Unique Containers: Day 2 – ‘Trashy’ Containers

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What kind of containers do you have planted in your garden?

Are they terra-cotta, glazed or plastic?

Do you have any unique containers?

I like seeing plants that have been planted in unusual containers.  So this week, I will be sharing with you some of my favorites that I have seen on my travels throughout the United States.

Today’s unique container comes from Tennessee.

kitchen garden

‘Trashy’ containers

Have you ever seen a trash can used as a container for plants?

On a visit to the University of Tennessee Gardens, I visited their wonderful kitchen garden, which was filled with surprises and I came away inspired.

You can read more about my visit to these gardens and see some more pictures of these ‘trashy’ containers, here.

See you again tomorrow, when I’ll show you another unique planter that has 4 sets of tires.

Unique Containers: Day 1 – A Gift From Italy

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Do you like to container garden?

I do.  

I have annual flowers, herbs, succulents and vegetables growing in a variety of containers around my garden.

Containers are a great way to expand the boundaries of your garden.  Even if you don’t have any piece of earth to grow a plant in, you can create a garden in a pot.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw some beautiful containers at a client’s home.

The pots were from Italy

As you can see, they weren’t being used except to hold a child’s pool toy.

The pots were from Italy – Tuscany to be exact.

The pots had come from her husband’s restaurant, which had recently had their landscape redesigned and no longer needed the pots.  So, he brought the pots home where they have sat ever since.

My client mentioned that she was trying to get rid of them and did I know of anyone who would want them?

Are you kidding me?

Of course, I knew of someone who would want them….me!

Now, I just had to figure out how to get them to my house.  These pots were big and heavy.  But, I knew of at least two strong men who would maybe help me out.

beautiful containers

My husband and nephew were kind enough to come out on a very hot afternoon and help me out.

beautiful containers

The pots were quite heavy, but they were able to get them up into our truck bed with a little help from me.

beautiful containers

The pots were a little heavier than we expected, but finally we got all three up into the truck.

On the way home, we stopped by a Dairy Queen for ice cream sundaes and to cool off.

unique containers

I can’t believe that I didn’t have to pay anything for these pots, saving me hundreds of dollars.

Of course, I am so thankful for the generosity of my client. 

Now I just have to figure out what to plant in them.  I will be using them in my back garden, which I hope to re-design this winter.

What would you plant in them?  I’d love to hear your ideas…

Come back tomorrow, when I will begin sharing a week’s worth of unique containers that I hope you enjoy!

Unique Containers: Day 2 – ‘Trashy’ Containers

Southwest Plant Profile: Texas Sage

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Are you familiar with Texas sage, also referred to as Texas ranger?

If you live in the Southwest, you have undoubtedly seen these beautiful shrubs.

Texas Sage

Believe it or not, these purple flowering beauties are a fuss-free plant.

Unfortunately, some people over prune them…

purple flowering beauties

The one on the left has been pruned into a ‘ball’ while the one on the right hasn’t been pruned as severely.

Want to learn more about this native shrub and how to care for it properly?  Check out my latest plant profile for Houzz.com

 

Favorite DIY Posts – Day 7: Self-Watering Bottle For Containers

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Have you ever had to leave town for a few days and wanted to ensure that your potted plants don’t dry out?

Look no further than your wine cabinet…

water your potted plants

Glass bottles, like this empty wine bottle, can help water your potted plants for a couple of days.

water your potted plants

Create your own self-watering bottle

All you need is a clean glass bottle and water to create your own self-watering bottle.

water your potted plants

Create your own self-watering bottle

1. Water your potted plants well.

2.  Fill an empty glass bottle with water and cover the top with your thumb to keep the water from dripping out as you turn it upside down.

wine bottle into the soil

Create your own self-watering bottle

3. Insert the mouth of the wine bottle into the soil, about 2 inches deep.

That’s all there is to it!

wine bottle into the soil

As the soil dries, water will slowly seep into the soil from the bottle, essentially watering your potted plants for a couple of days.

*This can also be done to plants in the ground as well.

So, the next time you find yourself putting empty glass bottles in the recycle bin, keep out one or two to use to water your plants while you are away.  

