Container growing

[BiggerPiggyBank]

I have a friend who took an old wooden dresser, added a few holes in the bottoms
of the drawers, and used them as planters. The dresser drawer on bottom is
completely open and supported underneath so it isn’t front-heavy. Then the
drawers are staggered back as far as openings so the top one is only open a few
inches, and the middle ones are partially open.

I have an old wrought iron chair that was once (about 40 years ago) used as
outdoor furniture. Now it is rusty in places and not in great shape — but it
holds an old galvanized tub which happens to work GREAT as a planter for
trailing plants.

My neighbor has an old giant clay pot — the kind that is about 2 feet tall,
which she painted and flipped upside down. The accompanying saucer sits on top
of that and is used as the planter itself.

I have taken that idea a bit further and done the same thing, but added a
shallow dish on top and am making a mosaic bird bath. This will be one of the
interesting pieces in the garden this year.

There is an old fireplace screen which I am using as a sort of climbing area for
some vining plants I am planting in a container.

Also an old wrought iron fireplace box for wood which now has a coconut husk
liner and geraniums growing in it.

Another friend has a wooden birdhouse which she cut an opening in the roof of
and is using as a planter.

Our porch and the ground around it is covered with unusual “planters” — old
easter baskets, a pair of galoshes growing daisies out of them, a wooden wishing
well… even a couple of those outdoor tiki torches which have ivy growing out
of them and down the sides (one of my personal favorites!).

Anything, ANYTHING, that you have that can hold something is fair game in a
container garden. The more unusual, the more interesting! Don’t limit yourself
to what is usually thought of as a gardening container — bird cages can hold
ivy, dry gourds hanging from a tree can grow clematis vines, and old birdbaths
can be used to grow kitchen herbs.

:O) Think of gardening as an outdoor shabby-chic movement. Take things that
may not be good for their original purpose and give them a new purpose.

Blessings,
Angie

[Author]

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