DIY: No-Maintenince Green Wall

Right now I am obsessed with greenery. I have to have it in my home in as many forms as possible before I start to become “that crazy plant lady”. I found inspiration for my wall from The Modern Honolulu where I will be staying in September – as soon as I saw it I

had to have it in my home. My husband and I have been going back and forth for MONTHS about what to fill our blank white wall with. It didn’t help that we don’t have the same style in art, so… the wall sat sad and bare (before and after pictures are at the bottom).

If you know anything about me I am a master at killing plants – poor things. I loved the look of the real ferns, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to handle that, plus I would be concerned about the water getting all over (and ruining) my walls, floors and furniture. I used artificial ferns and plastic pots to make my own toned-down version of the photo. This project was fairly simple and cheap – it cost me just under $150. The biggest expense was the actual greenery, the other supplies I just got at the dollar store and Home Depot. Side note: I am not one to cheap out on my home, but if I can be thrifty without the project looking cheap and tacky I will be. I bought two full stems for $60 a piece from Flower Affairs and they are seriously realistic looking! They did have cheaper options, but I didn’t think I would fully achieve the look I was hoping for.

Here’s what you need: artificial ferns, floral foam, plastic pots, spray paint (colour of choice), wire cutters (for the pants), wire, scissors, command hooks and a hot glue gun.

I used plastic pots so I could cut the back off of them so they would lay flat against my wall like sconces (DIY sconces if you will). If you can’t find the colour you’re looking for, don’t worry, that’s what the spray paint is for.

Project completion time: 3 hours

Step 1: Cut the backs off your plastic pots. I cut about a quarter off the back using kitchen scissors. I started by using a tape measure and black permanent marker to outline where I needed to cut. I then used the scrap part from my first pot as an outline or stencil for the rest of the pots.

Step 2: Spray-paint them. Tip: Be sure to do this is stages for full coverage and to avoid dripping. You don’t want to layer on the paint too quick!

Step 3: Group your ferns. While I waited for my spray-paint to dry I started cutting the ferns off the stem using my wire cutters. I had six pots so I divided the ferns equally so each pot would have the same number.

Step 4: Arrange your ferns. Using your floral foam, start to arrange your leafs. Remember, the floral foam is very forgiving so if you don’t like the placement you can always take it out and stick it elsewhere. FYI: This was the point in the project that took the most time. I studied my inspiration photo and tried to replicate the wild look of the ferns, so I stuck them everywhere. I started with the taller ones in the back and on the sides, then went in from there. This is when I brought my pots in so I could place my creation in the pot to see how it would look as I went.

Step 5: Glue you hanging wire onto the pots. Once I finished creating my fern bundles I glued wire onto the back of my pots using my hot glue gun. This wire will be used to hang the potted ferns on the wall.

Step 6: Hang them! I wanted mine to be evenly spaced, but you certainly can hang them however you want! In my inspiration photo, they were hung at random, something I also considered. I used a tape measure to get my spacing even then stuck my command hooks on my wall. I then proceeded to hang up the potted ferns.

Step 7: Admire your work/make some tweaks. This is when you can stand back and take a deep breath… you did it! I noticed a few stems that weren’t quite in the right place, so this is when I made some slight adjustments.

Before… How sad looking.

After! *queue sunshine and rainbows*

As always, we’d love to see your version of this project!! Be sure to send it to us, or if you have any tips or suggestions, we’d love to hear those too!

Until my next post, Jessica ❤