Working from the ground up, Disney gardening specialist Curtis Coakley provides a step-by-step demonstration on how to create a fun character from sphagnum moss. First, go to the drawing board and develop your character's design. Then take the sketches to a welder to have the frame made or fashion one yourself by bending wire into the desired shape. Next, cover the frame with plastic mesh or bird netting. Use a very flexible grade: you'll need to be able to bend it to all the contours of your sculpture (figure A). Fasten the netting to the frame either with hognose clips (figure B) or with garbage ties. You can also wrap it with lightweight fishing line. Wet sphagnum moss thoroughly (wear gloves before handling it) so it will compact better, then pack it into the frame as tightly as possible. If your sculpture is very large, you can fill the interior with Styrofoam(R) balls. Using a dibble or similar tool, push holes into the sphagnum at regular intervals and insert plant plugs. With bobby pins, train the leaders to begin growing in the right directions (figure C). Keep your topiary moist to wet. Feed it with a water-soluble fertilizer (use 20-20-20 to ensure you're giving the plant lots of nitrogen) once a week for two months, reducing it to one dose every two weeks, and then once a month.
RESOURCES :
Topiaries and Espaliers
Model: 0395875161
Author: Linda Yang
1999
Houghton Mifflin Co.
Boston, MA 02116
Phone: 617-351-5000
Email: tradecustomerservice@hmco.com
Herb Topiaries
Model: 0934026793
Author: Sally Gallo & Susan B. Strawn (Illustrator)
(December 1992)
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