I love putting small gardens in seashells. I keep them in my greenhouse over the winter, due to the frigility of the shells but use hardy succulents. Will enclose some pix I took today.
I love using seashells for container gardens.
Here's another
Another one
Another
Oops a duplicate
One more
And another
Here we go.
They're still comin.
Ain't I cute?
More.
Would like to see pix of shell gardens other than mine. Might give me more ideas for this spring. Thanx all.
I never thought of using shells for succulents. Do you hang them as well?
How would I hang them? I couldn't drill a hole because of the weight of the potting soil & the plants. Maybe on a shelf? Any suggestions catz?
What about mounting them on a small piece of cork board? Or a small piece of copper?
Really terrific use for sea shells. I have so many and it is winter so now I can occupy a day and hope to do as good a job with them as you have done.
My love is driftwood. Do you collect that as well as the sea shells?
Thanks for a great idea.
Hi Pirl, I love driftwood, too, but don't see too much around here. Well, we were at Fenwick Island, Delaware a couple years ago & I kind went nutz in the seashell shoppe (about a block from our motel), and with my credit card & bought up these shells I fell in love with. They were sitting around being useless in a box and I decided a couple years ago, to plant them. They have turned out wonderfully and I put them outside every spring-summer-autumn and bring them into the greenhouse when it gets to cool to leave them outside. I have mounted tillandsia on driftwood and that always looks cool. You just have to remember to water them once in a while. Maybe post a pix of a tiny bromie I got in Fla that was already attached (Mother Nature) to a small piece of driftwood.
Catz, good idea for hanging them. Will look into that but I would have to probably use epoxy or something like that since they are not very lightweight.
Oooo I just got another idea for you. Let me try to explain it so you can see it. You could take a piece of copper 2x as wide as your shell. Attach one shell on one top corner, then attach other shells in an alternating diagonal downward, sort of making it look like a waterfall of plants bordered by shells. Can you see it? Copper weathers to a beautiful patina when left outside to the elements.
Ohhhhhhh, So nice. Thanks.
Do you leave these out all winter?
How do you display them spring through fall? On a table, in a garden (or gardens), on a piece of slate or bluestone, with potted plants???
It really is a great idea - congratulations to you for thinking of it.
I don't leave them out all winter because of the fragility of the seashells but you could, really do that. I have left them outside a year ago.I use hardy vining succulents to plant in them and keep them in the greenhouse on the bench until spring when I can put them outside. Hope you good people get to try this. It's a lot of fun and really brightens your garden. By the way, I also use fossilized rocks & minerals that we have collected on club trips, to circle around the house. That is too cool.
I was on a garden tour where the homeowner had many shells hanging in trees. She had small bromeliads like tillandsias and succulents in them. I do not remember how she hung them, perhaps she drilled a small hole in the shell which would not be difficult. I can't remember if I got any photos, this was about 5 years ago but I will check. I think shells make wonderful planters and you chose some nice plants for yours.
Surprise, I found one photo! The shell appears to have some type of wire attached but it is not clear how it was done.
So nice. Thank you, Ardesia. Isn't that wire the same type as they use for orchids?
I believe in superglue.
The seashells are really beautiful. I wish I lived near the ocean. Maybe I will try some shops online to buy some.
I believe you find yours on the beach as would Pirl, but what about those of us who are landlubbers.
thanks
It appears that a tiny hole was drilled in your seashell pix, Ardesia, and the wire gently wrapped. It works wonderfully!
Here's another use for seashells. I bought this 3 1/2 X 5 picture from a photographer at a craft show & bought a frame from Kohl's and then started glueing some of my fossils & seashells on it. I think I will continue filling in the holes until the frame is completely filled with seashells & fossils.
Here's a link to a site that sells frames with the shells already on them. Tew kewel.
http://www.seashellco.com/photo-frames-c-690_346.html
This message was edited Jan 5, 2011 11:09 AM
(isn't that amazing that if you don't crop a picture, you can learn what a person is like by the clutter around it? LOLOLOLOL Next one will be cropped.
This message was edited Jan 5, 2011 11:10 AM
Here's the cropped one.
Please ignore the previous one above it. Uh Oh, Too late!!!!!! ROTFL
This message was edited Jan 5, 2011 11:11 AM
LOL
What nice ideas. Ardesia I really like your idea. I am thinking the plant should be
one that is upright and will remain small. Do you know the name of the plant
used in your shell. Thanks for the idea.
confussedlady
Tillandsia
Great idea what to do with sea shells. My son brought back several from the islands that I have been using them in the Gardens. I think I will bring them inside & do some serious planting & drilling & using some super glue. Thanks for all the directions. I will post some pictures once I get my Christmas present hooked up (new scanner) once I read all the directions & figue out what way I need to go. Don't you all love all the directions we get with all this new equipment that is on the market these days. I am lost. The instructions lull me to sleep. How about you ?
When I first bought my digital camera I made the mistake of not opening the manual to page 1 but opened it instead to "Discharging rechargeable batteries". It took a long time before I ever opened the manual again. Some things just sound so much more difficult than they truly are.
I go thru the instruction book & keep referring back to it. I also experiment by taking the same picture using different settings every time. I had 2 shells left & used a bromeliad in one of them & planted a succulent in the other one. Will take pix tomorrow.
Looking forward to seeing pix of other seashell gardens.
I always bring the manual when we are on vacation and study a page at a time. My favorite photography is gardens (what a shock!) and I love using the aperture setting.