Frugal Gardening : Junk art to unusual planters

[Cindi]

I love people with great ideas, and thought I would join and share some of the clever things I have used in my garden;

I bought an old wrought iron door for $10.00 at a yardsale--removed the screen and spraypainted it with Rustoleum pain to inhibit further rusting. Then I "planted" it in a corner of our backtyard where nothing seems to really grow because of a neighbors bamboo (that has taken over my yard despite the fence--arghhhhhhhh). I situated it catty-corner and planted some climbing confederate jasmine that hides the bamboo that I clip off every few days.On the door I hang wreathes and welcome signs according to the seasons. It hides a lot and looks great.

I have also become a regular at a local pool building store and at the end of the season when they dispose of their tile samples I get a call to pick up boxes of them--all for FREE. Usually they are glued to a show board but I remove them, break them and make small mosaic stepping stones. The price is right and they are lovely.
An easy way to make stepping stones is digging a pit in your desired shape in a small "sand box" and laying the tiles in a pattern FACE DOWN, then I pour quick mix concrete over the tiles, shells and whatever else I have used and wait for it to set up. When its dry I lift it out and flip it over and my stone is complete--very rough looking but weathers nicely.
I have also cast a small bird bath using quick crete and my daughters bottom (at the time she was 1). I used vaseline so the lime in the concrete wouldnt irritate her skin and sat her into the concrete---that was 6 years ago and it is propably my favorite piece because it reminds me of how much she has grown.


Anyways, just wanted to say HI and offer some of my favorite ideas.

[Ads]

[elixirbeth]

My Ma uses old chairs that should have been recaned. (You know, the ones where the wicker seat has fallen through).

[jennjitsu]

I'm using a drawer that fell out of my daughters changing table. It made me miserable when it was in a normal place, now it brings happiness in a not-so-normal place!

Also I have this old stock pot that I'd like to use for a planter after I drill some drainage holes in the bottom.

[Dream of Stars]

I found an old coat rack that someone was throwing out and had the idea to put it in the garden and hang birdfeeders and hanging plants on it!

[pudding]

My dad just bought a new barbeque and instead of throwing the old one out he is using the rusty frame as a feature in his garden. He's going to grow some sort of climber over it.

[princesshammerhead]

I love to re-cycle things for my yard! You can see some of it here:

http://princesshammerhead.blogspot.com

-PHH

[Lainie]

My grandpa welded my mother a really cool trellis/pot hanger out of old tractor parts. I wish I had a picture of it... It is soooo cool.

We also pick rocks off the sides of the gravel roads, for edges along the beds, and Mom's neverending idea of winding pathways through the yard. It's turning out pretty neat, since they've all got their own little bit of character.

[princesshammerhead]

My two latest projects are: An old bed frame sunk into the ground to create a 'flower bed' and a stove with the door open to create the 'open range' The 'open range' idea I saw when i was in Kansas with my husband on a long haul trip. Right out in the middle of no where was this stove, with the door open and a sign proclaiming 'open range' I laughed. Smiles are good. -PHH

[TeriH]

I love the flower bed and open range idea, brilliant.

My mom has my brother's old peddle car. It's blue with a little rust now but it looks so cute filled with salvias and petunias.

I have a couple of the halloween cauldrons planted up too, also I have a mirror on the wall with a wooden cross frame to look like a window. I planted a window box up underneath it.

[quornflour]

There is a house near work that has an old gas grill as a planter...