Wedding Centerpieces: Vines in Birdcages

Recently had a wedding and we decided that we would make all our own centerpieces. We made three types: Orchids, Bird Cage Vines, and Succulents.  Here is how we made the Bird Cage Vines.
For the succulent dishes, click here
For the orchid dishes, click here

 We bought bird cages at a variety of stores, particularly Michaels.  I then bought clay pots to fit the cages without overwhelming them.  I painted the pots white if they were going into white cages, or left them clay colored if they were going into green cages.

For vines, I used pothos and coleus, because I had the plants already growing in my house.  They are both easily propagated by just sticking stem clippings into a jar of water for two weeks until the roots are an inch or two long.  For more info on propagating these plants, check out these posts: Pothos Propagation, Coleus Propagation.

I at first started with two pothos and one coleus in each pot.  Later on I ended up adding more coleus stems to each pot, so if I were to do it again I would just start with two pothos and three coleus in each pot. Water daily at first, then every few days or weekly.  If the leaves are droopy it means they need water. 

Gently place the pots in the cages and close the lids.  You will need to thread the vines through the cage; make sure not to let any get smushed!

Shown: Leaf threaded through the cage, not getting smushed!

I then hung the cages in front of an east facing window for about 9 months (this was a long-term plan).  The vines don't grow very quickly, particularly the pothos, so planning ahead helps! If you are in a hurry, just use longer clippings to start with (if you have long enough clippings, you don't need to let them grow any more at all!).  Keep in mind that coleus changes color depending on how much light it receives!

The bird cages were still around at Christmas, so they received some decorations.
 
Using two pothos and three coleus per pot worked well since we had a long time to let them grow.

In total they hung for around 9 months in the apartment before the wedding.