Design Happens

Dan Faires, the Design Star season five fan favorite and host of DanMade, presented at the 19th annual Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival presented by HGTV at Walt Disney World over Easter weekend. Dan demonstrated how to plant with a terrarium and how to go vertical with a clever container garden. Check out Dan’s tips for terrariums and vertical gardens:

Hi HGTV’ers!

Spring has SPRUNG and it’s great to be able to share some of the latest Danmade gardening projects with you here on the blog. My hope is that you will be inspired and want to jump right in and get your hands dirty this weekend.

This Danmade Vertical Garden is not only simple, it is perfect for anyone with limited green space. It can also be mounted inside on the wall. As a designer, people often ask me what type of artwork to use or what to hang on the walls that will provide an unexpected focal point in the space. The Danmade Vertical Garden is a great addition in any room and it won’t break the bank either.

The steps to creating your very own Danmade Vertical Garden are:

1. Find or purchase any old crate. I literally got this one out of the trash in New York City, but you can usually find them at any flea market or thrift store. The crate I am using is relatively small, but you could expand this principle and make your Danmade Vertical Garden as big as you want!
2. Purchase seed starter cells at any hardware store or nursery. I have chosen these 100% natural fiber cells because they are eco-friendly and absorb moisture well. You could also use plastic seed starter cells.
3. Cut the seed starter cells so that they fit snuggly into the crate.
4. Purchase some chicken wire or wire mesh at your local hardware store. This will serve as a barrier to hold the plants in place when the planter is hung vertically on the wall.
5. Cut the chicken wire or wire mesh so that it fits very tightly inside of the crate. *Remove the wire before proceeding to the next step.
6. Place dirt inside of seed starter cells
7. Install plants into individual cells.
8. Re-insert wire mesh making sure to be very careful with plants. Pull any plants through holes in the wire. For larger plants, cut bigger holes in wire if necessary, making sure to keep the wire as tight as possible. For larger Danmade Vertical Gardens I would recommend stapling the wire in place onto the crate.
9. The final step is to add moss. Wedge the moss as tight as you can in any gaps. This will help the dirt and plant material from falling out until the roots systems get established. It also looks much more aesthetically pleasing and helps absorb much needed moisture for the plants in your Danmade Vertical Garden.

Since everyone loved the animated terrarium how to, I thought I’d include one here as well:

A few important points to note about the Danmade Vertical Garden:
1. This hangs on the wall, just like a picture frame. You can use a cleat, or purchase frame hanging wire from your local hardware store.
2. To water your Danmade Vertical Garden simply remove it from the wall once a week, lay it flat on the ground and soak it with the water hose outside, or inside in the shower. Leave it for 2 to 5 minutes so that the excess moisture drips away, and then bring it back inside to hang vertically on the wall.

If you missed my last blog about terrariums, check it out here to learn how to create this simple container garden.

Have a GREEN day! Be sure to leave any questions or comments below and I will try to answer them as soon as possible. Also, if you decide to make your own Danmade Vertical Garden I would love to see photos!

Daniel Grady Faires
Host of HGTV.com’s DanMade