While living in the English countryside, I have experienced first-hand the beauty of uninhibited wildlife. When I started gardening I could not understand how plants could simply vanish overnight. That was until I met the rabbit-family early one morning. I tried all sorts of methods to prevent them from eating my plants, and eventually worked out that chicken wire did the trick, but disliked its untidy appearance. One thing led to another and I’ve discovered how to make chicken wire look attractive! Chicken-wire domes now cover all the rabbit snacks in my garden – pretty and practical! They also look lovely in a flower pot or on a veranda table.
Recycled items
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1 piece (70 x 70 cm) 25-mm hexagonal galvanised chicken wire
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cast off lid from an old sugar bowl
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metal ring of a lampshade /or bend a length of wire into a circular shape around the bucket mould and fasten together by making a hook on the end
Also needed
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wire cutter
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bent nose pliers
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mould for dome (bucket and small bowl, the base of the bucket must have the same diameter as the rim of the bowl)
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masking tape
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garden gloves
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paintbrush
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PVA strong bond glue
Method
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Stand the bucket upside-down, then stick the bowl, rim-side down, to the bucket with masking tape.
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With the mould on a flat surface, pull the mesh over the mould to form a dome shape. The mesh will look excessive, but do not cut away any of it yet. Keep working the mesh by pulling and stretching it so that the wire hexagons are evenly spaced across the entire mould.
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When you are happy with the dome-shape, make sure you leave enough wire to form a neat joint on one side, and then you can start to cut away the excess wire.
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Place the metal ring over the mould and wiggle it all the way to the bottom, near the rim of the bucket.
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Cut away any extra wire and use bent nose pliers to neatly work away any strands down the ‘seam’ of the dome and around the ring at the bottom.
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Make a handle for the dome by gluing the sugar bowl lid to the top of it with a paintbrush and bond glue.
Caution: Always wear protective/garden gloves when working with chicken wire.