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.