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.

Cross-Country Caladium Caper

Caladium Acquisition & Transport

While visiting some friends with a sub-tropical outdoor garden the discussion turned to....plants. Naturally.  They generously agreed to let me take some cuttings home for my own container garden, but the only catch was that I'd have to take them on an airplane.  This might sound tricky but it's actually not, as long as you are flying within the lower 48 states.  I didn't have a hard-sided box, so we dug up some of the Caladium plants and wrapped the roots in damp paper towels, then put the plants into large plastic bags with the tops slightly open.

Here are the Caladium cuttings prepped for transport in their plastic bags.

When on the airplane I carefully placed the plastic bags on top of my backpack in the space under the seat in front of me.  This worked just fine for a short flight.

Post-Transport Plant Results

The plants survived with no damage to the leaves and stems.  Lucky!

I prepped a few cleaned out yogurt containers to serve as planters by cutting a series of triangles out of the base.  These were then stacked inside of another yogurt container to serve as a cachepot.

Caladium Conclusion

The final transplanted Caladiums in their new freestyle homes!

Happy freestyling, and don't be afraid to try something new in your container garden!

How to make a plant pot out of a yogurt container

When practicing freestyle and gardening you never know what type of potential cachepot is going to come your way.  It could be ceramics, baskets, odd-shaped metal containers or even shoes, who knows. But if you want to turn something into a plant-holder there are a few essentials to consider, ok, really one essential, and that is water management. 

How will you provide drainage for the plant and prevent leakage? In my case the solution is through the reuse of plastic containers - one with holes added and one without holes.  Read on to see more.

Going bananas

It just so happens that in addition to furniture I also come across discarded plants from time to time.
Sometimes they are in a planter, sometimes just in their own little dirt pile in a plastic bag - hoping to be rescued.
Last month I came across this monstrous dwarf banana plant, which I suspect is originally from the scandi-superstore.

 It was large, the photo doesn't really do it justice, but luckily the fronds are flexible and it made it to my balcony without shredding the leaves up too much.  Another friend had called dibs on it as soon as they saw the photo, so a month later the discarded banana found a new home.
First it had to survive a rather undignified car ride.....

But now it's found a happy sunny corner with lots of room to spread out. 

plants and books and plants and books...

As a bonus it sits on top of another freestyle find - a glass and metal coffee table.
Happy freestyling!

Polluter to purifier - part 2

Regular readers may remember the first polluter to air purifier post, where I converted an old wax-in-glass candle into a planter.  That particular find actually came with two discarded candles, and here is the story for the small white glass cylinder.

The finding...

The cleaning...

And after I had re-potted a spiky little aloe into the glass.
 Note: When planting succulents in containers without drainage holes you have to be very conscious about NOT overwatering them.

So there you have it, two different wax-filled glass candles, saved from the garbage dump and given new life as planters.

Happy freestyling and gardening in whatever space you have.

Passion flower vine progression

I was seduced by a photo.

It was something I'd only seen once before, at a famous botanical garden, but never found the name.

The passion flower.

Sigh.

Not familiar with the plant family Passifloraceae? 

Look it up, you'll understand.

In the spring I received a gardening catalog addressed to a former roommate.  While idly flipping through the pages I saw it, the passion flower vine, for sale.

Thus began my first foray in purchasing plants from a catalog.

The vine survived over the summer on our balcony. Through my absences while it was casually cared for by roommates, through the beating sun and car pollution, in spite of a small container and less than optimal drainage, it survived. 

I saw buds for those magnificent flowers form, but they never opened.

Sigh.

So what to do with the passion flower vine at the end of autumn? It would not survive the winter outdoors.  I reused a larger plastic container for repotting and put that into a prettier freestyle green plastic planter.

 It looked kind of spindly and sad. No fit state for a passion flower vine.

Then I remembered the two bamboo poles I bought at a garden center over the summer for no particular reason other than that they were cheap and seemed potentially useful...

Ta da!

a little peppier

I placed the dark red sticks (leftover from found orchids) in the soil and attached them to the bamboo poles to act as anchors.

I reused the orchid accessories to tie the vine up, including the small green clip shown below.

We'll see if the passion flower vine likes its new indoor home. 

Will there be a winter passion flower? Time will tell.

Happy gardening.

Fern curiosity

How long can a fern grow in the same pot and be happy? Apparently quite a while.

This common Nephrolepsis species had been growing for at least 2 years in this medium size ceramic pot. It had been sitting near a south-facing window in a climate-controlled environment for most of that time and was looking pretty lush.

