Barn Wood

If you are lucky enough to have access to some old barnwood (especially from Western states), you can find some beautiful weathered wood that still has plenty of use in it.

This wood came from a 100 yr old barn in Holden, Utah. The screws used for the container were reclaimed from an old barn in Tremonton, Utah. The whole container was made from one plank of 1" x 12" wood (including the bottom piece).

Barn wood in the Western U.S. is beautiful because the pine weathered very nicely in the dry air and hot sun. The rustic look was perfect setting for this planting of Hens and Chicks. This is last year's picture and this year the plant has almost filled the top with beautiful blooms and vivid colors.

This is a deeper container, so we filled a few inches of the bottom with crushed brick (you can use small pebbles, crushed terra cotta pots, or even styrofoam pieces to fill some of the space and create nice drainage. On the top of the soil, we placed about an inch of fine sand to keep the top dry - this helps the leaves keep from rotting and other water damage. Plus, the sand was a nice aesthetic addition.

Another nice feature of this planter is the feet it rests on. We used reclaimed screws for feet. This way, we could adjust (by loosening or tightening) the feet for any uneven surface and keep the container off the ground while not taking away from the beauty of the box.