Beehivey Ribbed Planter Makeover

The Freestyle Find

Those who (successfully) garden indoors eventually face the dilemma of plants that outgrow their pots.  At first the solution is obvious, just get a bigger pot, and for pots below the 6-7-inch diameter range this usually isn't too expensive.  The Swedish superstore has a wide variety, and I'm an owner of various sizes of PAPAJA and MUSKOT-series plant pots.  However, larger and larger ceramics also get heavier and heavier (especially when filled with associated plant material) so at some point it makes weight-sense to switch to some type of plastic outer pot. The problem I have is that lots of plastic pots are ugly and so very plastic-looking and more expensive than the $0 I want to spend on plastic.  Lucky for me I came across this planter that was free, large, and interestingly-shaped-but-ugly-color and thus was crying out for a makeover.  I washed it in the tub and after it dried I got to work painting, and oops I forgot to take a full-size 'before' picture.

Pea green plastic planter close-up view

The Makeover

I knew right away that the makeover for this plastic cachepot would be simple and quick, transform the stained pea-green exterior with some matte white paint so that the planter would blend in with my existing collection.  This process started with some primer (this gallon of primer just keeps on giving, I've been using it for 5 years now).....

In-progress, applying primer to plastic

....and the process continued with some **free** paint+primer in the form of a quarter-full can that I received from a neighbor, the color was Behr Ultra Pure White 2050 in Interior Eggshell Enamel. I'm wasn't sure what sort of sheen 'eggshell enamel' would have, because eggshell sounds 'not-shiny' and enamel sounds 'shiny'.  All coatings were applied with a low quality chip brush.

Paint can in front of the painted planter

Conclusion

The final result of the multiple coats was a lovely matte white color that shows off the cool ribbed texture while serving as a backdrop for a tall dark green Sansevieria plant (aka Snake Plant).  This might not be the last plastic cachepot that gets this paint treatment.

A closer view of the painted planter.

Below is a full-length view of the Sansevieria in its new home.  The contrast of the bulbous beehive-shape planter with the strong vertical lines of the plant is just what I was hoping for.

Sansevieria plant in a new home.

Happy freestyling, if the item is free why not paint it?  Give it a go.

Garden of freestyle delights - removable mini-shelf for a fence

 The Idea For the Mini-Shelf

It is always nice to have a proper spot to place a drink, or in these days, a cell phone.  The proper place is not the floor, especially on a patio or other outdoor place, and sometimes putting a drink on your own chair or lap can be ... dicey. The proper answer is stable shelf or side table, something that was lacking within arm's reach of one patio chair nestled into a corner.  So, given my quantity of scrapwood, I thought about how to make a shelf that would fit into the fence, but not require being fastened to the fence with nails or screws.

Pile of scrapwood, aka inspiration material

The Prototype

The fence has alternating vertical pieces,  these vertical pieces are fastened to horizontal wood pieces running parallel to the ground.  One of the horizontal pieces is approximately 3 ft above the bottom of the fence, making it the perfect height for a mini shelf.  I came up with a T-shaped design for the shelf, with the bottom support provided by a small block of wood.

Mini-shelf, top view.

In the picture ABOVE you can see how the narrow side arms of the 'T' shape had to be no thicker (when laid horizontally) than the space between the  vertical fence posts, which is roughly equal to the thickness of a 2x4.   The screw near the top is what held the small supporting block on the base. In the picture BELOW you can see the nail from the bottom of the shelf, on this prototype the small supporting block of wood split in half when I screwed through it - which is actually kind of helpful for showing the cross-section here.

Mini-shelf, bottom-view.

The IMPORTANT part was that my idea worked! The shelf laid flat and stayed put by being braced between the vertical fence posts and was held level by the lower small block.

Mini-shelf, side-view. 

Conclusion

After finalizing the measurements on the prototype mini-shelf I made another version of the shelf, with slightly neater cuts and maybe even some sanding to smooth the edges.  I then used a stencil to apply a purple floral mandala-type design.  After the paint was dry I coated the entire mini-shelf piece with polyurethane for protection from the elements.

