If you have some of these unique containers tucked into a flower bed as an accent, you’re well on your way to Flea Market Gardening heaven! The various metals, woods and whimsical vessels here may surprise you…
Some are easy to find, and if you know how to display them, become brilliant. Others are one-of-a-kind treasures to add to your mental shopping list. See how many of these you have. Let’s go!
Audra DeGulis’s toolboxes
Easy to find! Metal and wooden toolboxes are easy to find. Be sure to ask your friends if they have an old one they don’t need or want (Amazingly, some people get rid of old things!) Ask grandparents, too. Toolboxes are absolutely perfect for planting succulents, which Audra has done here….they fill all the nooks completely.
One of a Kind!
Large tins are sometimes a challenge to find, but durable, (if rusty) and last well when planted. Add these to your mental shopping list! Here Luci has planted Diantus, Geraniums and Lobelia.
Easy to find! Wire baskets are easy to find, and those with coco fiber ‘liners’ that wear out are easily replaced with sphagnum moss to hold soil and succulents, like Patricia’s which now looks like garden art!
Dressers are pretty easy to find in Thrift shops, but finding the right size or funky style is sometimes difficult. Kay has found one to set on the shelf of a Baker’s rack,…a nice way to go vertical and lift flowers up where they can be seen. See also Dressed up dressers!
Crates can be easy to find but sellers often ask a pretty penny for them, knowing the demand! When you do pay for them, protect them from damp soil by lining the crate with black plastic sheeting. Look for ones with metal edges and printing for unique container details. Jeanne has planted pansies in hers and added twig spheres for accents. See Crafty Crates
Funnels can be rare unless you find an ‘outdoor junk yard,’ the kind we Flea Market Gardeners call ‘heaven!’ Auto pick a Part places may have them. Funnels can be hung or ‘planted on wooden broom handles as stakes. So versatile! See We put the fun in funnels!
Marie Niemann tells us how she assembled her hanging funnel planter:
Materials:
These are easy to make, all you need is an old funnel, a drill with a 1/8” bit, three small “S” hooks and two larger ones, and approximately 4’ of small linked chain.
Instructions:
Drill three holes evenly spaced just below the rim of the funnel.
Decide how long you want the chain, and cut into three equal lengths.
Attach chain pieces to the funnel using the small “S” hooks, give each one a pinch with pliers to secure.
Use a larger “S” hook to hold all three ends of the chain together at the top, pinch to secure.
TIPS:
Easy to find! Might as well confess to your friends that you want old metal objects like discarded mailboxes. Or, keep an eye out at yard sales, a common place to spot sturdy but rusty mailboxes. Easy to plant, like Shelley did here with Busy Lizzies, or Impatiens. Do you like the bow accent she made?
Easy to find! Wooden chairs are always on my thrift shopping list. It’s sometimes hard to find the style you want and they do wear out! They’re often inexpensive, though and perfect, perfect for plant stands and decorating. Many Flea Market Gardeners change out their chairs with the seasons. See Sitting Pretty
One of a Kind! It was Kirk’s lucky day when he found this old blue canister vacuum in his favorite color. With the yellow label and red Geraniums it’s a show-stopper! Notice Kirk is using an old wooden mechanic’s ‘creeper’ as a plant ‘roll around?’ You never know when you’ll find something like this, but the important thing is, you have the ‘vision’ to see the potential.
Heavy iron pots, cauldrons and teapots make a unique assemblage in Kathy Hardin’s garden. Neither easy or hard to find,…you just have to keep an eye out for these. You may already have them! Old rusty dutch oven can be turned on their sides and iron teapots, the kind used to heat water on a woodstove can be planted. Drilling drainage holes takes a bit of time, but use a strong bit and have patience. These will last a long time and the rust will only enrich the soil you use.
Easy to find! Old tires? Yes,we have a few… Tires are dreadfully hard to get rid of sometimes, and finding a use to them, since they are so durable, is a sensible way to recycle them. Jeanie has glammed hers up with lush Impatiens and Creeping Charlie and see how she’s used a ‘double hook’ to not only hang the tire solidly, but make a place for a similarly colored teapot.
Easy to find! VERY easy to find,…in fact go now to the closet and get out a pair. Tuck one or two into a corner of your flower bed and Voila! You have a very cute plant to pop in a flower or succulent. See what a u-neek vignette you can create with these…perfect for a ‘children’s’ garden.
