Garden Hollyhocks

I saw a beautiful set of metal flowers in a catalog. They were supposed to resemble Hollyhocks from a distance. I really loved them, but they were $95 for a set of 3 and they were metal, so they would eventually rust.

I decided to see if I could find a way to make something similar using recycled materials. I was inspired when I was in my local Habitat for Humanity Thrift Store and I saw sheets of left over vinyl siding for homes. They were only $1 per sheet and they just needed to be cleaned up. The only other thing I purchased was some green gardening stakes from Walmart. I already had wire, left over spray paint, pliers and cutting tools in my garage.

I cut the vinyl sheets into sections with a table saw so it would be easier to cut with hand tools. (I saved the strips at the end of the vinyl sheets for making buds later.) Then I drew out the shapes I would cut.

      



After I cut out all of my circles and leaves, I spray painted them on both sides.

 

Next, I painted the buds pink and lightly sprayed the bottoms green.

I made all the wires and began to assemble them.

Finally, I twisted each piece randomly on each stake.

For very little money, I now have an attractive garden decoration that will last for years because of the materials used. My hands are sore but it only took some free time on a Saturday to make. I love my Hollyhocks!



Completed August 2013