Completed mini-shelf

You can see that this mini-shelf is the perfect size to hold a drink, a phone, or as one might expect in a patio space -- some gardening supplies.

Completed mini-shelf holding pruning scissors and twine.

Happy freestyling, prototyping, and gardening!

Garden of freestyle delights - rusted metal plant stand makes a comeback in glossy black

The Find

Perhaps you can guess, but I don't even remember where I got this oddly shaped metal thing, some trash pile somewhere. It was a bit rusty, still solid (no breaks in the metal), and lightweight enough to carry easily. Naturally I took it home with me to see if it was what I thought it was.  Also, really, I just thought the shape was cool.

Found: metal thing

Take a closer look and you can see that the metal had some significant rusty bits.  Luckily it seemed like all surface rust, nothing significant.

Closeup of some rust

The Makeover

My initial thought was that the rounded ends of the metal would be a good fit under the lip of one of the standard pottery sizes.  I tested it on an adobe pot that I already had on hand, perfect fit!

Proof! Metal thing fits a planter, perfectly

After determining that the metal would indeed serve as a plant stand, I decided upon a course of action. These courses of action are usually pretty simple: clean (sand), spray paint, use.

Spray painting on some new glossy black

Conclusion

Now this once-forlorn and abandoned piece of metal has a new modish life as a plant stand.  In this case as a plant stand for a freestyled planter (once gray, now painted white) holding a lovely lush fern -- perfect as an air cleaner in a shady home.

Final product: Glossy black metal plant stand

Happy freestyle gardening and creating in whatever direction the freestyle path takes you!

Garden of freestyle delights - a round hayrack planter meets some hot pink mini chrysanthemums

The Find

While out and about for a walk I came across this tempting pile of garden giveaways. So neatly stacked up! Can you spot the black metal wire planter in the left stack? I took a few other things too...

Discarded garden supplies

The Fix

The round metal basket was very much in keeping with the style of some other finds and purchases sprinkled through the garden, including the first and second metal hayrack planters I found this summer.

I had to buy a slightly oversized coir insert because the superstore didn't have one that was an exact fit. I figured I could just fold in any excess, and I was right.

Conclusion

Wire metal planter with coir insert and
hot pink mums.

One pot of dark pink mums was just the right size to fit inside of this freestyle find.

Happy freestyling, and don't be afraid to spend a few bucks to make that find beautiful!

Garden of freestyle delights - A cracked pot repair

The Find

A while ago I found this pot that was not just cracked, but also had a hole near the top.  

I took it anyway. 

Because free. Because planter. 

Broken unglazed pot

The Fix

In the same way that I fixed this large round pot with large cracks and this glazed green pot with multi-directional cracks, I decided to trust the fix to some 2-part epoxy.  I don't have a special applicator, I just used some small pieces of cardboard to mix the epoxy and then smear it on both sides of the crack.

Broken pot with epoxy applied

After I had applied the epoxy I let it dry and then got ambitious and wanted to scrap off some of the excess.  This caused the disturbed parts to turn white, normally the epoxy will dry clear, so I learned something new there.  Don't disturb the epoxy after it has started to dry!

Broken pot with disturbed epoxy, dried 

Although the cracks wind around quite a bit of the pot, they can still be hidden by turning the cracked side to the back.

Conclusion

I got some lovely hot pink snapdragons and decided they were the right scale of plant to use in this pot.  In order to prevent dirt from spilling out the hole I partially filled the pot with dirt, then placed a broken piece of pottery (found some months ago) on the inside of the pot, then added some more potting soil and the plant.

Snapdragons!

In order to prevent dirt from spilling out the hole I partially filled the pot with dirt, then placed a broken piece of pottery (found some months ago) on the inside of the pot, then added some more potting soil and the plant.

Potting soil and hole-blocking ceramic shard

From the side it looks like the broken pottery insert, although not a perfectly flush fit against the inside of the pot, it is blocking the dirt as intended.

Ceramic shard blocking hole, outside view

After I finished potting up the snapdragons everything looked great!  I didn't mind a bit of the epoxy showing, none of us are perfect.

