Create a Mother's Day Tea Garden

Courtesy of Melissa Caughey

Hi Friends,

Put a twist on tea in the garden by planting up vintage teacups.

Enjoying tea in the garden has a rich history that dates back to the 18th century. Tea gardens were created to enjoy life and a delicious cup of tea. Within these gardens, patrons would partake in entertainment, dancing, attend concerts, enjoy bowling greens, fireworks and strolls among beautifully tended grounds. In their heyday, tea gardens were so incredibly popular that they were frequented by and inspired world famous artisans, musicians and authors. These tea gardens gave people a place to meet and enjoy one another's company despite class ranking in society. During their height of popularity, tea gardens became popular worldwide but once tea drinking began to decline most of the gardens disappeared. Today there are a still a number of tea gardens around the world where you can still enjoy an afternoon tea and the great outdoors.

Whether you plan to visit a tea garden for Mother's Day or just enjoy an outing, planting a tea cup garden is a lovely way to upcycle and create a memorable planter for the windowsill, table or outdoor garden. I especially love the look of vintage tea cups, with their varied, delicate designs. Try exploring antique centers and thrift stores in your area to add rustic charm to your wee tea garden. As for the plantings, consider herbs used in teas or smaller plants designed for fairy gardens at your local nursery. Here's what you will need to get started to create a perfect cup of tea for the garden!

Supply List:

• Teacups
• Assorted miniature plantings
• Potting soil
• Moss
• Twigs
• Cardstock
• Marker
• Scissors

Take a peek at the photo gallery below and its captions for all the step-by-step instructions on how to put together a tea cup garden.

DIY: Teacup Garden

Tea in the garden takes on new meaning as vintage teacups are turned into miniature planters.

Gather Your Supplies

For this craft you will need: a variety of teacups and saucers/ multipurpose glue / small plants / potting soil / garden twigs / thick cardstock / marker / X-Acto knife / scissors.

Stick Together

Adhere the cup to its matching saucer with glue. Set aside to dry.

Prepare the Plants

Some plants, like this Irish moss, can be split apart.

Plant the Teacups

If you prefer, add a thin layer of gravel to the bottom of each teacup to help with drainage. Next add a combination of plants to each teacup. Once planted, add a layer of moss to cover any exposed areas of dirt. Wipe any excess soil off the teacup and saucer with a damp cloth.

Make the Tags

Clear your work space and gather the twigs, cardstock, marker, scissors and X-Acto knife.

Make a Slit

Carefully with the X-Acto knife, make a slit in the top of a twig.

Cut a Banner

With scissors, trim the cardstock to resemble the banner.

Insert Your Banner

Write on the banner with a marker and slide the banner into the slit on the top of the twig. We decided to make this teacup garden a tribute to mom.

Mix it Up
Here assorted plantings add variety to the teacup. Water sparingly as there are no drainage holes.

String of Pearls

This teacup is filled with string of pearls (Senecio rowleyanus).

Plant Your Own Teacup Garden

Plantings used in our teacups include: Soleirolia soleirolii, Othonna capenisis, Sagina subulata, Isolepis cernua and Sencio rowleyanus.

A playful take of tea in the garden...

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Live well,
Yvonne