Creative Gardening Planters with Children Toys

This dump truck was a gift to my great-grandnephew on his first birthday. The wheels don't turn well and he hasn't played with it much. Was going to put it in the recycle bin when I noticed the hole at the bottom where the bed fit into the chassis. Hmmm, that looks like a drainage hole...hey, light bulb! The bed was deep enough to hold a shallow-rooted plant, so I moved this Mouse Ears Hosta from its original container to try it out. Kind of cute, don't you think?

After 30 years of living alone, I now have toddlers sharing my home, which has opened up a whole new world of perception. The truck came from the dollar store, and I am sure there are many other inexpensive children's toys that could be adapted for use as planters with just a little imagination.



I discovered after the fact that if the toy has moving parts, as in the case of this dump truck bed, you should probably secure it down first before adding soil and plants.