Part 1
Succulent Plants in a Globe
Debbie Teashon
Succulent globe created by Ann Pyles.
Containers from beautiful elegant urns to funky old boots—all overflowing with fat little hens and their cute little chicks—sit on decks or act like table décor for garden luncheons. Breaching their reputation of being the commoner, these water-filled, drought tolerant perennials have reached a new level of popularity. Succulents such as echevarias and sempervivums are also found in elegant and casual bridal bouquets, wreaths, living walls, living roofs, and growing in moss-filled wire shapes.
I fell in love all over again with Sempervivums and Echevarias when I was asked to photograph Ann Pyle’s plant art. A resident of north Kitsap Peninsula in Washington State, she planted every kind of imaginable shape and filled them to overflowing with Sempervivums—the perennial we all affectionately call hen and chicks. Granted, I’ve grown them for years as pass-along plants and many gardeners had plenty tucked in here and there in their gardens.
So it shouldn't have surprised me, when I posted one of Pyle’s succulent globes—a scrumptious sphere setting on top of a vase—and many gardeners' asked me how it was made. Last year, I set out to make one for myself and photographed the process, so I could share it with you. The most difficult part was finding the right size globe-shaped container that anyone could find and turn into a succulent globe. For my project, I found a black wire sphere, which is sold at many nurseries and online at Amazon.com. You can also shape one using chicken wire, which I will demonstrate further into this project. You can use the techniques I share here, to make any shape to enjoy in your own garden.
Gardening for the Homebrewer: Grow and Process Plants for Making Beer, Wine, Gruit, Cider, Perry, and More
By co-authors Wendy Tweton and Debbie Teashon (Rainy Side Gardeners)
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