I know I should wait until tomorrow and get prettier pictures for this post, but I won’t. I just finished planting my tomato cage mannequin and I want to show her off now! Here is how to plant a mannequin for your garden!
I was a bit worried that my mannequin would end up like the owl or the bunny and I wouldn’t like it plants. So before planting my mannequin, I spent some time on Pinterest for inspiration and ideas. I think most are done by floral designers and worth looking at first.
Choosing plants
I planted my mannequin with 2 flats of seed begonias and four small spider plants. When I couldn’t decide what color of begonia to use, I picked the mixed trays. I’ve always been a bit of a sucker for mixed flats of flowers anyhow, I just love seeing the colors all jumbled together.
I also used a bunch of Tradescantia (Wandering Jew) and a pretty small-leaved English Ivy. All of these are plants that do well at my house, where it’s very shaded. Which plants you choose should take into account your own climate and conditions.
Planting the Mannequin
For the bottom of my mannequin, I used cuttings of the Wandering Jew. It roots so easily, that I just stuck them right into the moss.
It seems like there always has to be that one blurry picture in the bunch, but here she is with the first flat of begonia.
And here she is finished! I pulled the ivy apart and separated the plants. I used florist wire to ‘pin’ it where I wanted it. Ivy has aerial roots, so it should eventually settle into the moss where I’ve pinned it. For anyone disappointed that I did not use succulents, there are 92 begonia plants in her skirt. If I had used succulents, that would be over $200 worth of succulents.
First sunny day, I’ll get her outside for some beauty shots! What do you think?
For a while now I’ve wanted to make myself a planted dress form but looking at prices for those wire mannequins that wasn’t working for me. So I made my own from tomato cages. Keep reading if you would like to see how to make a tomato cage mannequin for your garden.
Tomato Cage Mannequin Materials
Please note – some of the following links are affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through my link, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
For the frame you will need:
2 tomato cages, one smaller than the other. The most critical part is that the middle hoop of the smaller cage is the same size as the bottom hoop of the larger cage.
Chicken wire. I’ve included a link, but try your local dollar store or hardware store. I get mine at the dollar store for $3 for a small roll.
If you are mossing and filling your frame to plant, it takes a lot of moss. I used 5 of the 1/2 lb bags to moss my frame plus a large bag of potting soil. You don’t have to moss your frame if you decide you just want an ornament for your garden.
Making the Tomato Cage Mannequin
To make the frame, you will trim the large cage below the bottom ring and the small cage below the middle ring (leaving the middle ring and top largest ring). The large cage becomes the skirt of your mannequin and the small one is the bodice or torso.
To give your mannequin a bit more definition, bend the top hoop of the small cage into an oval. Use one of the vertical wires as the center of the front and bend the top ring so it starts to suggest a bust. Then add a ring of heavier wire to further define the bust. If you make an eyelet in the ring, it is easier to fasten securely to the tomato cage.
My original plan was to make a two-part frame, but once I started adding the chicken wire, it seemed better to cover it all as one.
Here you can see the fully covered frame. My topiary was going into a pot, so I did not cover the bottom. If aren’t putting yours in a pot you will need to cover the bottom and probably reinforce it by running some galvanized wire across the opening. (see my succulent turtle instructions for how to do this)
Mossing and filling the mannequin
If you decide to moss your mannequin to use it as a planter, you will need a lot of moss.
Sorry for the blurry photo, but the way I did this is I would moss a little way up the sides and then add soil to that part before moving up to the next section. Or that’s how I did it after a couple of hours avoiding doing it.
In this photo you can see that I filled it in layers. I still have to close up the top with a piece of chicken wire and plant her. She is about 3 feet tall (not including the pot) and I’m satisfied with how she turned out. I was a bit worried that my mannequin would end up like the owl or the bunny and I wouldn’t like it planted. So before planting my mannequin, I spent some time on Pinterest for inspiration and ideas. I think most are done by floral designers and worth looking at first.
Choosing plants for your mannequin
I planted my mannequin with 2 flats of seed begonias and four small spider plants. When I couldn’t decide what color of begonia to use, I picked the mixed trays. I’ve always been a bit of a sucker for mixed flats of flowers anyhow, I just love seeing the colors all jumbled together.
I also used a bunch of Tradescantia (Wandering Jew) and a pretty small-leaved English Ivy. All of these are plants that do well at my house, where it’s very shaded. Which plants you choose should take into account your own climate and conditions.
Planting the Mannequin
For the bottom of my mannequin, I used cuttings of the Wandering Jew. It roots so easily, that I just stuck them right into the moss.
It seems like there always has to be that one blurry picture in the bunch, but here she is with the first flat of begonia.
And here she is finished! I pulled the ivy apart and separated the plants. I used florist wire to ‘pin’ it where I wanted it. Ivy has aerial roots, so it should eventually settle into the moss where I’ve pinned it. For anyone disappointed that I did not use succulents, there are 92 begonia plants in her skirt. If I had used succulents, that would be over $200 worth of succulents.
When I started the mannequin I was pretty set that she was going to be my last topiary for a while, but of course I’ve already got another idea swirling around in my head. All told, I spent 3 evenings on this topiary and even planted she cost less than a pre-made mannequin.
Let me know what you think of her in the comments!
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If you have ever thought about starting a garden or craft blog of your own see how easy it is>>here<<.
