DATE: Sunday, August 3, 1997                TAG: 9708010156

SECTION: HOME                    PAGE: G1   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: GARDENING

SOURCE: ROBERT STIFFLER

                                            LENGTH:   68 lines

LIVING WREATHS CAN BE USEFUL, FRAGRANT AND DECORATIVE

If you watched Martha Stewart on television a couple of weeks ago, you saw Martha and Teddy Colbert create a ``living wreath.'' Colbert is an expert on living wreaths and runs a garden company in California.

She says the living succulent wreath is a new gardening form, reminiscent of Renaissance-era sculptured della Robbia wreaths. They can be hung on a door, used as a centerpiece or placed in a conspicuous spot outdoors. Better yet, they can be given for birthdays, Mother's Day, housewarmings or other occasions.

The living wreath is a moss-wrapped, soil-filled circular frame into which callused succulent cuttings are propagated and sustained in an aerated growing medium. Those with creative design abilities can make a work of art.

Colbert, a garden writer who contributes to the Los Angeles Times, says her first wreath lasted eight years. With new galvanized frames she offers now, they should last even longer.

Succulent herb wreaths seem to be the most popular, but one filled with sweet alyssum, mixing purple and white varieties, creates the look of an Easter bonnet.

For her herb wreath, Colbert used garlic and onion chives around the edges, which gave it a perpetual bad-hair day look. But such a wreath lends great aroma and color to a kitchen. It makes it easy to clip herbs for cooking, so the wreath is both ornamental and useful.

I have little patience, so when the material for my wreath arrived, I turned it over to Maria Hogge, my student gardener, who studies horticulture at Tidewater Community College. She is a good designer and has much patience.

She was surprised at the size of the plants and said some were so small she had to use tweezers to handle them. Her other words of advice are:

Ask a friend to help, because it's a two-person job.

Keep a flexible schedule. Make your plans around the arrival time of the wreath. Ordering time is important.

Read the directions two or three times before starting the project.

Use the gloves recommended.

Other plants that can be used in a living wreath include impatiens, for short-term color, as well as violas, petunias, sweet peas and lobelia. You can also use strawberries, cherry tomatoes and mixed leaf lettuces. If you sow lettuce or spinach directly into a wreath, you can have a centerpiece for a spring garden party six weeks after sowing.

For a perennial wreath, try ivy, Swedish ivy, spider plant and pothos. Pothos, because it is so easy to grow, should be one of the easiest wreaths to make and among the longest-lasting.

You can use any shallow-rooted plant for a wreath that is colorful and fragrant.

Do-it-yourself kits are available in various sizes and prices, starting at around $125 for everything you need. When you figure a five-year life, that's $25 per year. For price lists and details, write Teddy Colbert's Garden, P.O. Box 9, Somis, Calif. 93066. You can also call (800) TEDDY81 or fax (805) 386-4048. For on-line information, check out her Web page (http://www.grassroutes.ns.ca/teddy's/) or send e-mail (teddyc(AT).ix.netcom.com).

Colbert's book, ``The Living Wreath,'' (Gibbs Smith Publishers, $19.95 soft-cover) is available at Barnes & Noble bookstores. It was awarded the ``Art of Garden Communication Award for 1996'' by the Garden Writers Association of America. You can get an autographed copy by calling Colbert at the 800 number above. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

Robert Stiffler

Maria Hogge, a horticulture student at Tidewater Community

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