Sunday, June 2, 2013

Planter-ing

I'm taking the lazy minimalist approach to outdoor flower gardening this year.  I received a wonderful double impatiens basket from my daughter for Mother's Day that sits on the front porch (more of a stoop, really). The red and white blossoms look like peppermints.  Porch flowers = done.

Then I picked up a couple hanging baskets of impatiens for the backyard and some begonias for the planter barrel.  Otherwise, I'm just moving existing stuff around in the flower bed.  The hostas needed dividing so I started a ring of them under one of the big pines, and other things which had migrated from their original spots were relocated.  I had tried bringing a potted geranium indoors over winter and almost killed it, but now that I've put it out on the deck again, it's coming back like Lazarus.  Yesterday, I poked a slip of coleus into the dirt of the same pot, which I'd had rooting in water for six months.  We'll see how that fares.

Apparently, there wasn't enough dirt under my fingernails just yet, so I turned my attention to indoor gardening.  While browsing the greenhouse at Walmart, a low light variety of indoor plant caught my eye.  Our house is fairly well shaded, so low light is the key phrase.

I decided to pot it in a vintage Red Wing planter.  Found this one at an estate sale several years ago.  Clean as a whistle and just like new.  Figured it was time for it to realize its full planter potential.

First, a inch or so layer of rocks for drainage (river stones from the dollar store).

Good potting soil + plant. 

Then a bit of moss for mulch (also dollar store).  Ta-da!

If you frequent the thrifts, garage sales, or flea markets this summer, you will almost certainly find planters.  I don't buy as many figural ones as floral ware, though I have a few.  This cute piggy planter came from Mary last year.  (Squeal!)

They're handy for all sorts of things (like holding old photos I need to scan and return to my sister).


If you want more fun vintage planter ideas, Van at Thriftcore has several posts which are sure to inspire, here, here, and here.

7 comments:

Vicki @ DottyJane said...

That's one cute little piggie:)

Shay said...

Damn...your post just reminded me that I wanted to plant my bulbs yesterday (and completely forgot )

Sounds like Spring has arrived at your place with a vengeance with all this mad planting/ gardening type stuff going on.

Sarah Craig said...

That little piggy is so darn cute!!

Karen said...

I have not seen a redwing planter before! It is so great! I too have limited my planting this year by potting jalapeno peppers and herbs on my stoop. Rosemary is in my 2 gallon redwing crock :)

Elizabeth said...

I love your planters. That Red Wing is amazingly beautiful and I love the plant you put in it. I have a couple of indoor plants. I keep adding things to them, but the pots are so big that my new plants don't get enough water (I water from trays at the bottom) and they die. The older, established ones don't need that much water and I forget to go back in between waterings to give the new plants a top-off. (<-talk about a long-winded and a bit self absorbed comment)

Again, your planters are so pretty and so much fun.

xo -E

Michelle said...

I am a wee bit envious of all the "plastering" going on at your house! I keep having the urge to plant some petunias in the dirt in front of my apartment. I don't know how they'd fare when the landscapers showed up though, and like I need one more thing to do! If I had time to plant petunias, I'd quilt!

MomWaldsPlace said...

Thank you for sharing your planters. There is a dearth of them in our area right now, and I am having withdrawal symptoms. Imagine, using a planter as a planter!