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Archive: Gardening
May 21, 2009
How to Plant an Orchid Vertically
I love orchids, and this year for the first time I went to the Pacific Orchid Expo in San Francisco. I saw some amazing plants and flowers. I left the event very inspired and decided to try the technique many growers use of mounting the orchids on branches or boards, where they can hang vertically. Orchids love being suspended because it allows their roots to drain freely. The visual effect is beautiful, and allows gardeners to make the most of small spaces. Try to find some coco fiber instead of dirt for this project; orchids thrive in it, and it is also very lightweight.
Materials:
Orchid
Sphagnum moss
Small amount of dirt or coco fiber
Fiskars Floral Shears
18-gauge floral wire
Board
Directions:
Step 1: Wait until the orchid you want to plant has finished blooming, then cut the stem at the base. Remove the plant from its pot and shake loose any bark or dirt from its roots.
Step 2: Loop a length of wire around 2 opposite corners of the board. Twist the 2 ends of the wire together in the back.
Step 3: Next, lay a pile of sphagnum moss on the center of the board. Then add a handful of dirt on top. Add the orchid to the pile on the board. Cover it with a second handful of dirt, and a final layer of moss.
Step 4: Secure it to the board with wire. Wrap wire back and forth, starting at one of the pre-wired corner. Lace the new length of wire across the moss and orchid several times. Tug the wires tight to cinch them down and hold the plant against the board firmly. The board can be hung indoors or out.
Posted by Brookelynn |
May 21, 2009 10:00 AM
Books and Magazines, Gardening, Green, Home Decor |
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May 15, 2009
Checkin' In: Multitalented Crafter Brookelynn Morris
Brookelynn Morris is one crafter who is as diverse in her crafts as she is prolific. From fiber to mosaic to floral arrangements and smart crafting, you never know what amazingness will sprout from her creative mind. Brookelynn has contributed projects to 9 out of the 10 volumes of CRAFT, and a look at her author page gives a window into the wide range of her talents. Here is just a sampling from the pages of CRAFT before we check in with Brookelynn. From the tasty felted fruit that graced the cover of CRAFT Volume 02, she diversified to Custom Seat Covers in Volume 04:
From the simplicity of marzipan cake decorations in Volume 05, she switched gears to represented for the smart crafting movement with her LED Hula Hoop project in Volume 06:
Brookelynn taught us the folk art of making your own herbal, medicinal tinctures in Volume 07, and gave us a window into the ancient art of Bonsai in Volume 08:
What has Brookelynn been up to lately? Here's what she shared with us:
"The biggest thing that I have been working on lately is the upcoming release of my first book, Feltique. It's packed with projects that use needle felting, wet felting, commercial felt, and fulled felt. The entire process has been amazing, and I am really excited."
"I met some new friends who taught me how to spin with a drop spindle. They showed me an amazing technique where you ply the yarn as you spin it. Mind blowing, but simple. Spinning is addictive!
I've also been planting my garden, and working on projects that really capture the woodland vibe. I made a forest faux cake for my springtime table."
"Because temps are warming up, but I still live near the chilly Nor Cal coast, I've been working on light scarves. My favorite one is a scarflet of lightweight ruffles from a thrifted wool pancho. It looks like an Elizabethan collar."
"I love riding mountainboards, and springtime means time to ride. A mountainboard is basically a giant skateboard, with inflatable tires and mounts to strap your feet in. It's perfect for dirt roads, and I try to hit the trails at least two or three times a week."
Hot! Thanks, Brookelynn!
Brookelynn has already contributed some great content to Craftzine (my favorite being her gorgeous Ikebana tutorial) and starting this upcoming Monday, May 18th, she is going to be our guest blogger for the week, bringing us fresh content every day. Stay tuned!
Brookelynn will be also be co-hosting the Needlefelting Playground with Miss Moxie at our Maker Faire Bay Area in San Mateo on May 30th and 31st. Stop by, meet Brookelynn, and play with wool!
Special thanks to Michelle Feileacan Photography for the top picture and to Stella the adorable boxer for modeling the scarf!
Posted by Goli Mohammadi |
May 15, 2009 05:00 PM
Felting, Gardening, Home Decor, Sewing, Technology |
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May 14, 2009
How-To: Make Punched Tin Butterflies
Recently, Pam of Gingerbread Snowflakes changed out her winter themed blog banner with a spring one. She asked readers for input on what banner image she should use, and when I saw her option with these fantastic punched tin butterflies, I immediately cast my vote. Now she has a tutorial up for making those very punched tin butterflies. They are beautiful, and would make a great addition to any garden!
