Gift mom with a hand crafted African ‘mamma’ planter for Mother’s Day

With Mother’s Day around the corner, get creative and spoil your eco-mom with a DIY planter made from an empty bottle, some South African flavour, a creeper and a splash of creativity.

You will need:

• A clean, empty 2L milk/ juice carton (remove any labels and glue, keep the lid).
• Waterproof paint.
• A permanent marker.
• Knife or scissors.
• An African-inspired cloth for the kopdoek/ headband (larger piece) and neck (small piece).
• Rope for hanging.
• Potting soil.
• A creeper (as hair).

Plant picks: Pilea glauca bowl, string of beads, philodendron selloum and other philodendron varieties, guzmania varieties, spider plant and pathos.

Making your ‘mamma’:

• Turn your carton upside down and conceptualise: the opening serves as the neck of your character, the handle becomes the nose and the bottom end becomes the top of her head where the plant will go.
• Cut off the ‘head’ quarter of the carton (not the lid end).
• Paint or draw on her lips above the neck, create her eyebrows just above the ending of the nose and then her eyes, either opened or closed with luscious lashes of course. You can play with the facial features of your ‘mamma’ – perhaps add a nose ring or earnings, a little blush or eyeshadow. You could even make an African ‘pappa’ or a few kids to accompany her.
• Cut a few drainage holes/ slits in the lid cap of your carton (her neck). Cut holes for the rope from which to hang your planter and then thread it through.
• Carefully fill your container halfway with nutritious potting soil. Make sure the lid is on.
• Pop in your creeper as the hair for your ‘mamma’. Add more potting soil and tuck your plant in.
• With your larger cloth in hand, consult Google on how to wrap a traditional kopdoek. Alternatively, you could go for a bandanna or headband style too. Arrange the leaves of your creeper as desired to give her that wild and untamed look.
• Using the smaller cloth, cover her neck and the lid.
• Water her up.
• You can either hang your creation with rope, or use her as table décor, allowing her hair to hang off an end.
• Remember to check what light conditions your creeper needs to choose the best spot for her to flourish.

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