WESTMONT GARDEN CLUB MEETING
The September meeting of the Westmont Garden Club was held on
Saturday September 24, 2016, at the home of a member. The featured speaker was Nancy Curl , Tarrant
County Master Gardener.
Nancy began the program talking about using succulents to make a living wreath. One wreath that Nancy had made recently was
ringed with small clay pots. In this
particular wreath she used realistic looking fake succulents instead of live
plants.
The other wreaths she had on display, had been ordered pre-made from
Topiary Art Works. The company uses deep
frames and there are feet on the wreaths so it can sit on a table or can be
hung as well.
Some pre-stuffed wreaths are available at reasonable
prices. Shape and size usually
determines the price of the wreath. Before adding plants, soak the wreath in
water 12-24 hours, then squeeze out the water.
When making her wreaths at home, Nancy uses long hair
sphagnum which is soaked in water, squeezed dry, and then stuffed into the
wreath frame. She then uses fishing line
to wrap around the wreath to hold the sphagnum in place. She made the recommendation to always wear gloves
when working with sphagnum because of its bacterial make-up. And if allergies are an issue, then a mask should
be worn to prevent inhaling any of the particulates.
Nancy showed the group an easy way to
plant the succulents into the wreath form by using a long pencil and poking a
small hole where the plant or plant cutting is inserted. She then uses florist pins to hold the plant
in place.
Nancy closed the meeting with these
tidbits of information:
succulents are drought tolerant but are not always heat
tolerant
nearly all cacti are succulents but not all succulents are
cacti
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