Grow Vegetables in Pots!

Favorite DIY Posts – Day 6: Growing Vegetables in a Grocery Bag

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I enjoy growing vegetables in both my garden and in containers. While some of my containers are rather traditional, one of mine is not.

vegetables in a grocery bag

This was one of my favorite projects because it was an unexpected sight for visitors to my vegetable garden.

While you would expect to see leaf lettuce poking up from a grocery bag – you certainly don’t expect to see it growing inside of one.

This is a very simple DIY project, which are the kinds that I like best.

“What Am I Growing in a Grocery Bag?”

You can grow many different types of vegetables in a grocery bag.  Would you consider doing this in your own garden?

Favorite DIY Posts – Day 5: How to Dry Herbs

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I enjoy growing herbs for two reasons. First, they are easy to grow, and second, I love to use them when I cook.

dried herbs

In addition to fresh herbs, I also use dried herbs from time to time, especially in winter when some of my favorite herbs (basil) aren’t growing.

While drying herbs is rather simple, there are some guidelines to follow, which I wrote a blog post about…

“How to Grow and Dry Your Own Herbs”

Do you have a favorite herb that you like to use when you cook?

Favorite DIY Posts- Day 4: Freezing Herbs Into Ice Cubes

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Do you grow your own herbs? Did you know you can freeze herbs to preserve their flavor and use them all year round?

Freeze Herbs Into Ice Cubes

I frequently freeze my freshly-harvested herbs into ice cubes so that they are easily on hand, even when they are out of season.

“Freeze Herbs Into Ice Cubes”

Whenever I need them in my favorite dish, I simply pop out an ice cube from the freezer.

Favorite DIY Posts – Day 1: Natural Air-Fresheners

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I have spent the past few weeks indoors whenever possible avoiding the desert heat.  While I do venture outdoors occasionally to do consults and take a weekly tour of the garden to make sure everything is okay.

We did lose a small tree and some branches during a fierce monsoon storm over the weekend, but I was grateful for the rain and the cool temperatures that followed.

Last week, I showed you some of my favorite plant photos.  This week, I would like to share with you some of my favorite DIY blog posts, most of which you can do inside.  

Natural Air-Fresheners

One of my favorite DIY projects was creating natural air-fresheners.

I don’t know about you, but I do not like the heavy, artificial smells of air-freshener sprays – not to mention the idea of chemicals floating through the air.  So, the idea of making air-fresheners using  plants definitely appealed to me.

“DIY Create Natural Air Fresheners From the Garden”

I hope you are inspired to make you own!

Favorite Flower Photos: Day 5 – A Cloud of Yellow

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Yellow is a great color to include in the garden.

Why

Yellow-flowering plants will help the other colors in your garden to ‘pop’ visually because it provides great color contrast.

damianita plant

Damainita (Chrysactinia mexicana) 

One of my favorite yellow-flowering plants is damianita, which blooms in spring and again in fall.

damianita plant

It thrives in hot, sunny, desert gardens, is drought-tolerant and is almost maintenance-free.

I love how it looks like ‘yellow clouds’ sitting on the ground when in bloom.

For more information on damianita as well as a few other desert perennials that I like to use in desert landscapes, click here.

Favorite Flower Photo: Day 4 – Purple Profusion

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I love the color purple in the garden because the color, helps to visually ‘cool’ the garden.

'Rio Bravo' Sage (Leucophyllum langmaniae 'Rio Bravo')

‘Rio Bravo’ Sage (Leucophyllum langmaniae ‘Rio Bravo’) 

Have you ever wondered how some plants handle our hot temperatures and intense sunlight?

Look carefully at the flowers above.  Note the small hairs covering the petals?  They help to reflect the sun’s rays.

sage shrubs

I like using large shrubs to screen the back wall of my garden, so I have quite a few ‘Rio Bravo’ sage shrubs.

They put on a spectacular show off and on throughout the summer when they bloom.  (Leucophyllum langmaniae) is just one species of Leucophyllum (Texas Sage).

Of course, if you insist on pruning your sage shrubs into round ‘blobs’, you will never see the flower show.

For guidelines on how to prune your desert, flowering shrubs correctly, click here.

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