Weekend Garden Projects ® © 2000 by Rodale Inc. c r e d i t s Enjoy Gingerbread in the Garden (page 9), Erect a Rustic Trellis (12), Construct a Simple Arbor (13), Visualize a Garden’s View of the Moon (16), Create a Garden Gazing Globe (18), Make a Mosaic Tabletop (19), Put Together a Picket Planter (24) and Form c o n t e n t s a Frugal Potting Bench (35) are excerpted from The Frugal Gardener by Catriona Tudor Erler, © 1999 by Catriona Tudor Erler . Used with permission of Rodale Inc . Add a Water Feature–Without the Water (page 43) and Create a Small Pond (46) Extend Your Gardening Pleasure . .4 are excerpted from Jeff Cox’s 100 Greatest Garden Ideas by Jeff Cox,© 1998 by Jeff Cox . Used with permission of Rodale Inc . Build a Butterbean Tent (page 7), Make a Flower Press (27), Design a Scarecrow Eye-Catching Creations . .5 (31), Construct Your Own Planting Flats (33), and Build a Rock-Wall Herb Garden Whittle Willow Edgings . .5 (38) are excerpted from 52 Weekend Garden Projects by Nancy Bubel, © 1992 by Nancy Bubel . Craft a Cornhusk Wreath (10), Assemble a Garlic Braid (21), and Put Up a Yule Build a Butterbean Tent . .7 Log for the Birds (36) are excerpted from 52 Weekend Garden Projects 1993 by Nancy Enjoy Gingerbread in the Garden . .9 Bubel, © 1993 by Nancy Bubel . Used with permission . Craft a Cornhusk Wreath . 10 Erect a Rustic Trellis . 12 Construct a Simple Arbor . 13 To order Nancy Bubel’s Visualize a Garden’s View of the Moon . 16 The New Seed-Starter’s Handbook, call (800) 848-4735. Create a Garden Gazing Globe . 18 Make a Mosaic Tabletop . 19 Fashion a Natural Table . 20 The information in this book has been carefully researched, and all efforts have been made to Assemble a Garlic Braid . 21 ensure accuracy. Rodale Inc. assumes no responsibility for any injuries suffered or damages or Put Together a Picket Planter . 24 losses incurred during use of or as a result of following this information. It is important to study all directions carefully before taking any action based on the information and advice presented in this book. When using any commercial product, always read and follow label directions. If trade Projects to Get the Job Done . .26 names are used, no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by Rodale Inc. is implied. Create a Sunflower Seed Catcher . 26 Make a Flower Press . 27 Design a Scarecrow . 31 Construct Your Own Planting Flats . 33 Form a Frugal Potting Bench . 35 Put Up a Yule Log for the Birds . 36 Stone Elegance . .38 Director: K. Greenslade Build a Rock-Wall Herb Garden . 38 Project editor: Kerry K. Callahan Add a Water Feature—Without the Water . 43 Copy editor: Mary Ellen B. Raposa Create a Small Pond . 46 Cover designer: Barb Sheetz Book designer: Cheryl V. Dorschutz 3 extend eye-catching your creations gardening Whittle Willo W e d g i n g s Add nAturAl chArm to your gArden with A do-it-yourself edging pleasure dgings are picture frames for your landscape .They accent e individual sections and help tie sections together into a uni- fied whole .They also reduce mowing and trimming by prevent- ing lawn grass from creeping into your perennials and by giving you a clean edge to trim up to . here are more creative ways to enhance the appear- ance of your garden than simply selecting the healthiest, most attractive plants .This book brings tyou a range of beautiful, practical, and fast projects for in and around your garden . We know you’d rather spend time enjoying the beauty and bounty of your garden, instead of working on lengthy projects that keep you out of it . A decorative willow edging is fun to make and is also surprisingly durable. So, spend just one weekend building your butterbean tent, Be sure you choose green branches so they’re easy to weave. flower press, dry streambed, or any of the other 18 projects inside, and spend every weekend after that enjoying them . Or MateRIALS tackle a few projects during the bleakest winter weekends— ■ 18-inch-long willow branches you’ll satisfy your garden fever and be ahead of the game when Use green, flexible branches that bend easily. spring rolls around! ■ Long twigs TOOLS ■ Utility knife 4 WEEKEND GARDEN PROJECTS BACK TO CONTENTS 5 DIRECTIONS Build a Butter B e a n t e n t 1 . Using the util- creAte A child’s speciAl summerhouse of greenery ity knife, strip the bark off the ends of ucky the child who can remember hiding out in a