Before you toss out that worn-out, old pair of shoes, or that rickety chair with the busted seat, take a look at them with a new pair of eyes — ones that see the creativity of recycling everyday objects into unique planters.
Virtually anything can be used as creative planters — bird baths, moss-lined wire baskets, boots, metal watering cans, wooden barrels, even wheelbarrows. Pretty much the only limitation is your own imagination.
This was the message given by Alisa Remer, volunteer assistant coordinator for the Master Gardener Program in Carter County, who spoke to a room full of gardeners recently in the Home and Community Education meeting room at Hardy Murphy Coliseum.
Remer has owned a landscape company for eight years, after getting her start in Ardmore at Wilkinson’s Nursery.
She spoke to budding gardeners at a “Lunch and Learn” program sponsored by the Busy HCE group about gardening ideas for the porch.
It’s easy to create eye-catching displays using the bright colors of fall flowers currently available at local nurseries, she said, and mentioned that containers don’t just have to be ceramic pots, and what they contain doesn’t have to be just flowers.
“There are so many plants available that can be used as container plants and grow well in garden beds, as well,” Remer said. “If you’re looking for something to put a plant in, as long as it drains well, you can put a plant in anything.”
Remer presented a slide show with photos showing a variety of ways containers can be used to beautify the landscape. Photos showed containers enhancing doors and windows, decorating a fence, even a stop sign. Groupings of pots can create depth and height, and even a series of boots on the steps of a ladder can be a conversation piece when used as a plant grouping.
Remer said container gardens can consist of flowers, veggies, herbs or all of them together.
“There are no limits, no boundaries,” she said. “To make a planter out of a chair, you take out the bottom, line it with chicken wire and sphagnum moss, then put in the soil and the plants. If you’re remodeling and you have an old window, sturdy it up and attach a window box. There are a lot of different ideas that a person can come up with if they just get creative.”
Remer had several examples of unusual containers, like an old, red boot filled with a fall grouping of plants and flowers, and a metal watering can with a similar arrangement.
She said the key to starting a container garden is to start with fresh soil instead of using leftover soil already in existing pots.
“A lot of times, soil loses its nutrients,” she said. “If you start with fresh soil, it’s a good base for a root system.”
And a person doesn’t even have to start with a ready-made container. Remer said to use half-inch or smaller chicken wire to form into a dish with high sides, and line it with moss that has been soaked. Then, follow with soil and fill with a variety of plants of different types and heights to create interest.
She said to use taller plants in the back as a focal point, flowers in the middle for a splash of color and trailing plants, ivy or herbs along the front. Begonias, daisies, even broccoli, oregano or moneywort are good container plants.
“There really is no rhyme or reason to how or what you plant,” she said. “It’s all about what looks good to you and what you like.”
One rule of using unorthodox containers is not to let plants overpower the container. Let the unusual item be the centerpiece and the plants and flowers be the “dressing.”
Remer even showed how a woman could use her husband’s old fishing net as a container garden, “but don’t admit to it, if he realizes it’s missing,” she said.
The net is used in much the same way as any other container. She said the best idea is to tie off the bottom of the net so it doesn’t hang too deep. Then, line it with moss and soil and plant away.
“Think first of where you want to put the arrangement,” Remer said. “Where am I going to have my talls, my droopies, my splash of color? Once you backfill it with the soil, the plants will be better able to soak up the moisture.
“Also, think about where you’re going to put your container. Is it going to get lots of sun? Is it going to get no sun at all?” she said. “One thing about having a container garden is you can change it out frequently. If you get tired of your red and orange, you can replace it with browns and purples.”
Container gardens provide lots of flexibility and can be cheaper because a gardener doesn’t have to buy as many plants as they would to fill a bed.
The versatility continues with color, as containers of all types can be painted as often as the seasons or moods of the gardeners change.
“They say with container gardens to fertilize every other week and that will give you full foliage all the time,” Remer said. “You water when the pots are dry 2 to 4 inches down into the soil.”
Remer reminded the group that there are plenty of books available that can be used as guides for what to plant or where to plant.
She said the OSU Extension Service also has a series of Fact Sheets that deal with different gardening issues.