Snapdragons in a newly repaired pot

Happy freestyling, don't be afraid to scavenge something and make it beautiful.

Garden of freestyle delights - a SECOND metal hayrack planter appears in the night

 The Find

While out for a walk one night I came across a surprising find, a metal hayrack planter (complete with coir liner, dirt, and some plants that looked relatively healthy).  Why was this surprising, at this point I shouldn't be surprised by anything left out on the sidewalk.  At the time it seemed like the garden-related giveaways and clean outs had slowed down, so perhaps that was the reason for surprise. 

Discarded hay rack planter

I didn't take it with me right away, but waited until I was on the way back and near the end of my walk. It is always a risk to walk away from something left out for free, but luckily no one had scooped it up while I was finishing taking my exercise.  I decided to get rid of the existing dirt and plants because I knew right away that I would be putting something new and colorful in this planter.  I had found my first metal hay rack planter in early spring and loved the classic style.  I had thought about buying more hay racks but ended up buying two metal baskets because they were the only things in stock when we went to the superstore garden center.  Don't get me wrong, I like the look of the baskets, but in a small space the hay racks are a better fit up against a fence to give maximum plant frontage.

Here is the outer metal-only part of the hay rack planter without the liner. You can see that there are attachments in the back if you want to hang the planter on screws or hooks. I didn't do that, I went an even easier route.

Metal hay rack outer part

The Hay Rack Makeover

I hung up the planter with some repurposed cording that had previously been used to hang up a set of individual plastic planters arranged in a pleasing geometry.  This bit of fence has seen quite a few different planting arrangements over the summer.  I planted some bright yellow mums to tie into the patio table color and some small Angelonia plants with purple flowers to carry over the purple from the neighboring hay rack planter full of purple petunias.

Hayrack planter with mums, angelonias, and petunias

Conclusion

I love the second hay rack planter, even though the metal frame has a different design from the first one I found.  Not-matching is pretty much par for the course when you get your gardening supplies for free!  I think the $1 yellow mums appeared in my world at just the right time too. I bought 5 pots of yellow mums for $5, and good thing that I did because that offer was gone within a week. 

Here are the two hay racks along the fence.  The original hay rack was planted with purple petunias, some of which are now long enough that I was able to drape them around the edge of the second planter.

The fence in all its planterly glory

Happy freestyling, and always think about donating before discarding!

Garden of Freestyle Delights - Ornamental Ginger While Out for a Walk

The Find: Free Ornamental Ginger

While out for an evening walk I came across a very exciting sign in someone's yard next to the side of the road.  It said, " FREE ................. ORNAMENTAL GINGER" and there was a plastic bag with pieces of root inside.  I even took a picture for posterity.

Free ornamental ginger root, with sign

I let the root sit around for a few days until I acquired another set a free planters.  Spring is a good time for getting unwanted plastic (or broken ceramic) planters.

Stack of free plastic plant pots

Growing Ornamental Ginger

I planted the ornamental ginger in some potting soil, unsure if it would every sprout. Had I ignored it for too long? Had I planted it too shallow? Would it rot instead of revive? These are the doubts that plague a gardener. 

But plants can surprise you with their hardiness, at least this ornamental ginger root cutting did. 

First ornamental ginger sprout

 

And then it got a little taller....

Ornamental ginger sprout approximately 4inches tall

And then it got this tall and has stayed like that for a while!  I'm still waiting on flowers though...

Ornamental ginger co-planted with an impulse purchase clematis

In addition to the vertical growth (a.k. the plant's "habit" in the parlance of the horticultural world) I like the slight striping (variegation) of the leaves, which is visible in the photo below.

Slightly variegated ornamental ginger plant leaf

Conclusion

When taking plant cuttings or roots, be aware of the risk of spreading invasive species or pests.  In this case the root cuttings were from the same neighborhood, and I was planning to grow the plant in an isolated container on a patio - not in the ground.  I'm not sure whether this plant would get taller if it were planted in the ground and could develop deeper roots, but that is not something I can experiment with right now!

Happy freestyle gardening, don't be afraid to scavenge for beauty!

