Woman Uses Home Depot Finds To Create A Garden Masterpiece With An Impressive DIY
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When it comes to making your garden a wonderfully whimsical place, nothing adds charm, dimension, and visual interest quite like a beautiful garden arch. However, instead of a conventional upright arch, consider leaning into a more imaginative, unexpected shape to really bring the magic. TikTok user slow.withmo shared how she used under $40 of basic Home Depot supplies to create a semi-circular moon garden arch adorned with foraged sculptural branches.
By stringing together two affordable wire ladders, typically used to reinforce stacks of concrete blocks, and anchoring each end into the ground with concrete, she built the foundation for the half-circle garden feature. To add personality, texture, and wonder, she incorporated sticks from the yard woven with the ladder to create an organic, one-of-a-kind, nature-inspired art piece. Not only does it cost less than most meals out, this easy, straightforward project is friendly to any DIY novice wanting to add some joy to their outdoor space.
To gather Home Depot supplies for the project, start with two 8-inch by 10-foot wire masonry reinforcement ladders. While the exact product used on TikTok is out of stock online, you might be able to find it in-store or at another hardware store (like Menards, which has an 8-inch x 10-foot Masonry Reinforcement Ladder around $4.00 each). Additionally, grab a 50-pound bag of fast-setting concrete, like the Quikrete 50 lb. Fast-Setting Concrete Mix, and the earth-tone Commercial Electric Assorted Camouflage Cable Zip Ties in a 200-pack. The TikToker also bought dark brown spray paint, BEHR Dark Truffle Flat Interior/Exterior Spray Paint, presumably to paint the wire arch, but it appears she opted to leave the wire in its natural state, so this step is optional.
Creating the foundation for your moon arch
To create your own whimsical moon arch, begin by planning out where in your yard or garden you'd like to place it. Measuring about seven feet apart, use a post hole digger or shovel to make two 12-inch-deep (and at least 8 inches wide to accommodate the wire ladder) holes in the ground for anchoring the arch. Use the cable ties to attach the wire ladders together to form one long 20-foot piece and insert each end into the holes. Use two large sticks from your yard as makeshift stakes, one for each hole, and use the cable ties to secure the arch to the sticks in several places to hold it upright and in place.
@slow.withmo part. 1 of making the whimsical garden moon arch of my dreams 🧚✨ #cottagecore #gardentok #whimsicalart #dreamgarden #diyproject
Next it's time to make it permanent (unless you don't want to or can't — more on that in a moment). While the TikToker filled the holes partway up with water and then added concrete mix, follow the specific instructions on your concrete bag to prepare and fill the holes in case the process differs. Wait the full concrete cure time, according to the product's label, and you've got the base, shape, and support for the magical moon arch.
If you're a renter or don't want to make permanent changes to your yard, you could opt to fill two large planters partway with concrete — directly into the base or use a bucket to contain the concrete — to anchor the arch. Fill in the rest with dirt for additional weight and stability, as well as soil for your climbing plants. The larger the planters, the more weight the arch setup can tolerate, so be cognizant of your arch's limits when selecting branch sizes and climbing plants.
Add sculptural branches and climbing plants to your half-circle garden arch
The next step for transforming the basic wire arch into a natural sculpture is adding branches. For the first several layers, use large sticks with thicker bases and tapered tops. Place them at the base of the arch on each side, then use cable ties and weave the sticks through the wire ladder to secure them together as you work your way to the middle of the arch.
@slow.withmo Part 2 of building my DREAM whimsical moon gate to create the perfect fairytale backyard for less than $40! 💫🧚🪴 #whimsicalaesthetic #gardendiy #cottagecoreproject #slowliving #outdoormom
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If you like a tighter, more closely woven aesthetic, keep offshoots to a minimum and use plenty of cable ties to keep the sticks close to the arch shape. If you prefer a wilder, more freeform look, allow some of the branch offshoots to extend upwards and outwards. You can trim, readjust, and fill in with smaller branches as needed until you're happy with the shape.
While you can certainly leave the moon arch as-is in all of its wild branch glory (though consider stringing twinkle lights from the arch to really level up the magic!), adding climbing flowers will elevate it with color, charm, and magical English cottage garden vibes. Select climbing vine-style plants that grow well in your area. The TikToker chose honeysuckle, but there are so many gorgeous options suited to various climates, such as clematis, jasmine, climbing hydrangea, sweet pea, morning glory, bougainvillea, wisteria (though be sure to choose a non-invasive variety). Various species of climbing rose are also a great choice — rosa 'Zephirine Drouhin' is often used due to its lack of thorns and tolerance of shade. For a more farm-to-table approach, you could use your moon arch to grow climbing vine-style fruits and veggies, such as peas, beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, grapes, and more.