Gone Gardenin’ — Unique vases can help to create the perfect look

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/11/2017 (2855 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I am always surprised at the unusual places or the unique events that ignite a creative spark and get me going in an entirely new direction with a gardening project. So it was that I was in a thrift shop this fall on a mission to buy baskets with which to create autumn displays using gourds and mini pumpkins.

Although I did find several suitable baskets, I strayed off course so to speak when I happened upon a unique vase; it was an oval brown vase that had an interesting form. It was the right price so I bought it thinking that I would use it in the usual way — to exhibit flowers.

Later this fall, as I was cleaning up the sun room I came upon said vase, which had been set on a lower shelf and forgotten about and a light bulb went off! I had just finished examining a tray of plants that I had started from slips in the spring and I was wondering what I could do with them.

In the tray were a number three to be exact — small specimens of ‘Elephant Food’ Jade — a miniature jade plant. The cuttings had rooted nicely and the plants were from eight to 15 cm in height.

I had the thought that the plants would look good in the vase I had bought so I filled the vase with soilless mix and planted the jade plants into it. I put the tallest one in the center and put a shorter one on each side of it — luckily the plants were all different heights so the finished planting had a nice asymmetrical line to it.

Before I planted the plants in the planting medium I sprinkled the top of it with some insecticidal dust to deter fungus gnats. After the planting was done I watered the soil, being careful not to over water as the vase has no drainage holes and the plants I used are succulents which need to be kept on the dry side.

I wanted to display the vase in our living room so I wanted it to be as attractive as possible Therefore, I covered the soil surface with some stones that I keep on hand to use in fresh flower designs; I was happy with my efforts.

The vase has enough height to make it suitable for display on a table beside the chesterfield and the jade plants add a bit more height to the overall design. The shape of the vase is emphasized because the background is a plain painted wall.

Another event took place this fall when we had our local Horticultural Society’s fall produce sale. We sell, among other things, fresh cut flowers and so members bring odds and ends of vases to use for the sale.

One of the vases that was not used and ended up on the table at the end of the sale was a tall black vase that was about 20 cm wide but only eight cm depth-wise from front to back; it was almost 30 cm tall. Of course I was persuaded to bring the vase home — the person who had brought it did not want it.

The vase sat around the sun room for a few weeks as I pondered whether I could do a similar treatment with this new vase. As I was cleaning up the vegetable garden in preparation for the coming winter I dug up my orange oregano.

This plant has attractive dark green foliage; the leaves are small and the plant sends out long stems which will develop a pendulous growth habit as they grow. I planted bits and pieces of orange oregano in the vase until I thought I had created an attractive design that would get bigger and more attractive as the plant grew.

I used the same procedure to plant this vase and because the plants I used in both vases are sun-loving plants, I decided to rotate theme weekly in and out of the living room. Not only would this make us not tire of the same old design sitting there all the time but it would allow the plants to be rejuvenated while they enjoyed their weekly sojourn in the sun room.

Our living room is north facing so leaving one of the vases in such a low light location over a long time period would lead to the plants getting leggy and unattractive. This way, both plants will remain attractive and robust.

I have written in the past about using unique containers, including found objects, in the outdoor garden. Old shoes, rubber boots, kitchen utensils and other containers not originally designed for plants can all be used to create unique tableaus in the outdoor garden.

The same is true of our indoor landscapes so look around and see if you can find some containers that might be used to create unique plant displays in your home. Winter is long and cold; we may as well plant our house plants in containers that give them a bit more pizzazz as we are forced to be indoors for extended period of time.

Don’t discount using unique or unusual vases for such displays. They have the advantage of not leaking water all over the furniture but you do have to be careful not to over water the plants because of the lack of drainage.

You may put drainage material such as Styrofoam peanuts or crushed plastic plant trays in the bottom of a tall vase to create internal drainage in case the plant does get over watered. Experiment, enjoy, and have fun!

Albert Parsons lives, writes, and gardens in Minnedosa.

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