Ms. Peggie's Place

Michael Sue's Tips:

Mother-in-law's tongue

Here's a nice plant you can make yourself.

Materials

Small gauge florist wire

Masking tape

Acrylic green-colored paint

Acrylic cream-colored paint

Flower pot or your choice of container

Filler for pot, such as clay or Styrofoam

Acrylic brown-colored paint

Ground cover, such as landscape soil, coffee grounds, etc.

Paint brush

Scissors

White glue

Modge Podge matte finish

Old piece of Styrofoam to use as drying rack

Let's get started

1. Cut wire into 2" lengths, cutting as many as you need to fill your container. A few need to be shorter.

2. Sandwich wire in the middle between 2 pieces of masking tape. Leave 1/4" of bare wire to insert in clay later.

The blades of the mother-in-law plant are long, straight, and tapered at the tip. To cut them, I start at the tip; the wire does not need to reach the tip. I cut down one side at a time, keeping the middle nice and straight. At the bottom I taper it just a little. I want the blade to look like it's coming right out of the soil, so I'll push that little bit into the soil with the wire later.

3. Paint all the blades green. Push into old Styrofoam to dry.

4. Using dry brush method, apply cloud-like horizontal stripes down the length of blades on each side. Let dry.

5. Apply Modge Podge to both sides of blades and let dry.

Remember, no leaf in nature is ever just flat. Shape the blades by slightly twisting some, curling the long edges of some into the center just a little, and bending some of the tips back a little.

6. Prepare your container. Fill by pushing clay into it. Paint the top brown and let dry. Spread white glue over the top and cover it with ground material.

7. While glue is still wet, push your blades into the clay. Start in the center and work out to the edge. The blades on the outside will be new growth and therefore shorter. This plant does not grow from a center root; it spreads to fill its container by running shoots under the surface and sending up new growth.

I hope you enjoy making this plant and that it will inspire you to try others!