Channeling the hair-spirit of Sideshow Bob?

 The fern fronds seemed happy, but I wasn't sure how much longer I should wait before splitting the plant seeing as how the roots were growing abundantly outside the pot.

reaching for it

As fate would have it I came across an extra planter just waiting for a new friend, time to split and repot the fern!

This is what it looked like when it came out of the pot. Hardly any soil fell away because it was so caught up in the roots. Very impressive.

Bonus close-up show of the root ball.

 After quality time with a sharp knife and some new potting soil the fern was split and I had two containers of air cleaning plants instead of 1.  The white ceramic pot went back to its old spot since I know the fern will continue to be happy there. The cutting was planted in a black plastic pot that had once held some mums (not very pretty). That black plastic pot now sits inside another plastic planter (light green, slightly prettier, and yes, it is a freestyle find).

getting used to the new digs

The new plant needs a bit of time to grow new fronds before it is large enough to balance out the proportions of this planter.  Given the growth history of this fern I've got no worries that it will settle in and get down to growing and air cleaning.  

Curious about what plants you can easily grow in your home to improve air quality and reduce common household air pollutants? Check out How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 House Plants that Purify Your Home or Office by Dr. B.C. Wolverton, formerly of NASA. I found a copy online for a few dollars and have found it to be clear, informative, and a good resource for recommending which plants will do best in different parts of the home.  It doesn't include every possible house plant on the market, but if you are new to growing houseplants it might be just the thing for you get started. Maybe fresher air in your home is a good goal for the new year?

Happy gardening!

Free planters inspired some NQF gardening fun

yellow and purple mums, rockin' out

Plastic tubs, that is really all they are. Plastic tubs with holes in the bottom, and another plastic tub to catch the water so that everything looks tidy. So simple, so wonderful, and even more so when I found three adobe colored plastic planters on the loading dock in late summer, with the right dimensions for our balcony.  After a little bit of a wash, and a few weeks sitting on the porch (I was busy, it happens) the planters were ready for some action. But what to plant?  Late September is probably too late for edibles, although who knows what the weather will be like throughout autumn.  I was finally struck by the gardening inspiration spirit when I passed a rack of mums at the hardware store.

After two trips to the store, involving 8 mum plants, 10qt of potting soil, then another really heavy bag of potting soil I was well supplied to create my autumn garden.

You can see the mums arranged on the balcony, beautifying the world. 

Happy freestyling, and when life hands you planters, make a garden!

Prettifying a past porch

This is a post about an old apartment, one with a balcony that was hardly ever used because there was no place to sit and it was filled with odds and ends.Or at least there was no place to sit until someone found chairs for free and decided to bring them to the balcony as part of the great balcony cleanup. The great balcony cleanup didn't think to take a before-before photo, so just use your imagination.

Here is the balcony after getting some sweeping action and free furniture.

Better-ish, you could sit comfortably, yet something was clearly missing from this space.

 Bringing in a bromeliad and a geranium helped bring a little bit of summer greenery and softness into this otherwise very harsh angular space.

Not a stunning before-and-after by any stretch. The space could have been further improved by a colorful rug, matching chairs (or matching chair covers), and of course more plants with a trellis, but the chairs and shelf were free. That's the point, it doesn't have to be perfect to be a huge improvement over what came before!

Happy freestyling - don't forget to go outside and enjoy a greenspace today.

Summer plant giveaway, to anonymous receipients

Apparently part of growing plants successfully is wanting to give the offshoots away, at least for me.

I enjoy seeing things take root, go to a new home, and inspire someone to be happier and healthier in life with their new bit of greenery.  In that spirit here are some of the small plants I've given away this summer, all propagated from existing stock. Maybe this will inspire someone to try their hand at growing an easy houseplant, start with pothos or a Sansevieria and go from there.

 The pothos that keeps on giving.

Check out those roots after this cutting spent almost two months in nothing but a glass of water.

Impressive!

Giving away a sextet of succulents... sort of.

Left column from top to bottom: Sansevieria 1 & 2 (champion houseplant), bromeliad pup. Right column: aloe x2, some sort of succulent, other sort of succulent.

  

Depending on how you count there are at least six different succulent plants here, so I stand by my alliteration. I put these plants out for anyone to take at an office - when I went back to check about 2 hours later they were gone. I think that means people need more green in their life, definitely in their offices.

Happy freestyling, and wherever you can, grow a garden.