Go potty with your DIY planters
From wheelbarrows to wellingtons – just let your imagination run wild and create quirky containers for some glorious displays
Whether it’s for those little items such as plant labels, pots or bags of moss to line hanging baskets, it’s second nature for us to be able to pop along to local garden centres, nurseries or DIY stores. But with that now not an option – and, worst of all, with spring being the busiest time of year in the garden – we face a dilemma.
True, products are still available from mail-order suppliers, although delivery times tend to be longer than normal (see previous page). But, fortunately, as all resourceful types know, it’s possible to have a beautiful garden without spending a penny.
There are many everyday household items that normally end up in the recycling bin that can be utilised for outdoor use. And for the more imaginative, you can make many gardening items from scratch.
Most obviously, don’t worry if you’re running short of plant pots. Just use a range of containers, from yoghurt pots to the cut-off ends of fizzy drink bottles. Don’t forget, though, to punch a few drainage holes in the base.
Even the plastic lids from large food containers can be harnessed as plant saucers on which to stand pots.
Metal food containers can provide a bright, colourful and individual look to gardens. Large olive oil cans and coffee tins, for example, often have attractive printed designs, while plain ones can be painted.
Since metal conducts heat, it’s wise to line such tins with a piece of compost bag to prevent roots burning if they touch the sides.
To add a personal touch, get creative and think outside the box. Anything that can hold compost can be turned into containers for plants, be they kitchen pots and pans, worn-out wellies, cabinet drawers or a beaten-up wheelbarrow.
Old plastic, metal or enamel colanders are the perfect shape for turning into hanging baskets. To avoid water running out of all the holes, cut a piece of liner – pierced black plastic will do – and fit inside. Fill with compost, plant up and attach some wire, string or rope to the handles. Suspend from a tree or wall-mounted hook and – bingo! You’ve got a hanging basket. Don’t despair if you can’t source sphagnum moss to line the inside of a traditional wire hanging basket. Many lawns have a shaded or damp spot where moss has been building up, so collect it by scratching out with a spring-tine rake. As a bonus, you’ll improve the quality of your lawn at the same time.
Spring is the key time for sowing seeds of all sorts of plants, from vegetables to annual climbers. Many gardeners start them off indoors by sowing into flat seed trays. If you don’t have any of these squirrelled away in the shed, there’s a nifty way of creating your own by recycling used plastic milk containers. Divide the container in two down its length, marking around the outside with a pen and ruler. Cut into two pieces, retaining the part without the handle – fill with compost and it’s ready for sowing. Mark a series of rectangular shapes on the remaining part and cut them out to use as labels.
Some seeds need placing in a propagator to germinate. Rather than ordering one online, recycle those plastic punnets with clear lids that are used by supermarkets for cherry tomatoes and soft fruits. Fill the bottom with compost and sow. Thanks to their size, these makeshift propagators are ideal for windowsills. As compost is in high demand at present, it’s a good idea to make bags go further when potting up containers. For example, if you want to display a fairly compact plant in a tall, tapering pot, it’s unlikely that the roots will ever reach the bottom, so there’s no need to fill to the top.
Instead, upturn a smaller plant pot and place it in the base of the taller one before adding compost. The internal pot will improve drainage, lighten the container and help save you compost.
An alternative is to reuse that white polystyrene packaging from electrical goods, breaking into chunky pieces for placing in the container.
Bamboo canes are essential for staking tall plants and making structures to support climbers. Buying them from the shops isn’t an option but if you have an ornamental bamboo in your garden, then you have a free supply to harvest. In any case, reducing the number of bamboo canes in a clump will also improve its
appearance. In the same vein, don’t shred or burn prunings from trees and shrubs. Twiggy sticks will come in useful as supports for perennials that tend to flop under the weight of their own flowers in summer. Push them into the ground around plants and the emerging stems will happily cling or rest against them as they head upwards.
Of course, good secateurs are required for pruning bamboos and shrubs. And there’s no need to buy new ones if they’re rusty or covered in dried sap. Submerge the blades in a jar of white vinegar and leave overnight. The acetic acid will remove the grime, leaving them as good as new.