Unique Containers for the Garden

An antique wash tub.

Rustic antiques in my shade garden.

What's a porch without a few containers of flowers, herbs, or even vegetables?  One of the features I love about my home is the wrap around porch.  I've collected  a variety of unique containers to bring flowers and herbs on the front porch. I also incorporate containers in the garden landscape.

  Antiques and recycled containers are perfect ideas for plantings on the porch or patio.  Antiques tubs and buckets that are rusted out on the bottom are often very inexpensive and already have the drainage for your plants.  Use your imagination.

An old crate and rusty shovel head.

A double wash tub and water bath canner.

Pineapple Sage is beautiful in pots.  The blooms are beautiful.

Soil for Containers or Hanging Baskets

Each year before  planting I dump the existing soil in the container into a bucket and break it up and add some additional potting mix  (without chemical time released fertilizers), a little compost and some dry organic fertilizer.  I don reuse potting mix but always refresh is with some new mix. I have all my flowers transplants ready.  I fill the container partially, set the transplants in the pot and fill in the gaps with additional potting mix.  I fertilizer once a month fish fish emulsion and kelp.

These are right by my kitchen window.

Herbs for Containers

Pinapple Sage

Marjoram

Lemon Verbena

Chocolate Mint

Thymes

Sages

French Tarragon

Cilantro

Parsley

Swiss Chard

Wash tub

Old chicken waterer.

Trailing Plants

Sweet Potato Vines

Wave Petunias

Majoram

Verbena

Lobelia

Nasturtium

Thymes

Water bath canner with potato vine and verbena.

Geranium, lobelia, and creeping Jenny

 

Flowers

Lobelia

Coleus

Geraniums

Pansies

Ornamental Kales and Cabbage

Ornamental Grasses

Impatiens

Nasturtium

Asters

Small Dahlias

Heuchera

Dead Nettle

The plants lists are by no means complete.  A trip to the garden center will inspire great combinations and new varieties.  Take pictures of hanging baskets and container combinations you like and save money by planting your own container gardens.  You'll begin to look at junk in a new way with new possibilities.  

What combinations are your favorites?