A Garden Table

This is a table I picked up at DI (the local thrift store) for about $10. I am going to re-do it at some point, but it works great as is for a garden table next to my shed (which needs to be paneled still). I have an assortment of containers on the table - some from last year and some from this year. The blue pot is a new succulent (Hens and Chicks) as well as the old bag that I turned into a pot. The bag is a great example of creative ways to use containers. I got the bag for about $0.50 at DI and it has worked great. Because it already breathes and leaks a bit, there is no need to put holes in it and I like the informal look. The wild looking pot behind the blue one is a long set of radishes, which I have never grown before and probably should have grown MUCH earlier in the season because they are having a hard time growing the root for food. But, they are fun to grow - and easy too. There is an old tin pail in the back that is holding a plant that used to be gorwing where my new shed now is. This tin pail was recovered from an old barn, cleaned, and holes put in the bottom for drainage. I now have 3 pails like this in various stages of age and they work perfect as pots. Anyway, putting different plants, pot types and shapes all on the table gives a nice look and adds interest to my yard.

Trash to Treasure

Well this is a small piece I got from the thrift store for $0.50. I drilled holes in the bottom, put soil in it, and planted a few marigold seeds. Next year I will put something better in it.

A Potter's Bench

So this is my potter's bench. I made this about 2 months ago on a hot Saturday. It turned out great and wasn't too hard to make. The best part is that it was free to make.

The brown wood you see is all from an old fence that a local fence company tore down. The 2 x 4s are the cross pieces from the fence. The 1x6 on the counter top there I got out of a dumpster on a construction site. The 1x4 slats on the top shelf like unit are cedar shutter material I got from the dumpster at a construction site as well. The metal straps that hold the top unit to the bottom are left over braces for stair railings and posts in a house. The screws are all leftovers from a construction site too. Anyway, I use this bench to store my garden things, add flavor and character to my garden, pot plants on, mix fertilizer or other garden chemicals I need, etc. It's been a great addition and I love having it. Eventually I will get time to actually place the pavers in front of it, in the ground properly.

Metal Containers

Metal Containers are great cause they can vary so much in shape, size, color, style, and finish. Here are two simple examples. Neither of these was intended for outdoor plants. The top one was a simple galvanized tin bucket used for decoration. Put a few holes in it and it is a planter. The ice plant does well in this one. I would probably choose a different plant next time for this planter, but it works.

The bottom one here was intended to be an indoor container that you can put either fake plants in or place a separate plastic pot inside. I liked it for an outdoor planter, so again, I put a few holes in it and planted.

Containers like these can be bought at thrift stores for almost nothing.

Decorative Rocks...a new use

This is my neighbor's yard. She recently re-did her front and wanted to put some kind of border in. I had recently collected some decorative rock from a construction site that was going to be thrown away. This rock is used for the exterior of the home.

The back side of the rock is flat, so it is easy to place in the ground. The top is nice and natural looking. It ended up looking pretty good here in her garden. I would have done it a bit different, but that's why it's her garden and not mine.

Either way, a nice re-use of a material and it was cheap. The rock is nice cause it weathers extremely well - it is made for the exterior of the home, so it handles cold, hot, wet, etc well. One thing it does not like is contact - what I mean is that the color rubs off if it is walked on or rubbed with another hard object. So, not a great material for a walk way, but as a decorative material, it is quite nice.

It is also easy to find and cheap. You can go to almost any home being built
where they are installing rock and ask them to leave the extra for you instead of throwing it away. There are lots of different styles, colors, etc, so look for one you like. Also, you can call the exterior company and ask them ahead of time.

Slip cover

This is an easy to make and easy to use container cause it is simply a container slip cover. It looks great at a slight height cause you can't see the plastic pot inside it. I built this using some old fence planks. I made it large enough to fit a pot so I could place in it whatever pot I wanted to without having to re-pot the plant and mix my own soil.

Clematis and Trellis

This is my clematis plant in the front yard. It is growing nicely and I am excited to see it bloom this summer with many small white flowers. I built this trellis last summer when I planted it and already need to extend it. I made the trellis out of redwood stakes you can buy at a local garden store such as Home Depot. I used copper wire to tie the crossing points and cut the bottom stakes so they would slide in the soil better. I can easily add to the trellis by building a new section that is identical and tying it to the old one. I also need to extend the trellis to the side a little as well to help the plant spread out a bit and not clump too much ( I don't want a thick bush here, but a nice spreading background of color for my yard).

Updated Hens and Chicks

So the Hens and Chicks have really taken over their container. It is about time to divide them (to happen soon). They have really looked beautiful this year. The large Hen in front here is finally about to bloom. I will need to work on this container soon to make sure it stays healthy and thin it a bit.

Finished Log Planter

Here is the log planter, all planted. This picture was taken after the planter had an unfortunate spill inside the car on the way to Mom and Dad's house (it was a gift to them). In this planter is, from left to right, Lamium, Stonecrop, Woolley Thyme x2, Stone Crop, and Woolley Thyme.
The soil is a well draining soil made of sand, garden soil (loam), some compost, and fine gravel. The Lamium is is a deeper hole and in softer, more decomposed wood - it needs the more nutrient rich environment of the decomposing wood.

Basket Planters

Here is an example of some basket planters. These are super easy to make and work well as planters. You can pick up cheap baskets from thrift stores (.50 cents to $1). Two of these were meant for plants and one was a former picnic basket. The top one here was originally just a cover for a pot, but it was easy to convert to a planter itself. The second was a hanging basket, but looked pretty good on the ground. The last was the picnic basket. Not too many modifications have to be made here as they work pretty well as is and have built in drainage.

The important thing is to make sure the basket isn't too deep for the plants. In deep ones, I placed crushed brick pieces to take up space in the bottom, to add a little weight, and to not waste soil that wouldn't be used by the plants intended for the basket.

Another item to remember is to make sure you water these well, according to the plant needs. Baskets lose water easier than other containers due to the obvious - holes/spaces. This means your soil can really dry out fast on these. However, if you stay on top of it, they do great. The middle one is a drought tolerant plant and was planted last year. It survived a very cold winter as well. The bottom one here has some miniature marigolds planted (from seed) around the base to fill in the space and add color. We'll see how they turn out.