BOB WIGAND
A living wreath of beautiful but tough succulents can survive for years. This one is by Margee Rader of EuroAmerican Propagators in Bonsall. |
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Hanging a greenery wreath above the hearth, on the front door or over the garden gate is a warm, cheery way to say “Welcome” during the holiday season. But in Southern California, late fall and winter bring on drying Santa Ana winds that shrivel even the freshest greenery faster than one can say “Jiminy Cricket.”
An exceptional alternative to traditional pine wreaths is a living wreath artfully formed from a wide variety of succulent cuttings. This type of wreath isn't fazed by the inevitable dry Santa Ana wind; in fact, if plants could talk, they would probably say, “Bring it on.”
A living wreath loves heat and continues to grow for years with very little care or water. Although absent the traditional pine scent, living wreaths more than compensate with the abundant forms and colors found in the many varieties of succulents used.
A well-made living wreath is tightly packed with some of the most tenacious, user-friendly succulents on the planet. Crassula, Echeveria, Aeonium, Sedum, Kalanchoe and Sempervivum are most commonly used. The extremely rich textures of these iron-clad thornless plants work together for a magical impact.
Succulent wreaths aren't a new idea.
BOB WIGAND
Margee Rader is the creative artist who has taken the concept of living wreaths to new heights. Recently, she has made succulent topiary replicas of her dogs.
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In the mid-1970s, Teddy Colbert of Somis invented the living wreath. She perfected her method by using a very sturdy metal frame, wrapping it tightly with soil-lined sphagnum moss and copper wire so the wreaths would last for years. She began marketing her living wreaths until illness led her to sell her enterprise about five years ago to the owners of EuroAmerican Propagators in Bonsall.
About that time, Margee Rader agreed to help care for the children of her brother John, co-owner with Jerry Church of EuroAmerican. A few months after moving from Northern California, Rader was asked by her brother and Church to spearhead the living wreath line so they could be marketed once again.
Rader didn't have formal horticultural training, but she saw the artistic potential of succulent wreath making and her creative juices started to flow. She took Colbert's original living wreath concept to new heights by covering other shapes and objects with succulents.
One of her innovations was to cover three different-size orbs or ball shapes with succulents. She refers to them as “Kissing Balls” which can be hung in the place of traditional mistletoe during the holidays. (The Wynn Las Vegas resort has a stunning display of Rader's orbs in its VIP Lounge, along with her incredible succulent obelisks.)
Since then, she has blanketed many other shapes with succulents; the items include handbags, shoes, tea cups, dishes, even a facsimile of her Yorkshire terrier, Chaucer.
BOB WIGAND
One of Margee Rader's creations, a sea horse, is on display at the Succulents Under the Sea garden at Quail Botanical Gardens.
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One of Rader's pastimes is scanning yard sales for items for hersucculent art, including picture frames, old drawers, tables, beach umbrellas and fountains. Once Rader realized succulents could grow on just about anything, the sky was the limit.
Succulents need very little soil to survive. They can actually grow roots from the air. All of her creations, other than the living wreaths, have sphagnum moss as a planting medium. Only the living wreaths have a soil base, which is tightly wrapped in sheets of sphagnum moss.
Colbert marketed a “do-it-yourself-kit,” but Rader's living wreaths and other creations are ready to hang. Rader found that too many people never finished their project wreaths.
For your own living wreath, Rader strongly recommends starting with a galvanized metal frame sturdy enough to hold the substantial weight of the soil, wrapped moss and plants.
Rader also recommends Colbert's book “The Living Wreath” (Gibbs Smith, 1996), which gives directions for crafting a succulent wreath. Rader sells the book on her Web site, www.livingwreath.com, along with assorted unrooted succulent cuttings.
What Rader aims for in her living wreaths and topiary art forms is a balance of color and texture, which create visual interest. She carefully eyes each creation, making sure the succulents are in scale to the size of the object being covered.
“It's all about balance,” she says.
For example, larger wreaths require larger-sized cuttings; smaller projects call for small-sized plant material.
“In an average-size living wreath, we generally use the common jade plant (Crassula ovata) as the frame mainly because it's easy to work with. Then we fill in with a wide array of other succulents, generally about 15 to 20 different varieties of plants are in every wreath,” she says.
These numbers vary with the size and shape of the object being covered. All the succulents used are grown on the EuroAmerican property in Bonsall.
BOB WIGAND
Kissing Balls (above) and a purse (below) are examples of her artistry with these tough plants.
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BOB WIGAND
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One of the hardest steps in making a living wreath, Rader says, is inserting the cuttings. Her expert crew of Succulent Elves, three women, can cover a wreath in about two hours. It takes one experienced person no less than six to seven hours to complete planting a wreath, and that isn't counting the prep work of covering the frame with sphagnum moss. Needless to say, this would discourage many people from making their own living wreath.
One of Rader's newest living wreath designs is to cover sections with all one type of succulent. She has found this a beautiful way to play with solid blocks of texture and color.
Rader recommends living wreaths for the holidays, since they are the gift that keeps on living.
“Instead of lasting only a few weeks or a couple of months, they should live for many years. The oldest living wreath I know was about 28 years old,” she says.
For the holiday season, she suggests adding a decorative bow, small pine cones or artificial berries and birds – the possibilities are endless.
Where is all this creative talent taking her next? Straight to Pistoia, Italy, where Rader will be interviewed by Lexus magazine for a story on her “cutting edge” living art forms for the spring 2007 issue.
This kind of exposure could help launch her into a worldwide market. Not knowing what to expect, Rader says, “It's kind of exciting going to Italy, but kind of scary, too.”
Rogers Gardens, the destination nursery in Corona Del Mar, has a stunning display of her living wreaths, succulent trees and orbs on display to ring in the season. For more information and directions, visit Rogers' Web site at www.rogersgardens.com.
One of Rader's ultimate succulent whimsies is a 5-foot-tall sea horse created for Quail Botanical Gardens in Encinitas. It is on permanent display in the Succulents Under the Sea garden at the entry to the Ecke building. The frame for the sea horse is a “one of a kind” design donated by Pat Hammer, former owner of Samia Rose Topiary and now Quail's director of operations.
Give all Rader's living wreaths and topiary creations good light and don't overwater them. Every purchase comes with easy care and maintenance tips. As the succulents begin to grow, a little pinching back will restore the original shape.
Rader's wreaths can be ordered from www.livingwreaths.com. Wreaths, ranging in size from 14 to 24 inches, are $150 to $325. Kissing balls, 8 to 14 inches in diameter, are $75 to $125. Topiary shoes, teacups, Scottie dog or other animals are $60 to $160.
Judy Wigand is a lecturer and freelance writer. She operated a specialty nursery, Judy's Perennials, in San Marcos for 15 years.
