You don't have to stick to boring old flower pots when you want to jazz up your patio or courtyard with potted plants. There are many ways you can utilize found objects as containers and add character to your garden, or embellish a theme. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Growing Dwarf Trees in an Orange Skin

Cut about one third off an orange, scoop out the pulp and fill the empty shell with light crumbly potting mix. Push in a seed you can use the orange seed, or an acorn, lemon or apple pip etcetera. Place the orange shell, soil side up, in a tumbler or jam jar and set on a sunny window sill. Moisten occasionally. As the seed grows the roots will push back through the orange shell. Cut the roots flush with the orange shell every time they grow beyond it. The tree will grow dwarfed, like bonsai.

Fruit Crates or Polystyrene Broccoli Boxes

These make great containers for small vegetable garden projects where you may not have room for a full sized garden plot. Preparing the polystyrene boxes is easy - if they do not already have drainage holes in the bottom, just drill some. Put some broken pieces of pottery in the bottom and fill with first class potting soil. The fruit crates require a little more preparation. Line the crate with sheets of moss, then with black plastic sheeting (you can use an ordinary garbage bag). Make some holes in the plastic for drainage. Fill with good quality potting soil. You can plant your seeds or seedlings directly into the soil, but make sure your boxes drain properly.

Hanging Hat Basket

If you have a sturdy old hat which is no longer wearable but refuses to die, line it with moss and black plastic and fill with soil. You can grow dangling plants like strawberries or scented vines and it will look cool on your porch. You can use old boots and shoes the same way. Pack the moss onto the sole and into the toe of the footwear, line with black plastic and fill with soil. Sprawling plants look great creeping out of a boot, while shoes can hold tiny flowering plants. You can coat the hats and shoes with varnish to make them more weatherproof.

Kettles and Cookware.

Drill holes in the bottom for drainage (if they already have holes, don't worry about drilling - this is a great way to recycle them) and line with moss and plastic. Plant tiny creeping strawberries or herbs, and line up outside the kitchen door.

Rubber Tires

Couldn't be easier - place your tire on the ground, and fill the hole will soil and seedlings. You can plant a whole row of these along a path, round a water feature or in a ring to use as a traditional herb garden.

Remember, don't throw it away, if you can grow something in it!

Learn more about this author, Gail Kavanagh.
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