No two people are the same, so no two gardens should be. For anyone wanting to add more personality to their space – from lavish lawns to balcony plots - Sara Davies has just the trick.
The former Dragons’ Den entrepreneur is a recent convert to gardening, documenting her journey as she transforms her outdoor space with the help of her mum. And while she’s no doubt feeling the many proven health benefits of awakening those green fingers, Sara is also letting fans in on the tricks and tips she’s picking up along the way.
Her latest trick is a simple yet impactful way for transforming climbing plants into statement shapes and standout features – and it takes barely any time or effort at all.
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Taking to her social media, Sara demonstrated how, even as a relative nature novice, she’s been able to take a simple potted plant and transform it by moving it into a nicer-looking pot and shaping it around a bit of thick wire.
In the caption, she explains, "Since I started gardening, I've been searching for loads of new tips and tricks to try. I've come across this amazing technique a few times and I felt confident enough to have a go myself.
"All I did was take one of my plants, remove the sticks that it came with, bend some thick wire into a heart, and feed the stems around it instead... it was actually SUPER easy.
"Lovely to look at and it barely took any time, so definitely one to have a go at!"
Another trick Sara inadvertently demonstrated in the video is using polystyrene to fill up a pot. For anyone moving a plant into a larger pot, you can save on soil and make it easier to move around - especially great if you're worried about mobility - by using packing peanuts or broken-up foam.
Not every gardener is a fan, because of the risk of microplastics in the soil. Still, you can also replicate the benefits of this trick with natural objects like twigs, pinecones, or broken, unglazed terracotta.
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Which plants would Sara's wire trick work best on?
If Sara’s wire trick inspires you, you might be wondering which plants will fare better when shaped around wire. Generally, these fall into two categories: flexible vines that can be wrapped around sturdier wire trellises, and dense shrubs that can be clipped into topiary frames.
Plants that fall under these categories include:
- Star Jasmine
- English ivy
- Creeping Fig
- Boxwood
- Rosemary
Sara turned her plant - a Star Jasmine - into a love heart shape in a patterned pot, and it’s easy to see how you can take this even further if you wanted to stick to a theme, which is why styling any room in your home with potted plants is an easy but overlooked method.
For example, if you wanted a collection of hearts, why not upcycle an old pot by painting more hearts on it? Or you could paint a simple clay pot a more vibrant colour for a real statement look.
Other finishing touches you could consider might include wrapping light, solar-powered fairy lights around your newly-created plant shape. When it gets darker, you’ll still see the shape you created twinkling away.
Fans replying to Sara's post also illustrate other ways you can use this trick. One person shared that they did this with plants at their wedding, and it's easy to see how this would be an affordable yet memorable way of sprucing up an entryway or a centrepiece.
