suggestions, feedback & your experiences . Thanks for visiting my crafty blog & be sure to check out my etsy shop too.

5/4/10

SUCCULENTS!!!!!

This is quite possibly my new favorite word. SUCK----YOU- LENTS!!!
haha...anyways, I was at the walmart a city down from me, and I was perusing the garden section when I ran into a specific section full of these beautiful plants & I fell in love.
Aren't they beautiful?


ooohhhs & ahhhs... 


 So, I continued on walking through the store, and I started to think... where am I gonna put these? do I have pots for them?  
SIDE NOTE: I am a plant killa' ... so notorious, in fact that even Sam ( my soon to be teenager) has always given me the "oh brother, rolling eyes" look all the time I look at plants... SINCE SHE WAS TWO! TWO!!! 


So, trying to salvage my reputation, I read the little info tab of each plant, and all said they needed lots of sun. So perfect spot? The loft/ den. It gets plenty of afternoon light & we needed plants in that area! ( I have since started a collection of houseplants a year ago, and everything is going well. :::knocks the closest wood::: ) 

Then I happen to go down the glass container isle in the home decor section, and  TADAH!!!!! Terrarium idea born!

So here is a short and quick tutorial on what I did. They didn't turn out to be exactly a closed terrarium, but the look is there, and I eventually want to make a closed one...

So this is what you'll need... 

  • plants or plants (depending on how big your container is)

tip: it's always good to have similar plants together, it will make your plants happier if you've got a theme going... if you're all over the place, you just make plant vomit and your plants will wilt & eventually die.


  • river rocks ( I bought aquarium river rocks) & placed them evenly across the bottom of the container


  • moss/ activated charcoal ( I actually had a huge container of charcoal from our old turtle tank)  Place this on top of the rock layer. About an inch layer of moss or charcoal should do the trick.
 please remember that there are not exact measurements. EVERYTHING will all depend on the size of your container. 

  • Regular potting soil, you can eyeball where you want your "ground level to be & then figure out how much soil to put in..

  • Place plants as you see fit. (w/ mine, I had one plant in each so it was easy)
NOW COMES THE TRICKY PART.  (at least it was for me)

You need to get soil to go around the plants base ( the part that was in the pot)  & down between the glass. I used a piece of paper to prevent the soil from dropping onto my plants, and (in handfuls) tried the best I could to get that gap filled in. I used chopsticks (disposables ones) to scoot things into place & after lifted the paper up and out. It worked... The chopsticks come in handy when working with a narrower opening, and to move little figurines around.


Like I said I want to take a stab at an actual closed glass terrarium soon. I'm gonna hit up the local thrift shops this weekend to see if I can find an old vintage candy jar type  container.


I finished up by placing some rocks  on "ground level" with my plants. 




The middle plant was an early Mother's Day gift from the kiddos.


So here it is, my little indoor garden of 
SUUUUHHHH---CKKK----YYYYOOOOOUUU---LENTS!!!

 Com' on admit it you like sayin'  it too.

shen
 

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