IN THE GARDEN | Getting creative with mosaics as garden art

Don’t mourn over broken pieces of your precious Royal Doulton plate when it’s fallen from the wall because, unbeknown to you, its holder had rusted.

Simply repurpose the pieces into a mosaic where they will continue to live their beautiful life indoors or in the garden. 

Affordable garden art is mass produced and mostly unattractive with its harsh cement finish, usually with obvious lines left over from where the mould is removed. 

You can embellish it — a pot, stepping stone or other — by turning it into an attractive art piece, covering it with these bits of tesserae. 

Tesserae is the term given to the individual pieces which, when put together, make a mosaic. 

My preference is functional ware available “in the raw” from most nurseries — a birdbath, bench and a collection of planters — which you can transform into something attractive to bring colour to your garden in all seasons. 

You can make your own colourful house number or a word used to express a personal sentiment (preferably not eat, pray, love) that has not become twee and cliched.

“Hygge” is one I recently made for my sister-in-law of Danish heritage, which was prompted by the despair she felt when her energetic grandchild smashed her precious urn by accident.

I’m reminded, too, of a fun exercise I enjoyed with neighbouring friend and gifted artist Marlene Holling.

She invited her friends to mosaic a circular stepping stone at a craft morning she set up on her patio with containers of different pieces and glue for us to use.

The result was that each stepping stone was different and represented that friend.

Once they were finished Marlene grouted them and when dry, installed the stones along a pathway to her house which she called her friendship walk. 

The pieces you choose to use are dependent upon the purpose for which the finished project is destined. 

Besides broken pieces of crockery, you can use others of durable material such as beads, shells, stones, mirror, coloured glass, mosaic tiles and bits of colourful broken tiles as tesserae. 

You can trawl the antique and second-hand shops, as I sometimes do, to ask them for any pieces they cannot sell because they are broken.

Or perhaps you will be lucky enough to find suitable pieces of crockery selling at a reasonable price there. 

It’s best to choose objects to use as tesserae that have a fairly flat surface. A teacup for example will have a rounded form which is difficult to make it adhere to your mosaic piece. 

Mosaic pieces are best stuck to a flat surface. There are four-sided planters at Builders Warehouse and other outlets which will make your project easier.

However, pieces of mosaic can be worked on to a rounded surface easily if they are kept small.

If your work is going to be used outdoors, ensure the object you are working on will be able to withstand the weather. 

If you have a large piece to break up, place it under a towel or in a plastic bag before you smash it with a hammer. This prevents shards of glass from gathering around your work or getting in to your eyes. You can wear safety glasses, too, if you so wish. 

Tools 

A hammer for use as mentioned above. 

Tile nippers for cutting pieces to shape. If you wish to make a rounded or other shapes, nip small pieces around the edge until you have achieved the shape you would like. 

Protective gloves are important when you are using the glue and sticking down the pieces. The glue I suggested you use sticks to you like a second skin and is difficult to remove.

I buy a box of surgical gloves which are thin enough to allow nimble delicate movement which is difficult with household gloves. 

A spatula is used to “paint” on the glue. I use the wooden knives freely available with takeaways from certain stores. You will be discarding the spatula after you use it for the glue-work. 

Sponges and old cloths are useful for removing the excess grout after you’ve applied it to the whole of your work. I use toothpicks to remove the finer bits that are covering the mosaic after grouting. 

Mixing containers will be needed for mixing the grout. An old yoghurt container is best for this use as you can seal it and keep any leftovers from drying out. 

You can use a trowel to spread the grout. I simply use a gloved hand to spread the grout over the mosaiced surface, then discard the soiled glove afterwards. 

Draw your design on to the surface using either a marker pen or thick 2B pencil.  

Safety goggles are useful for protecting your eyes from shards that might fly up when you are nipping, cutting or smashing the pieces. 

The glue used is a pot of Tal ‘Flex Flexible Ceramic Tile Adhesive. There is another product I first used made by Alcolin but I haven’t been able to source it again.

Keep the lid on when not in use as it is inclined to harden and to dry out. 

Method 

If you are planning to hang up the finished mosaic, make holes with a drill for this purpose before you begin working. Place sosatie sticks in these holes to make sure they don’t become blocked. 

Draw the design on the object you wish to cover in mosaic. (I prefer to use a pencil as it can be erased if you wish to change it or if you have made a mistake). A simple design is best to begin with and can be very effective. 

Place the tesserae as you wish to form the design. Begin by placing down the pieces of the main subject (a word, symbol or object). Fill in around it with swirls or pieces of a colour that will make the main subject stand out. 

When you are satisfied with the design, begin pasting the glue on each piece and laying each into place. 

Once you have finished allow it 24 hours to dry. 

Mix the grout according to the instructions on the packet. 

Then smear it all over the mosaic, allowing it a few minutes to fill in the cracks between the tesserae. I use a gloved hand for this purpose. 

Use a damp cloth to wipe across the mosaic to remove the grout on top of the tesserae. It should dry within 24 hours. 

• In the Garden is written by feature writer, garden enthusiast and former teacher Julia Smith, who has returned home to live in Chintsa East. The column aims to inform novice and accomplished gardeners on how to make the most of their green patches