These vintage finds add character, color, and whimsy to your garden.
By Stephanie Eckelkamp, Rodale's Organic Life
Maybe
you’ve planted a garden or done a little backyard landscaping, and
you’re pretty darn proud of it—but something’s missing. Yes, you have a
variety of colors, heights, and fragrances
from your carefully selected vines, veggies, and flowers, yet there’s a
certain lack of whimsy and magic that you can’t seem to channel with
plants alone. (Here's how to make your landscaping look professional on a budget.)
[post_ads]Enter: Your local thrift store
or antique shop. Nothing quite complements new plant life like
perfectly aged secondhand treasures. But don't just load up on cute
knickknacks and call it a day. Carefully select items that are beautiful
yet functional, and that can easily be adapted and used as herb
planters, pots, bird baths, and more.
Here, 9 of our favorite secondhand items that are a natural fit for your garden.
(On just a quarter-acre of land, you can produce fresh, organic food for a family of four—year-round. Rodale's The Backyard Homestead shows you how; get your copy today.)
Silverware
Add a little audible charm to your garden
with vintage silverware that you craft into a wind chime. Forks and
spoons work best. Simply drill small holes in the handles of the
silverware with a very small, high quality drill bit (0.8 mm should do
the trick). Then use fishing wire or twine to attach the silverware to a
base that will hang from the ceiling. Options include graters (shown
above), a fork, colanders, or even metal cans with holes punched in.
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Tea cups and saucers
Pick up an assortment of vintage tea cups and
saucers, mugs, and even glass cups at your thrift store in which you
can plant small flowers, herbs, and succulents
to display on garden patio tables. Not only are they ultra cute, but
when that cool fall weather comes, you can easily transfer them indoors.
(Here are the 7 easiest succulents to grow.)
Kettles
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Colanders
Old metal colanders make the perfect planters. Simply line them with landscape fabric, coir liner,
or even coffee filters, load in some potting soil, and add your plants.
You can place them on an outdoor table, or even use twine or chain and
hooks to morph them into hanging baskets (here's a great tutorial).
Picture frames
Succulent frames make a great addition to any
outdoor wall that gets a lot of sun. Just start with an old 8x10"
picture frame and follow this simple tutorial. When the weather gets cool, hang them up inside. (Here are 3 more ways to build an epic vertical garden.)
A beat up old bureau or hutch with lots of
drawers is the perfect way to add some playfulness and whimsy to any
outdoor space. Repaint it, if you wish (or stick with the rustic look),
then open up a few drawers and add some potted flowers or other plants.
Sure, you could simply repaint a thrifted
dining room chair and place a potted plant on top of it (which would
still be pretty), or you could turn it into a living succulent chair
like the one above. It's a little labor intensive, but the visual payoff
is totally worth it. Here's a video tutorial that walks you through the process. (Here are 29 more creative succulent planter ideas you should definitely steal.)
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Bureau or hutch
Dining room chair
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Vintage bottles
Gorgeous blue, green, clear, and brown
vintage bottles and mason jars can be found in nearly any antique or
thrift store. Accumulate a nice collection and use them for outdoor
table centerpieces (just pop in a few wildflowers and you're done) or
for lining garden paths. (Here are 7 mason jar crafts for gardeners.)
Want to attract birds to your backyard,
but don't feel like shelling out the cash for a new bird bath? We don't
blame you. Luckily, shallow bowls and pie plates make the perfect
alternative. All you need to do is place them on something slighty
elevated, like an old flower pot stand (shown above) or even a large,
overturned terra cotta pot. Attach the bowl or plate to the base with some folded duct tape if necessary.
More:
Shallow bowls or pie plates
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