Garden of freestyle delights - (another) scrap wood planter and a painting experiment

Upcycled Scrapwood into Painted Planter

When life gives you scrap wood, make scrap wood planters!  That has been my motto lately, and it has been fun to see what can be created out of a few leftovers by making as few cuts as possible.  The picture below is the bottom of the assembled planter while I was completing the last construction step -- drilling drainage holes into it. It's definitely made of leftover pieces, you can see someone else's pencil marks.

For this scrap wood planter I decided to try painting the outside with some really cheap poster paint.  The paint CLEARLY SAYS it is water-soluble, so I did not expect my paintings on the wood to last very long past the next rainstorm. But I was also curious about how much paint would sink into the wood and how long it might persist while living outside in the elements.

Here is the assembled planter before any painting.

I looked for some Art Deco inspiration, in the very loosest sense, and found a butterfly and a lotus - both of which seem like appropriate themes for garden art.  I have near-zero decorative painting skills, but this seemed like a good place to play around and try something new.

Painted Planter Results

I had 6 colors of the poster paint but didn't try to use them all, in this case simple was the goal.  

Below is the first side, painting inspired by an Art Deco jewelry piece I saw online.

Below is the side that I painted with a lotus-inspired design. Van Gogh I am not, nor Monet.

Conclusion

Lucky for this scrap wood planter painting experiment there was a rain event the very same night that I painted this planter and planted it with some scallions. (Yes, those are scallions purchased from the grocery store for 99 cents per bunch that I replanted in the garden.) The photos below shows how much washed away in that first rain event, just hours after the paint had dried.

Since the paint fades so quickly I wonder if this could be a technique to use if someone wanted to quickly create a 'weathered' look along new wood (it would be someone who had poster paint, but not other traditional aging washes like nails soaked in vinegar).  You could maybe use a mix of white, gray, brown, and black paint applications to mimic varied textures, let it sink into the wood and dry, and then wash the wood.  I have no idea if that would look reasonable or like a decrepit art project from some long-ago children's art attempt. 

This was a fun project, and all for the cost of a few screws and some $2 bottles of poster paint.  

Happy freestyle-garden-ing!

Garden of freestyle delights - Scrap wood tomato planter

Garden of freestyle delights

When you see a pile of scrap wood...

Does your mind automatically start calculating how big of a rectangle-ish box you could make? 

Seeing how pieces could be cut up, fit together, drilled through, and screwed into to make yet another thing that can hold dirt?

Well my mind was VERY MUCH in that space this spring when I had the urge to setup a patio garden space and try my hand at growing cherry tomatoes again. It's probably been a decade, but there is never a bad time to return to vegetable gardening!

The wood

There was a pile of wood that was sitting abandoned for a while, which upon closer inspection turned out to be the remnants of a table. Some of the pieces had this lovely dappled silver pattern from the weathering.

Close-up of weathered wood

I have no idea if the wood was deliberately stained grey or if that was a reaction from being left outside. Either way, beautiful! 

Once we got all the pieces to the workspace the design of the planter started to come together a bit more, but first I had to take some pieces apart.  You can see the metal attachment plates for table legs in the picture below.

Scrap wood from abandoned table

Luckily I didn't have to try to pry these off with my bare hands, I had a few tools available at this point. The power drill was essential in deconstructing any unwanted parts and then building the planter with the L-brackets that I bought from the hardware store.

Saw, drill, and L-brackets

The planter

It is much easier to hold pieces in the proper alignment and screw them together with two people, so I'm glad I had a friend to help with this job.  There aren't any pictures of the sawing wood or actually screwing the pieces together with L-brackets, but here is what the basic box looked like when it was done.

Rectangular planter made from scrap wood

In case you are wondering, there is a reason the back wood cross-piece is longer than the front. Aside from trying to minimize the amount of hand-sawing needed for this project I wanted extra space to attached a trellis at some future point since my plan was to grow cherry tomatoes.

Below is a closeup of the end, you can see the L-brackets are on the outside here, because the inner space was simply too small to fit the drill.  You can also see that the front wood had bowed a bit, which is ok because this is a planter.

