Gardening with antique Flea Market toys

Adding a little bit of creative, personal style to a garden is easier than most people think. Incorporating a few flea market toys can make a garden unique, whimsical and add just the right amount of quirkiness. The possibilities with garden toys are endless: from painting a rocking horse to creating a tiny garden world. Here are some of the most inspiring toys-made-into-garden-art examples from around the web.

The Little Shop Antiques and Gardens

Laura Goines tells us, “You had planted toy trucks on your page before, and the idea has been locked in my head every since. I was so pleased to run across one ‘plantable.’   Thanks for the inspiration and keep up the good work.”

Adding color: Make a toy horse embody your bright childhood dreams.

This is a popular gardening idea for those who could use a little less mundane, and a little more whimsy in their décor approach. I suggest finding a rocking horse or a carousel horse at a flea market and spray painting it one of your favorite colors. You can also use a strong adhesive and make a mosaic with little bits of sparkling metals, beads, broken dishes or even mirrors.

Advertisement

Adding a carousel horse to your garden is a dream!

Be careful to balance the color of the horse with that of your flowers or ferns. I suggest using complementary colors – if you have a purple flower theme, then go with a brilliant yellow color palette for the horse.  If putting this in a vegetable garden or any primarily green area, go with blue, orange or even bright pinks.

Giving your plants a wagon ride

For this fun, vintage gardening project you can go find any old wagon from your local flea market. Start by drilling a few holes in the bottom of it with a ¼ inch bit to prevent the roots from rotting in standing water. Now that the container will drain properly, fill it with a potting soil mix and choose your favorite shallow-rooting flowers or herbs. Annuals do well in wagons due to their compact roots and the fact that they live only one season. (the wagon provides less insulation from the extreme temperatures).

A Radio Flyer wagon is on many of our shopping lists. We love planting them up!

Getting creative with a succulent transportation service

Cacti and other succulents make great additions to any garden. With all of the colors and textures to choose from – what’s not to love? This love, for me, spikes to an all-time high when they are growing out of vintage dump trucks or the Barbie and Ken car collection.

Collage of garden truck containers, filled with succulents

Succulents will be easy to grow in these small containers, just make sure they have proper drainage. I love small container gardening because it’s incredibly easy and versatile – large yard, small yard or no yard – anyone can do it.

Creating a small and  happy, imaginative world

This last example creates a bit more dedication to the mini-toy-world garden theme, but the effort really pays off. Similar to creating a beautiful fairy garden in a container, you can create a different world in your entire garden that suits your inner child. Find a train set, a small water fountain, toy buildings and small ‘citizens’ to place around your garden. I don’t know what it is about this quaint, flower filled mini-village that makes me so happy, but it does!

Why not bring a discarded train set into your garden scene?!

These are just a few flea market toy gardening ideas to enhance the imaginative and creative process involved in gardening.  What vintage toys have you used in your garden? Or would like to use?