Planting in Unusual Places, Crazy Containers ⋆ Julie's Notebook

As it is Spring now, I’ve been outside planting containers.
Now for most gardeners that would mean flower pots or rectangular tubs, but today I did something a teeny bit more quirky.

As I didn’t have an old toilet bowl, or a non-seaworthy wooden boat I decided on mugs, shoes and tin cans. I have previously used a toy box as a planting tub, I kept the lid so in winter I pop the lid back on to protect the bulbs inside, clever huh?

I wanted to plant some handbags and wellies but the charity shops had nothing I liked the look of today. Everyone has seen planted willies but I liked the idea of hanging handbags like bizarre little hanging basket dangling from my cherry tree… that would have been cool, but no such luck today.

Ready to get going…

I have here some mixed seeds, some cute mugs with twitter birdies on, Converse style planters from a pound shop, some seedlings I grew earlier, some strawberry roots, a bag of compost and clean yogurt pots. Not in the photo, some washed tin cans with the labels removed.

I started by cutting three little holes in the yogurt pots.

Snip snippity snip snip.

After chopping little water holes in the pots I filled them with the compost and put some sweet peas in the mud. I think they look pretty cool in these mugs even if I do say so myself! After these charming coffee mugs, I went on to the extreme recycling, using tin cans as plant pots. I love the little ridges in the side, I think these are fabulous things to reuse in the garden.

One tin can full of compost, one upside down to show you the three little drainage
holes I put in it using a tin opener.

Yes, that is muddy mess all over my carpet. Thankfully I have a Dyson, it’s ok! In the tins I put mixed colour poppy and Gypsophellia seeds.

For the Converse style planters they were a little tricky, I had to stuff compost hard towards the toes. In my garden I had some strawberry plants that were growing near my rain water-butt. they were starved of light there though, with is why the leaves look so pale, but I’m confident that they will grow just fine after some sunshine. Strawberries pouring out of shoes, love it already.

So there we have it, container planting the unconventional way. A few more ideas for you all…..

Can I suggest plastic pet bowls, cut or drill a small hole in the centre before filling up with compost and plant these with little bedding plants.
Clear glass jam jars, fill them with compost and place a bulb or two in them, wrap the neck of the bottle with garden wire, and then twist the ends into a hanging loop so you can suspend daffodils and crocuses from trees.
With normal plant pots of different sizes stack them into weird patterns. Start with a huge pot filled with good compost, then get a medium and small pot – place the medium pot on the surface of the soil and peg it down using bits of garden wire bent over like tent pegs, then fill this medium pot with compost, and repeat with the smallest pot. Plant it out using trailing plants and these look amazing.
Chipped teapots look great with nasturtiums growing from them. Most old crockery looks nice planted up, so search your charity shops.
Broken wheel barrows are great patios or even balconies in flats. Start by filling it with sand and gravel or pebbles to create a drainage layer, then pour in a few bags of compost or topsoil and add your own colour.

And finally, my new “pots” in place and ready to grow. I know the neighbours will think they are weird, but I like the unusual! After doing these planters I put some more lawn seed on my garden and mixed it down a little using a rake. Chickens are not good for lawns, but that’s a whole different topic.

This is a sponsored post, I was given the theme to write about. All words are my own, and I hope it inspires someone to have a go at planters themselves.