Planter end with visible L-brackets

From this top view you can see the L-brackets that were used on the inside of the planter box so that they wouldn't show from the font.  You can also see the drainage holes I drilled in the bottom using the largest available drill bit. Always always always consider the drainage!

Planter from above with drainage holes visible

Part of thinking about drainage is looking at where your planter will be sitting. If a planter has drainage holes but is sitting on another surface that traps water then the situation can encourage mold or algae growth.  Similarly, a planter sitting on a wooden surface can trap moisture on top of the wood deck lead to unwanted effects.  So just like drainage, it is also important to consider ventilation and air flow.  In this case I proper up the planter a few inches on some ceramic feet that I had found in a give-away pile.

Scrap wood planter sitting on clay feet for elevation

There were only 3 ceramic feet so I had to space them carefully, but they held up to the weight just fine!  After getting the planter elevated and in the right position all that was left was to fill it with dirt and four tiny tomato seedlings.  For the cherry tomatoes I was limited to what was still available at the hardware store, and ultimately ended up with three 'supersweet 100 hybrid' strains and one 'black cherry tomato' strain.

Scrap wood planter with tomato seedlings

You'll notice in the above picture that there are peppers and rosemary plants attached to the railing above the cherry tomatoes.  I knew while building the tomato planter box that this garden arrangement would have to shift, and eventually I'd need to add a trellis or some sort of support for the tomatoes because I wanted to do string training.  An excellent description of why and how to do string training for tomatoes is available on this website.  Stay tuned for trellis and string-training updates in another post.

Conclusions

Rome wasn't built in a day, your garden doesn't have to be either.  In creating this freestyle garden the goal was to spend as little money (preferably no money) on large heavy objects like planters that won't be making the next move (whenever that happens).  This means keeping an eye out for free scrap wood, free ceramics whether large, medium, or small, and especially free plastic planters (way easier to carry than large pieces of wood).  See the potential!

Happy freestyling!

Garden of freestyle delights - metal hay rack planter

The Find

On a perfect spring evening I was out for a neighborhood walk and I can across a freestyle gardener's delight -- a bunch of freebies from someone who was clearly a serious gardener laid out on a lovely sweep of manicured lawn.

So much potential

Part of me wanted to take it all, the grabby decorator crab part of me.  However, as I only had two hands and was for some silly reason already carrying a water bottle I had to limit myself. Treasure number one was obviously the metal trough (perfect for a fence!).  For treasure number two I was torn between the branch saw and some hedge clippers.  Since I don't have to maintain any trees around here I went with the hedge clippers since they were smaller (although probably heavier).

Metal + Coir = Lovely

These are the treasures after I got them home. There is a LOT of rust on those hedge clippers, which I still haven't cleaned off, but the main hinge still works and the handles are in good shape, so maybe I'll just leave that protective rust layer on the blades until I find I have a need to use them.  Anyway, the metal trough-looking thing is also known as a 'hay rack' or 'hayrack' planter because it looks like what you use to hold hay inside of a horse's stall.

Hayrack planter and hedge clippers

My friend was at first skeptical of this particular find (how do you hold the plants?).  But I explained that there were special liners for sale at the local hardware store and that this classic style would look luscious, but not messy, with trailing plants covering up the rusted spots.  So off I went to find a suitable sized liner made of coir (aka coconut fiber).  Lucky for me the local hardware store had one in just the right size.

Planter and liner sitting pretty on a freestyle chair

Conclusion

I didn't want to drill holes through the fence, so instead I used some strong rope to hang the metal part from the top of the fence planks.  Then I placed the coir liner, filled it with potting soil, and added small wave petunia plants in shades of purple. I think the petunias were in 4" pots, I used three or four here.

Planted petunias 

Wave petunias are great for their repeated flowering and cascading 'wave' growth pattern, so I expected that it wouldn't take too long for them to grow over the front of the coir liner and soften the edge a bit.

The deep purple color is really lovely, here is a close-up in shot I took using a clip-on macro lens that fits over my cell phone camera.

Petunia center

Happy freestyling!