Garden Art

Looking around my neighborhood, there are a lot of fences, placed around properties. Some of the more adventurous people might give them a lick of paint or stain, but that's it. This is suburbia, and for a while the trees will be small, and we'll be looking out at these bare fences for a couple of years. But there is a solution., and like all my projects, it is very cheap and especially easy to make.

You'll need: Spanish moss, a squarish piece of plywood, treated, 4 planks of old,mossy timber, chicken wire, a couple of small succulents.Perhaps a builders-stapler.

Place the plywood on the floor or on a table.Place the Spanish moss in a thick layer onto the plywood.Cut the chicken wire to measurement and place over the Spanish moss.Nail or staple the chicken wire on the sides. Make a frame of the 4 pieces of old mossy timber around it, nail them onto the plywood.,from the back. This doesn't have to be done in a tidy way. The rustic charm comes from the untidy look. And then nail it on the fence.

Then either go around your friends and beg them for some succulents (just cut them off, they will grow) and stick them into the Spanish moss. Water well, as succulents need water. I would advise you to bring it indoors during cold winters; some succulents won't survive otherwise. As the plants start to grow you'll have something to look at, instead of the boring old fence. This is also a great idea for people who have a balcony.