6 Steps to a Flea Market tipsy pot

Terrific Terracotta Tipsy pots for the garden

This is one of our easiest, most delightful projects for the garden. Pick a spot on the garden where you need a vertical element.  Visitors to your garden will wonder how you did this! Included are tips and tricks fr success!

How to assemble a tipsy pot:

1. Clear a spot in the garden cover the ground with newspaper with a layer of mulch on top to suppress weeds.
2. Drive a 60″ long piece of 1/2″ re-rod  or rebar into the soil one or two feet.  It’s important to pound the rod into the soil enough so that the rod will support the weight of the pots when full. A heavier pipe can be used for larger projects such as Annie’s Galvanized Tipsy Pots.
3. Place a 12″ round clay pot at the base, threading the re-bar through the drainage hole.  Fill the pot full of soil at this point so that the next pot has something to sit on. Press the soil down and water it in to settle the soil.
4. Use 10″ pots for the remainder of the tower or a succession of smaller and smaller pots.  For the second pot, use small blocks of wood or rocks to brace the bottom of it at the right angle.  the next pots pots will have their bottoms resting on the rim of the pot below,…tip them each at a different angle as you thread them on the rod.
5. Make sure the top of the stake is hidden by the top pot.
6. Leave a  space at the top of each pot so that when you water, the soil does not run out of the pot along with the water. Mulch to preserve moisture.  When watering, water slowly, allowing the water to be absorbed by the soil before adding more water.

This is the little tipsy pot display I made for the nursery with a four foot high metal stake,…violas and the spring green is golden oregano.

Sonja Tilley says, “This is my version of “tipsy” pots. I painted the pots last year, and I  like the weathered look. Rosemary, lavender, and  basil. I also have a few perennials squeezed in there…cactus, daisies, shamrock. The key to one this high is a nice and tall piece of 6 foot tall rebar…pounded solid in the ground. Then the rest comes along very easily!”

Tipsy watering tips

Susan E Atkinson, from Seasonal Expressions Art, says, “The garden stack pot with a twist. I used old kitchen items and house plants so I can bring it in and enjoy it this winter. The topsy turvy planter is made out of old kitchen items. Top to bottom: Foley Food Mill, fryer basket, colander, sauce pot.

The base is a wreath stand that has an upright post to hang a wreath on. I punched a hole in the bottom of each container and threaded them onto the post, cocking them at angles as I went. In the bottom sauce pan I used e6000 to seal a small plastic cup over the opening and fed the post up through it so excess water wouldn’t leak out of the sauce pan.”

Use a shepherd hook for a new look

Annie Downs used something different as a stake,…she tells us, “My husband made me tippy pots!  This is the third year using them and I’m still experimenting with different flowers in them. We used a shepherds hook!  We heated up the top with a torch to bend it just enough to fit the pots on to. The holes in the bottom of the pot are the right size already. Put a few flat rocks on the bottom pot to keep it steady.”

Now that you’ve done one,…move on to the fun variations!

Easy Project: Garden stack-a-pots

Annie’s galvanized tipsy pots

Marie’s tipsy solar fountain

I hope you try this easy project, all you need is a stake, some pots and a little imagination!  ~~ Sue