For a fresh pop of color in the spring, I adore spring pansies! Especially if it’s a mix of color like these are. We’ve finally had a break in the weather here so I’ve had a look at all the yard work I need to do.
Unfortunately, my turtles from last year did not do so well over the winter. I blame myself for not properly winterizing them and the dogs for doing what boy dogs do. Because of the dogs, this turtle needed a complete do over instead of a simple replanting. Which gave me the perfect opportunity to make a better video of the process!
To make this Topiary you’ll need:
Most of these items can be purchased at a dollar store or nursery. I’ve included some helpful links for the materials below, they are affiliate links.
Building the topiary is the same process as the Succulent Turtle but you can check out the video too. I’m getting a handle on the technical side of recording video tutorials so it’s better than the first one!
I’ve talked a couple of times about alternatives to succulents when planting your topiary because not everyone has the right conditions for growing succulents.
This topiary planted with spring pansies looks so cheerful on my deck that I’m glad I tried it myself. Later on in the season when it gets too hot here for pansies I’ll replace them with begonias.
Want to see more? Check out another version of this turtle here – Hosta Turtle
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One thing that I have not discussed here is topiary care. A lot depends on what you’ve planted your topiary with, but topiary are unusual planters with their own logistical quirks.
Topiary care outside
Larger topiary, like Fred, can live in your garden as long as you’ve planted them either with annuals, or with winter hardy succulents like Hens & Chicks. I’ve seen rose cones suggested as a winter cover, but since these guys are kind of big, maybe a Styrofoam cooler would work. Either way, you’ll want to keep it in an area where it’s protected from snow and rain for the winter.
Watering outdoor topiary is as simple as a spray with the hose. One of the fabulous things about sphagnum moss is how readily it will absorb water. Plenty of commercial potting mixes are near impossible to re-wet once they’ve dried out, but moss always soaks it right up. The flip side of that is if you have a long rainy stretch, and you’ve planted your topiary with succulents you may need to move it to a more sheltered spot.
Topiary Care Inside
One thing worth pointing out first is that not all succulents tolerate being grown in moss. The spiky green one I originally planted in this planter quickly rotted, and again when I replaced it with another the same. Since then I’ve replaced it with a different upright succulent that does fine growing in the moss.
In a newly planted topiary – like the toad – I check on the plants often to make sure they aren’t showing any signs of rot, especially that one because I’ve never grown stone plants before.
Indoors, just like most pots, chicken wire topiary can mark surfaces so you will need a tray or saucer. I like the cheap clear plastic saucers and size my topiary to fit them. I let the topiary I keep dry out completely before watering, and when I do water them I just fill the saucer. The water gets soaked up through the feet without saturating the moss.
Planting your topiary
Please don’t think you’re limited to succulents when you plant your topiary! Any low-growing plant will work, I can’t wait to try seed begonia in my outdoor turtles as soon as the garden centers open. Indoors, I’ve planted one with mini African Violets. You could try Baby Tears, creeping thyme, English Ivy or even a snake plant. Use whatever plants grow well for you and make you happy!
When I’m planting my topiary some leaves will get knocked off, succulents almost seem designed to drop their leaves easily. I take any leaves in good condition and allow them to dry out for a bit. Once the stem end dries, I lay them on top of some soil and wait to see if they’ll start a new plant. I’ve had some successes but they take a long time to grow!
If you do happen to make a topiary from one of my tutorials I would love to hear about it. You could even post a photo to twitter and give me a shout – @shadegarden.
If you enjoyed this post, don’t forget to share it with your friends! For more just like it follow me on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter or sign up for regular updates by email.
If you have ever thought about starting a garden or craft blog of your own see how easy it is>>here<<.
I did not set out to create a topiary toad this week. The plan was actually to create a hanging planter that looked like a purse. But then I saw a bunch of stone plants, aka Lithops and plans suddenly changed.
Stone plants are pretty cool looking in a warty kind of way and since toads are warty too – we now have a topiary toad to join the turtles. The little guy above was my ‘muse’.
A bit about stone plants
With succulents that form clumps or mats, it’s easier (and cheaper) to plant them if I separate the individual plants as much as possible. These came apart fairly easily, so instead of paying $2.99 each for a lot of pots, I bought a few pots at $3.99 and wound up with more plants.
When I read up on the care of these odd little plants, I learned in their native habitat, most of the plant is underground to conserve moisture and avoid being lunch. So the surface is actually little solar collectors to feed the plant. They call for no watering from fall to spring, so they’ll need watching to see if they tolerate growing in moss.
Making the Topiary Toad
I’m still brushing up on my video skills, but I did make this one as short as I could. I also avoided talking during it so it could play faster. I do hope you enjoy it!
Here’s how the form looks stuffed with moss and ready for planting. You can see where I’ve made bulges to represent the eyes.
I’ve taken so many pictures of this little toad, but none of them showed how amazingly cute he really is. He looks just like a toad hunkered down in the garden would.
So I added more succulents. Better, but he was still missing something.
He needed eyes! The bumps just weren’t cutting it, but those springy looking eyes did the trick! What do you think? Did the eyes finish him off or does he need more something to go from Toad to Frog Prince?
If you enjoyed this post, don’t forget to share it with your friends! For more just like it follow me on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter or sign up for regular updates by email.
If you have ever thought about starting a garden or craft blog of your own see how easy it is>>here<<.
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