One of a Kind! Marilou’s planter is a collector’s item and also very whimsical in a children’s garden. This one is most effective when nestled in amongst a puffy green ground cover and planted with a similar puffy Sedum. Easy to plant!
Easy to find! A semi-circle of easy to collect galvanized tubs is the base for Di-Ellen’s vignette and herb garden. The herbs and flowers, Lavender, Thyme, Basil and New Zealand Impatiens also add color to this garden corner filled with favorite things. The shutter and window make a nice background.
One of a Kind! Billie scored big and was very excited, we remember, when she found this vintage plant stand or birdcage stand. Perfect for showing off one great combination, her basket of yellow Bidens, blue Verbena and white Bacopa. What a great conversation starter! Don’t think twice when spotting one treasure such as this!
Leaky birdbaths? What to do? What Brenda did, of course! Just a superb accent at the edge of a flower bed, planted with Echeverias and Sedums, flower color is lifted into better view to delight you as you stroll past. Place the birdbath on a solid stepping stone for a good level base. Then have fun planting around it! See Brilliant birdbaths re-purposed
Easy to find! Galvanized tubs and buckets and watering cans can be easy to find, but Ann Elias has created a challenging project with them. She ‘planted’ a very sturdy pipe as a support and screwed the tubs in place one by one. Stunning when planted with Petunias and Million bells.
Wagons. Sometimes hard, sometimes easy,…when you find one, or if you have one, use it to plant sweet flowers like Shea did. Opposite colors of lacy blue and hot orange are brilliant with rust. More ideas? See Radio Flyers in the garden
One of a Kind! Do these look like car parts to you? Who knows,…but I see, and Diana saw a plant container. Didn’t you? Certainly heavy enough, these containers won’t blow away if your garden is windy. The only help you’ll need is lifting these in and out of the car to bring them home to the garden. Here, Diana has planted Echeverias, a hardy succulent and Moss rose, a succulent annual for color.
One of a Kind! A cool bedframe, metal or wood, can fit any sized garden. Tucked into a corner here next to Marlene’s house, she has filled raised beds with abundant Coleus and begonias and a cool cat. looking out. Thrift shops are great places for finding a discarded bed to use, but finding a unique style is again the challenge. These round pipe frames are long lasting and heavy and very easy to screw onto a wooden planting bed. The ornate wooden ones need a little prep, some Marine Varnish will protect the finish well.
Easy to Find! We’re always looking for baskets for the garden! One reason is that they are so quaint and useful. the other is that they need replacing now and then. You can find those 80s style thick woven baskets at yard sales and thrift shops by the dozens. Here, Catherine protects her very cute picnic basket by planting Nasturtiums in two gallon nursery cans. By the way, any FMG container can hold flowers brought right from the nursery and left in their containers for a quick spiff up on the front porch or entryway.
One of a Kind! Birdcages are plentiful, but a fancy one with all the right details is well worth looking for. Michelle has hung her cage, planted with bright colored Petunias and yellow Dahlberg daisies, from a sturdy wooden post. Birdcages look great in groups of three in various sizes so keep looking! More Birdcages?
Easy to find, easy to plant. The lace and tiny birdhouse are Doroti’s personal touches to this rusty scene. Isn’t that stacked Crassula perforata amazing? The square, red edged ‘leaves’ are so uncommon. Start saving coffee cans now! Seriously,…and leave them out this winter to rust!
Grow, Grow, Grow, Your Boat... These boat gardens are beautiful, colorful, and well grown. It looks like a lot of… Read More
'Paint' Your Garden with Blue... Is your garden is singing the blues? Mix recycled containers and crafts with blue flowers… Read More
See this hilarious and sometimes poignant list of lost items in the garden Question.......what was the last thing you lost… Read More
Designing a charming garden baker's rack When I first saw Jeanne’s well-arranged and simply delightful Baker’s rack, I thought, ‘Somebody… Read More
Choosing a color from 'Over the Rainbow Garden' Billie Hayman's garden is full of color and she shows how one… Read More
Alliums are drama queens in the garden! Whether real flowers, grown from bulbs or the crafted faux flowers modeled after… Read More
