Fireplaces can create a cozy, warm room, but if you live in a part of the nation where this home essential is almost never needed for its intended use, you can transform it into a garden area. A piece of driftwood added to the fireplace garden makes it even more decorative. The basic materials needed for this project include a wood box, garden soil (a mixture of compost, soil, and fertilizer), the chosen plants, and the piece of driftwood. With these you can create a garden box that will then provide a beautiful decoration for the inside of the fireplace.
The wood box should measure 14″ by 16″ in size. The sides of the box can be painted if desired, or made of logs. Any type of wood box can be used, and the easiest place to find them is at an agricultural supply store, or nursery. The box may be used in shipping items for the company, which you can get for free if possible. It never hurts to ask a clerk if such a box is available. Create the soil mix outside or in your garage where you will also fill up the wood box with this blend. Fill the box with the well drained soil mix. Have the length of the box facing you; this will be the part showing once placed inside the fireplace. Insert the piece of driftwood into the box. One end of the wood may be sticking up, or positioned at an angle.
After the driftwood is in place, the flowers can be planted. You can use anything from geraniums to petunias and pansies. Place the flowers so they look like they are growing out of the driftwood. Gently dig a hole in the soil for each plant, then over the roots before watering. The flowers should be bright enough to stand out when placed inside the fireplace. After your garden box with the driftwood is completed, set inside the fireplace either on the floor, or on the grate that holds the logs. If the box is too big for the grate, remove the grate or have it leaning up against the fireplace wall on its side behind the box.
Other options you can use in the garden box are seashells. A conch shell resting against the driftwood looks lovely, or you can add a small statue by the flowers. Another alternative is to add ivy strands draped over the box inside the fireplace to give it a seasonal look.
Image Credit: Caitriana Nicholson from Beijing, China, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
