Living Tapestry

Use ground covers to create an astonishingly lush tabletop. Creeping ground covers form a flat, firm surface, while sprawling plants spill over the edges.

In about a month, five 4-inch plants, split up for planting in a pattern, will cover a 21-inch-diameter tabletop.

• Steel-wire plant table
• Landscaping fabric
• Moisture-retentive crystals
• Potting mix
• Log moss
• Corsican mint (Mentha requienii) -- top left and right
• Prostrate peppermint (Mentha piperita) -- center
• Gold Scotch moss (Sagina subulata 'Aurea') -- left center
• Maiden pinks (Dianthus deltoides 'Brilliant') -- right front

 

1. Line the tabletop with landscaping fabric, tucking and folding it to fit.
2. Blend moisture-retentive crystals with potting mix according to package directions. Fill the tabletop with potting mix.
3. Tuck log moss in between the tabletop and the landscape fabric to camouflage the fabric and give the table a softer look.
4. Nestle the other plants into the potting mix, planting at the same level they grew in their nursery pots.
5. Situate the table in a sunny place. Water thoroughly and regularly to keep the soil moist.
6. Trim sprawlers regularly to keep them growing low and lush.
7. If you live in a cold-climate region, lift the plants out of the tabletop in early fall and transplant them into the garden. That way they'll provide you with divisions for replanting in spring.