Charleston Green: Earthy Innovation

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Earthy Innovation

click here to download the instructions (adobe pdf)

Spring in the Lowcountry means a world blooming with possibilities—from creeping fig to coleus, ‘Blue Daze’ to liriope—so why keep them confined to the same old pots and flower beds? For some (ahem) groundbreaking planting ideas easy enough for the beginning gardener, we teamed up with the City Greenhouse and their army of green thumbs who not only plan and plant the city’s 90 parks but also dream up ingenious displays for green spaces and events alike.

“Plants are a lot more versatile than we give them credit,” says City of Charleston horticulturist Jennifer Bremer. “It doesn’t take an experienced gardener to create a striking display. It really just takes an eye for the unconventional.” 

On the following pages, you’ll find projects featuring found furniture—“We’re constantly rescuing things from the junk heap. An old chair or lamp saved from the side of the road can serve as a great jumping-off point for an inventive display,” says Bremer—as well as household items and easy-to-grow plants. “Choosing plants with intriguing textures and using them in different ways, like turning a groundcover into a topiary or incorporating unconventional containers, can really make quite an impact.”

Grass Roots

Taking just a week to grow from seed, rye grass can fill all manner of spaces—from teapot to tabletop—with vibrant color and touchable texture

Materials

• Vessels of various shapes
• Quality potting soil
• Rye grass seed
• Spray bottle

1. Choose your containers. Consider repurposing household items or otherwise out-of-use furniture and accessories.

2. Fill each container with well-moistened soil, leaving about a half inch of space at the top.

3. Sprinkle a generous amount of grass seed over soil (you can always thin it out once it grows in).

4. Place containers in a sunny spot. The seed should germinate within seven to 10 days. During this time, soil must be kept very moist—mist daily with a spray bottle.

5. Once grass begins to grow, you can cut back on watering a bit, but be sure to keep soil well-hydrated. A cool-weather grass, it will offer bright green color throughout the spring months, dying away when the weather heats up.

“You can grow rye grass almost anywhere, whether you mound dirt on a flat surface or sprinkle seeds into the spout of a tea kettle,” says Jennifer Bremer, City of Charleston horticulturist, “so get creative when choosing your containers.” Your cupboard is a good place to start—select favorite vessels that work well in a grouping, plant the grass, then place in a sunny spot to grow. Bring the display indoors for dinnertime, nestling votives into the grass for an ethereal glow, or arrange it on the porch as an eye-catching welcome to spring visitors.

Raised Coleus

Lift coleus—an annual prized for its brilliant foliage—to new heights by training it to grow into a slender topiary

Materials

• Coleus plant
• Small container for holding water
• 1 four-inch pot
• Quality potting soil
• 1 one-gallon pot
• Bamboo stake
• Fern or moss for underplanting

1. Propagation: Cut off a coleus stem about three inches long. Remove the lower two leaves and discard, then put the stem into a vessel of water on your windowsill (try a plastic medicine bottle or other small container). Stem should begin to grow roots within two and a half to three weeks.

2. Transplanting: Once roots have formed, plant in a four-inch pot filled with good-quality
potting soil. Place pot in a sunny spot, making sure to water regularly. As the plant grows, cut the lower leaves off, as this will encourage it to grow taller.

3. Potting: Once the plant’s roots have begun to grow out of the bottom of the pot, it is time to transplant it to a one-gallon container. To support and protect the stalk (which should be fairly tall by this time), stick a bamboo stake into the soil and tie the coleus to it. Continue to pinch back the leaves, and by the end of summer, you should have a tall topiary. If you like, you can plant fern or moss in the soil at its base.

“Coleus is popularly used as a groundcover, so growing it into a topiary makes for an altogether different look,” says Bremer. “This project is perfect for the home gardener because it is so rewarding to watch a small cutting grow into a tall plant in only about six months. Coleus topiaries have such colorful, light-hearted appeal that they never fail to grab people’s attention.” For added drama, underplant your pot or urn with fern, moss, or another dappled-light loving plant suited to the amounts of sun and shade the topiary will receive each day.

Potted Lamp

Add a little magic to an outdoor space with a lamp-turned-plant-stand that lends your display height by day and candlelit ambiance after dark

Materials

• Salvaged floor lamp
• Wire cutters
• 1 pot in a size that fits lamp, ideally with saucer attached
• Gorilla Glue
• Quality potting soil
• ‘Blue Daze’ or plant(s) of choice
• Candles (optional)

1. Remove wiring and electrical sockets from lamp, creating a flat base on which to rest your pot.

2. Choose a pot that pairs well with the lamp, making sure that it is not so large or heavy that it will cause the lamp to topple over. Position it on top of the base and trace the outline of the base onto the bottom of the saucer.

3. Following instructions on package, apply Gorilla Glue to the saucer within the traced outline. Adhere to the top of the lamp.

4. Once glue has dried (it takes about 24 hours), plant ‘Blue Daze’ in the pot using quality potting soil.

Taking the term “garden room” to another (rather more whimsical) level, this project calls for careful attention to scale, as you pair a revamped lamp with a pretty pot and a plant sized to fit. We chose a lamp with a trio of arms that could be turned into candleholders, then topped it with a pot overflowing with ‘Blue Daze.’ If your base can support a larger container, you might try combining an upright plant like liriope with a draping groundcover like creeping Jenny.

Belle of the Ball

Quick to cover most any form, creeping fig turns two hanging baskets into a lush green sphere easily dressed for a party

Materials

• 2 hanging baskets with cocoa liners
• Quality potting soil
• Glue gun and glue sticks
• Copper wire
• Wire cutters
• Scissors
• Funnel
• 8 small creeping fig plants

1. Remove wire or chain used to hang baskets. Fill one of them with potting soil.

2. Run hot glue along the top rim of the cocoa liner in soil-filled basket. Turn second basket over on top of first, adhering liners together. This does not need to be a permanent hold—just enough to keep dirt from filtering out.

3. Cut three- to four-inch pieces of copper wire and use to secure the rims of the baskets together in four different places around sphere’s circumference.

4. Use scissors to cut a hole in the cocoa fibers at the top of the empty basket.

5. Using a funnel (or a piece of newspaper or paper rolled into a cone shape) pour potting soil into the globe, filling it all the way to the top of the basket.

6. To plant your creeping fig, cut small Xs into the sphere—four in the top half and four in the bottom half. Nestle the roots of a single creeping fig plant through each hole and down into the soil. Placed in either sun or shade and watered gently with a hose or garden wand, the plants will grow to cover the entire ball.

Think of this garden ball as a blank canvas just waiting for adornment—wrap a garland among the leaves for everyday display, attach floral tubes filled with flowers for a springtime fête, or line a pathway with several spheres to create a grand entrance.