They moved it to Yeatman’s Cove last year and it was a great move – the space is all together and the river views really add to the ambiance!
This year I was invited to take the Delhi Flower & Landscape booth for their Terrarium and Air Wreath workshop. The workshop was $45 and came with everything you need including the tutorial from the great team at Delhi Flower & Landscape to take home a delightful garden treat!
Tim & Pam started us out by having us pick out 5 of their “minis” for our terrarium. They had quite a few to choose from – I selected:
* Top right (bumpy one) – Moon Valley
* Middle right (pink) – Pink Hypoestes
* Bottom right – Ming fern
* Top left – Spider plant (okay – not 100% sure because I didn’t use it)
* Middle left – Pink Fittonia
* Bottom left (spikey) – Cryptanthus
We started with a giant Brandy Snifter! It was much bigger than we expected – we thought it was going to be like a regular sized brandy snifter – this was ginormous! (And a fun prop…wait for it)
First we put a couple inches of charcoal – we used Ferti-lome which Delhi Flower & Garden supplied for us.
Tim was super helpful – schooling Audrey on the next steps. After charcoal – potting soil!
We then took our plants and arranged them on the potting soil. You want to be sure that you have them in the right spots before you start planting. This way you don’t have to try and move them. So arrange and then take them out and set them on the table in the same layout.
After they’re out – make sure you have enough potting soil in – for this shape – you want it to the point where the glass starts to bend in.
And here’s something I didn’t know – this shape is perfect for a terrarium because the fact that the opening is smaller – keeps water from escaping and drying the plants out. Who knew?
So the planting begins – just dig a little hole enough to get the mini-roots in place and then you pat the loosened soil back around the plant. I knew this from all of my years gardening as a child (slave labor). You want to wrap your fingers around the stem and press down lightly.
We decided to put the tall fern in the middle – it’s wispy but the tallest so it will grow up and the other plans can grow around it and take up the rest of the space. Also – when you’re taking the plant out of the pot – you just pinch the pot around the edges – pinch and turn – pinch and turn. This loosens the plant from the pot and you can pull it out easily. Once the plant is out, loosen the roots a bit too.
After the plants and sheet moss were tucked in – we added Reindeer Moss (the bright neon green) in spots that needed a pop of color. I loved that!! It almost looks like morel mushrooms – again – tear it off – tuck it in.
Some other folks at the event were making air wreaths. These were super cool and literally live on air! They need to be in 70-75 degree weather all the time – so outside in the summer and inside the rest of the year.
And did you wait for it – here’s me being a dork and drinking from the Brandy Snifter! The thing is – I wasn’t the only one – I took it back to the office and my boss did the same thing. 🙂
They told us we could put little gnomes or fairies in our terrarium and I exclaimed, “I’ll put Peyton Manning in mine!!” I had a little mini-Peyton on my desk and he was looking for a home. So when I got back to work – in he went. Now I need a goal post or another little man for him to pass to.
I have to say – thanks so much to the Delhi Flower & Garden Center. Tim & Pam were fantastic. And – here’s something cool – if you want to do something like this – or any other type of potted adventure – Delhi F&G has a Potting Bar! If you bring in your pot (or you can get one from them) – they’ll help you plant it all! You just pay for the plants (you do need to buy their plants) – but they’ll supply the charcoal, potting soil, etc.
Be sure to check out the Delhi Flower & Garden Center and the Cincinnati Flower Show next year!
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