The Gardener Magazine

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	We know South Africans love their gardens! This magazine inspires the home enthusiast with practical ideas for maintaining and enhancing their gardens, patios and backyards. New plants and products are mentioned first in The Gardener and there is also a special focus on indigenous gardening in South Africa.

DIY - Mosaic

Mosaic has been around for more than 4000 years, ranging from very basic decoration to elaborate, detailed scenes of people and animals.
The fact is, anyone can mosaic and a variety of materials can be used, from glass and ceramics to natural stone. Here’s how you can use mosaic to decorate a terracotta pot that will make a great gift for a special person.

What you need:
• A selection of materials – we used
mosaic tiles, ceramic tiles, mirror tiles and glass beads available from craft
shops and selected DIY stores. • A terracotta pot • Strong glue – we used Genkem Ceramic
tile adhesive • Grouting – we used super white • A tile cutter

How to:
Make sure that the pattern will run right around the pot and meet at the other side. Dividing the pot into four sections and planning the pattern in each section will make this easier. Big tiles will need to be broken up first - place each tile between two layers of strong fabric, such as canvas, and break it with a mallet. By doing this you avoid shards of glass or ceramic tile flying around. Then use a tile cutter to cut the pieces of tile into the shapes you want for your pattern. Using the glue, stick all the pieces onto the pot and then allow the glue to dry. Mix the grout with water (follow the manufacturers’ instructions to get the right consistency) and use it to fill in the gaps between the tiles. Leave the grouting to dry for 10 minutes and then wipe off the excess with a damp cloth or sponge.

Another good idea!
Revamp an old pot by spraying it with Rust-Oleum’s ‘Direct to plastic’ paint, then stick decals on the pot before potting up a lovely plant. Of course you can also stick decals onto a new pot, in which case you don’t even need to get out the spray can.

Suppliers:
Genkem – www.genkem.co.za Rust-Oleum – www.rustoleum.co.za If you’ve got your hands on this copy of The Gardener early then you’re still in time to visit the Mosaic Inspirations 2009 Show in Pretoria. The show is presented by the Mosaic Association South Africa, and ends on 26 September 2009.
Visit www.mosaicassociationsa.za.net for more information.