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
May 14, 2009 07:00 AM
Gardening, General |
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May 2, 2009
How-To: Garden Paths
Apartment Therapy Re-Nest has three green path ideas for your home from OregonLive.com that can be done on a budget. [ via Crafting a Green World ]
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 2, 2009 08:00 AM
Gardening |
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April 30, 2009
Seattle Tilth Edible Plant Sale
As our Crafting with Nature month draws to a close, plant some veggies! This weekend Seattle Tilth is having their edible plant sale where you can score some awesome organic veggies and herbs and learn about food gardening and composting. Via New World Geek.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Apr 30, 2009 02:00 PM
Events, Food, Gardening |
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April 23, 2009
Succulent Tea Party
My old friend Rebecca Marshall of The Catbird Nest has a piece in Apartment Therapy SF on making these breath-taking succulents planted in china cups. If you're in San Francisco, you can also buy these succulent tea cups at Flora Grubb Gardens (1634 Jerrold Avenue, San Francisco) for $24.95.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 23, 2009 05:00 PM
Gardening |
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April 21, 2009
Flashback: Hydroponic Veggie Garden
Back in CRAFT Volume 09, the multi-talented Brookelynn Morris opened our eyes to the wonders of growing a garden hydroponically. Brookeylnn shares instructions for a simple and compact system, perfect for the urban gardener. The introduction to this DIY explains the benefits of a hydro system:
"Why hydro instead of soil? Growing hydroponically has tons of advantages. It actually saves water! This project uses the same 5 gallons of water over and over again for a whole week. If you were watering into dirt, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to collect and recirculate the water.
Hydro also saves space. In a typical soil garden, the lettuce plant will only grow as big as the 4" pot will let it. With hydroponics, the roots of the plants will actually grow right out of the pot, allowing the plant get as big as it likes. Or at least as big as it can before you eat it!"
Brookelynn teaches us the basics of the setup, then gets us going starting a tray of yumminess from seed. We learn how to mix the growing media as well as the nutrients to feed the plants. The whole system takes up such little space that you no longer need a sizable property to grow your own flourishing garden. Water is the key!
In honor of Earth Day, we're sharing this project with you in our Digital Edition, so you can get started setting up your own hydro veggie garden. And to pick up CRAFT Volume 09, head on over to the Maker Shed. This Green Craft issue features resources for the eco-crafter, Michelle Kaufmann's elegant herb dryer, furoshiki fabric folding, great ideas for recycling cereal boxes, a vintage book stash box, a mosaic table project, precious metal clay jewelry, a primer on using Google Sketchup, and so much more.
Posted by Goli Mohammadi |
Apr 21, 2009 05:00 PM
Gardening, Green |
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April 20, 2009
How-To: Tomato Shelter
Instructables user laxap writes:
Growing tomatoes needs a lot of sun. In warm and rainy days, diseases can appear (such as Early Blight, I think). The plants must be protected from the rain, not from the sun. This instructable shows how to build a robust shelter that resists to wind (and to snow).
Posted by Becky Stern |
Apr 20, 2009 02:00 PM
Gardening |
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April 16, 2009
How-To: Vertically Stacked Flower Pot
Instructables user jholland made a how-to for this lovely tower of flower pots. It's great for when you have limited square footage, and also has an interesting illusion of looking like the pots are balanced on each other.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Apr 16, 2009 04:00 PM
Gardening, Home Decor |
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April 15, 2009
Tire Trugs
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Instructables user Marcos used an old tire to make these trug baskets, shown above holding flowers (but they can also hold much heavier things, like tools).
Posted by Becky Stern |
Apr 15, 2009 09:10 AM
Gardening, Green, Home Decor, Recycle |
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April 13, 2009
Instructables Earth Day Guide
Celebrate Earth Day (and nature month here at CRAFT) with some DIY green projects over at Instructables. Learn tips for urban gardening, how to build a composter, recycle paper, and getting a tree planted on your block in San Francisco.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Apr 13, 2009 04:00 PM
Gardening, Green, Holiday projects, Home Decor |
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How-To: Starting Kiwi Vines
Patti Schiendelman made a kiwi trellis for starting her kiwi vines, which take up to 4 years to start producing fruit. She has a nice write-up on her blog about why she set it up the way she did, and I'm sure it'll be a great success! Happy growing!
Posted by Becky Stern |
Apr 13, 2009 09:00 AM
Gardening, Home Decor |
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April 3, 2009
How-To: Make Plant Markers From Vinyl Blinds
Crafting a Green World has a great quickie tutorial on using vinyl blinds as markers for plants.
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
Apr 3, 2009 03:00 PM
Gardening, Green |
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March 25, 2009
Random Acts of Guerrilla Gardening
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We've all heard of committing random acts of kindness (what a glorious thing), but what about random acts of gardening? Guerrillagardening.org, based in London, provides plenty of inspiration, as well as tips and a community forum on transforming neglected public spaces into flourishing gardens, renegade-style, after dark. Their motto is "Let's fight the filth with forks and flowers." Be sure to check out founder Richard Reynolds' videos on the Guerrilla Gardening YouTube channel, featuring a great little interview with Richards' guerrilla gardening 93-year-old grandmother. Inspirational! (Thanks, Laura!)
Posted by Goli Mohammadi |
Mar 25, 2009 11:00 AM
Gardening |
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