Millions of South Africans are working from home. Now is the time to gather attractive furniture, a plant display unit and eye-catching wall décor to create an outdoor room. Modern plant stands are no longer just about the plants.
They’re outdoor display cabinets that contain ornaments, pieces of driftwood and natural items like shells, pebbles and pine cones. Start by taking a look around your home for unused pieces of furniture you can repurpose for a garden display stand to highlight a collection of things you love.
Items that can be repurposed and recycled to showcase a plant display include a coffee or dining room table, TV unit, steel shelving, a bathroom cabinet (remove the door), computer stand or stepladder.
Furniture
A covered patio, gazebo or lapa provides a weather-safe area for you to a display a collection of furniture, plants and ornaments. Furniture can be exposed to the elements, provided that you first apply a protective coating. Wood and metals can be painted in a colour of your choice, then finished with exterior varnish.
For very rusty metal items, remove the rust before refinishing. Wood pieces can also be left natural and finished with a tinted sealer that brings out the colour and grain. Look for a product that provides UV- and water-protection.
Framed wall art
Decorate walls of your new outdoor room with framed art. Reuse picture frames with family photos or images from an old calendar. Seal wooden frames for protection.
Canvas prints can be used outdoors provided they are protected from water, sunlight and dust. Use a mod podge (also called modge podge) product for outdoor use. Mod podge is adhesive, varnish and sealer in one and will dry clear. Use a mini foam roller applicator to avoid scuffing the print.
Living Walls
A framed succulent wall planter is a creative way to develop a living wall that will provide vertical interest in your outdoor room. Succulents need sun, so choose your position carefully.
You’ll need a box frame or box shelf to which you can add backing. Once the backing is secure, add succulent mix and cover with micromesh (plastic) or chicken wire with small holes. Position succulents by slitting holes into plastic mesh or pushing them through the wire.
You can use species of desert rose (Echeveria spp.), stonecrops (Sedum spp.), houseleeks (Sempervivum spp.) or indigenous Haworthia spp. to create your picture. After planting, place the frame in a low light area, keeping it flat to allow the plants time to root. Water with a spray bottle. Once they have rooted, hang up the frame.
Display plants
Consider the containers, plants and ornaments you want to display in your outdoor room. On multi-level shelving, place larger and taller plants at the lowest level and plants and ornaments of medium height through the centre levels.
Trailing varieties should be placed on the highest level to allow the stems to drape. Air plants (Tillandsia spp.) can be placed loose on the shelf or hung up.
They take in water and nutrients through their leaves, so mist them regularly if they are sheltered from the elements. Soak in low-nitrogen liquid fertiliser once a month. Avoid a cluttered look by grouping plant types together, like pelargoniums, succulents, cacti, bonsai or herbs.
Use a variety of containers for your plants, either in hues of the same colour, complementary colours or analogous colours. Link a theme to create further continuity. Perhaps birds, bunnies or butterflies. For example, a small butterfly ornament with a motif on a nearby container.
Collections of teapots, old jugs and watering cans make interesting items for a display and can also be used as plant containers. To protect wood from water damage, place saucers under all containers with drainage holes.
Small plants
Here is a list of the best plants for an outdoor display:
◆ Succulents and cacti: any of the varieties mentioned for succulent art can be potted separately and displayed. Also consider the jade plant (Crassula ovata), spekboom (Portulacaria afra), florist kalanchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana), panda plant (Kalanchoe tomentosa), short-leaved aloe (Aloe brevifolia), bunny ears (Opuntia microdasys), old lady cactus (Mammillaria hahniana) and Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera x buckleyi).
◆ For trailing and draping: donkey tail (Sedum morganianum); string of pearls (Curio rowleyanus), string of bananas (Senecio radicans), weeping jade (Senecio jacobsenii), golden pothos (Epipremnum aureum), silver falls (Dichondra argentea), hen-andchickens (Chlorophytum comosum), Bobbejaan kool (Othonna capensis), million bells (Calibrachoa spp.) creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum) and Swedish ivy (Plectranthus verticillatus).
◆ Other varieties: maiden hair fern (Adiantum aethiopicum) and peacein-the-home (Soleirolia soleirolii).