2 "pots" made out of chicken wire lined with window screen. One does not have hanging arms attached yet, I ran out of wire.

They are so cool! What a great idea

TYVM!

how bout sea shells...?

the white sand is just top dressing, I filled the shell with real substrate and the plants are just trimmings and sprout from leaves of graptupetalum, sedum, etc..

Oh I love that!!

Love the sea shell container Paula - does it have a hole in the bottom?

I have some killer clam shells that I was thinking of making into a fountain. Now I think they'd make great pots for sempervivums. I'm thinking they would need to have a few holes drilled for drainage or the watering would have to be very careful.

I got this thing hanging.


This is from last month but I don't think I put a pic of it here yet. A pallet-turned-planter for succulents that my husband & I made for my mom.

I'm really jealous of the pallet planter- I've wanted to do one of those for a long time..

Yes, I did drill a hole in the bottom of the shell which was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. I figured a masonry bit would go right through it- but no.. when that didn't work (which is crazy, becasue its basically what limestone is made of)- I make a small starter hole with a 1/8 tile bit, then enlarged it with the 3/8 masonry bit. You have to watch where you put the holes, because the empty shell balances on two points- the long tip and the widest part of the spiral, but once its full of dirt, the center of gravity shifts. The long tip comes off the surface, and it sits upright on only a single point at the widest portion. when you water it and the dirt gets heavy it shifts even farther, so I'm not sure the hole I drilled at the balance point when its dry and empty will be sufficient for drainage.. there's so little soil that I think a wet spot will be fine over time. I'll let you know how it goes.

and if you have a flaw in the top like I did, where I put a graptopetulum & additional cuttings, you have to make sure you fill and shake, fill and shake, then fill and shake 10 more times to insure you have a substrate that won't just fall further down the spiral over time

Paula, TYVM! My husband did everything up to the point where it was time to add plants, but I watched and I could have done it if he didn't. I'm sure you could too! He stapled window screen inside the front part, put boards on the back and side, and then a coat of paint, fill with soil when dry. The plants were all cuttings, so it was easy to add them through holes & slits poked & cut in the window screen.

I know its been a while, but ive got spring fever and was wondering what everyones been up to?

I also wanted to share these diamond hole saws from amazon. One of the biggest issues Ive had turning not-a-pots into planters is drainage, especially glass and ceramic. These are the best $10 i ever spent.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L92YM1A/
Its a Little fiddly to get started, you want two hands on the drill, and Make sure you keep them cool (with water) while drilling to increase longevity.

I plan to start container gardens later this week with shallow pools that are 4 and 6 feet diameter.
The blue isn't attractive, so I bought some low cost polyester light moss green fabric to rivet around as a skirt. When I run out, I'll use fabric sections of old clothes that I haven't worn for a while.
Go HERE The thread "Container Garden Ideas. Looking for Advice." in Containers forum
for more details.

I should take and post a pic when that last post above container is taken. It looks very professional and matches the surrounding landscape, if I must say so myself. It was so simple, cheap and if I can do it, you can too.

The second idea I might not do.
It's a deep, waist high water trough . 4 feet long. I don't have enough soil, so was going to fill it with wood from a tree that I'm removing soon. Why? To take up space. Lay heavy wire, then use my soil mix on top so the plants will see sunshine.
Benefits:
1) Free up storage space
2) Put an item with little utility to good use.
3) Won't have to bend over much at all! 😌
4) It'll keep Scruffy and the other pesky critters out. (Salad buffet for deer though)

I'm DYING to see it!

One of the things I use regularly when a pot is very big heavy or has questionable drainage is styrofoam from packaging. Using peanuts or breaking up Larger pieces is messy but worth it, much better than using stoned or gravel for drainage

What objects have been pressed into plant service lately? What's new out there, or status updates some oldies but goodies?

Lamp shades from discarded ceiling fan, window screen in the bottom to hold the dirt in.


I did not scroll back through but these are probably updates of previously shown pots.

We are cleaning our home becuase it's spring clean time. We found a bunch of extra pen holders with like wire and stuff. I plan to plant it with some of my "Fake strawberries" (i forgot the scientific name again) in it.


Edit: Update - They all died,,, welll, mostly, because they drained too fast. I am going to plant succulents instead.

An update on this pallet (from 5/8/18)

Cracked leaded glass for $2 at a yard sale... turn it upside down and viola- pot!



Not sure its gonna work, but I'm gonna try it

Love it! That is cool, you will make it work I am sure. Please show us when you get it planted.

Its a bit of a mess bc a lot of the glass is cracked, so I'll have to line it with something.. octagonal.. and I'm freaked out about managing the moisture in a V shape
.. but I'm gonna turn it out! Stay tuned...