tent your willow branches l formed by bean vines and their poles! The buzzing warmth to prevent them of a summer day, the small secret place, and the green of the from sprouting . Push 3 [1] sheltering vines blend in memories of that dreamlike world one end of a wil- where days were long and summers endless . Here’s how to treat low branch into the your youngsters to the same adventure . soil . Insert the other end about 6 inches away . Repeat along the entire edge, overlapping the arches . MateRIALS ■ Three poles 2 . Weave four long twigs in and out around the bases of ■ Twine or wire arches; push the ends into the soil . ■ 1-inch-diameter stick ■ 15 pole bean seeds 3 . Weave a second band of four twigs near the top of the arches . DIRECTIONS 1 .To make a one- person, three-pole tent, space poles 3-to 4 feet apart to form a circle . Allow a 2- to 3-foot gap between two poles for a [2 and 3] doorway . Ram the thick end of each pole about 12 inches into the ground . Children of all ages will love this shady, secret hideout. 6 WEEKEND GARDEN PROJECTS BACK TO CONTENTS 7 2 .Tie or wire the top ends of the poles together . e n j oy g i n g e r B r e a d i n t h e g a r d e n 3 .Tie the 1-inch-diameter stick horizontally, a little lower than head height, between the two doorway poles . scrolled gingerbreAd And A gAte combine 4 . Plant five pole bean seeds at the bottom of each pole . Or, for An instAnt gArden Accent instead of traditional pole beans, you can try morning glories, climbing nasturtiums, moon vine, gourds, scarlet runner beans, he scrolled and curved woodwork or metal known as gin- or a mixture . If the seeds are planted in spring, the vines will t gerbread adds a touch of Victorian gentility to many garden form a leafy canopy by midsummer . ornaments . Find the original at architectural salvage yards or demolition sites (always ask for permission first!), or dig up replicas at home supply stores or discount stores or in catalogs . Prices vary widely, so if you don’t feel you’re getting a bargain, A Hideout Built for Two— shop around . MateRIALS or More! ■ Gingerbread ■ Nails to make a roomier hideout that costs much less than a wooden ■ Paint playhouse, set poles in the ground in either a circular or a rectan- gular shape. (For a 5 X 7-foot structure, you’ll need about 18 poles.) TOOLS Place two of them a bit farther apart than the others to form a ■ Paintbrush doorway space. then, wire or staple wire-mesh poultry netting ■ Hammer to the poles to form the walls of the structure, leaving space for the doorway. if you want a roof, tie strings across the top. Finally, DIRECTIONS plant seeds of any quick-growing vine at the base of each pole. the Nail a piece of vines will transform the bare string and wire into a lovely, leafy scrolled gingerbread teahouse—ephemeral but perfect. to the top of a simple gate . Paint the fence and decoration to match, and it will look like a custom creation . A piece of scrolled gingerbread makes an instant, charming addition to your garden. 8 WEEKEND GARDEN PROJECTS BACK TO CONTENTS 9 C r a F t a Cornhusk Wreath 4 . Working with one strip at a time, bend the strip into a U shape . Lay the mAke this decorAtive symbol of fAll in one fun evening strip under the wire hoop, so that you ried cornhusks are part of the mellow look of fall, along with can see the U shape and the two loose dpumpkins, gourds, autumn leaves, and Indian corn .Wreaths Cornhusk strip ends face the center of the hoop . Bring 1 5 made out of cornhusks look great on doors or walls, either (⁄2—⁄8 " wide) both the bent end and the loose ends up indoors or out, and they’re lightweight and long lasting . Here’s and over the wire hoop, insert both loose how to make one that will give you years of pleasure . ends through the bent end, and then pull Wire wreath the two loose ends tightly to fasten the MateRIALS strip firmly to the wire . ■ Dried husks from 10 to 12 large ears of corn If you don’t have a nearby cornfield where you can gather 5 . Continue to add cornhusk strips husks, look for them at craft shops or in a Spanish or Mexican until the wire circle is entirely covered with grocery store. them . Push the looped husks together as ■ Damp towel or water basin you work, cramming as many husks as pos- ■ Wire coat hanger sible onto the wire for maximum fullness . ■ Large, strong safety pin ■ String Bend a thin strip of cornhusk into a 6 .