Monday 21 November 2016

Container Planting in a Large Garden

In less than two weeks, it will be Summer - the hardest time in our garden, due to the heat, dry weather and strong winds. Time to show you around while the plants are at their best.

Unique container gardening - wheelbarrow, old metal buckets and even enamel washing machine bowls ~ Threading My Way

Even though I have extensive gardens, there's still room for plants in containers. Today I thought I'd show you how I've integrated some of them into the gardens.

The bromeliads above are sitting in a large, rather plain, concrete pot, which is sitting on a tree stump. Initially I was going to paint the pot, but as soon as we put it in this spot, we knew it was perfect as is.

Integrating container planters into a garden ~ Threading My Way

Between the clothes line and the large shed, there's a narrow spot that's filled with different sized pots, all with the same coloured glaze. It would have been cheaper to dig a garden, but the pots work well.

Metal mop bucket recycled into a pot for a spider plant ~ Threading My Way

An old metal bucket sitting in the garden, is filled with a spider plant. Looks rather good, doesn't it. In reality, though, it's totally root bound and needs repotting.

Sitting on the ground, I'm not sure how long it will last before the bucket rusts. In the recent past it's always been above ground on shelves.

Metal mop bucket recycled into a pot for bromeliads ~ Threading My Way

A similar bucket, sits on a rather ugly shelf. Mr TMW is going to put up a wooden shelf for me. Must remind him! This bucket must have originally been a mop bucket, with the metal part sticking out being the bit you put your foot on - or so I'm assuming.

Container Planting... getting the right shaped pot for each plant ~ Threading My Way

We have two of these urn type pots. When we purchased them, they were sold as water features, but we've always put plants in them. Mr TMW drilled holes to allow the water to drain freely.

Finding the right plant for each pot sometimes takes me a while. Think I nailed it with the native lomandra - suits the shape of the pot.

Recycle a wheelbarrow and turn it into a garden container for dietes, erigeron and ivy geranium ~ Threading My Way

I've shown you my wheelbarrow planter before. One day we're going to find it all collapsed in a heap due to the ever growing rust.

Situated in a sunny part of the garden, the ivy geranium, dietes and erigeron stand up to the heat well.

Old enamel washing machine bowl used to contain bedding begonias and bird of paradise ~ Threading My Way

The next two pots began life as enamel washing machine bowls. With a coat of paint on the outside, they make lovely large planters.

Both pots contain giant bird of paradise plants, which become very large when planted in the ground. So far they're doing well in the bowls. The bedding begonias add a touch of colour...

Container planting in a large garden ~ Threading My Way

... with dwarf bromeliads in the second.

The round concrete  envirocycle (for treating waste water), is partially disguised with more bromeliads in pots. 

Add some baskets to a revamped bicycle and turn it into a planter for succulents ~ Threading My Way

A splash of paint has prevented an old blue push bike from ending up in landfill. Mr TMW added three baskets, which are now full of succulents.

There's another bike waiting to be recycled, too, most probably in the same manner. I haven't picked out the right spot to put it yet. In the wrong location, it just won't look right.

Old metal planter filled with succulent cuttings ~ Threading My Way

I have no idea what this metal pot was originally used for, or how old it is. At the moment it houses a few succulent cuttings. Not sure whether I'll keep them, or replace them with something else.

The vast majority of my pots are dotted around the place, in amongst plants in gardens. 

Container planting in a large garden ~ Threading My Way

And just to contradict that last statement, here's one that stands by itself - a terracotta pot with a large fern.

Our garden is continually changing and evolving. Just like sewing, it's a creative process, getting the right sizes, shapes and colours to work in the overall design. 

I know many of you enjoy gardening in your corner of the world and you've told me you love to see gardening posts. For those of you who are not so keen on gardening, I hope you've enjoyed looking at my photos, knowing you didn't have to get down and dirty.

... Pam




12 comments:

  1. I love using containers in the garden too. What are those lovely purple flowers?

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  2. The containers look great! I have never been that interested about making huge flower beds, or actually keeping them nice and tidy is the problem. :D Containers and pots work so much better and also you can easily change the place of the plants if you so wish. I just can't stop watching pictures that are full of green. We lost all our snow to a rain and now it is just dark, cold, black and wet. Fancy a swap? :D

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    1. Much as I like pictures of snow, I think in reality it would be way too COLD!!! Think I'll stick to my green garden.

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  3. I miss having a garden, but not the work and the sneezing that comes with it! You obviously enjoy gardening a lot and the results are fantastic. Brightened an otherwise very gloomy day!

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  4. Pam, I love your garden posts. It is truly lovely. I can imagine sitting there enjoying a cup of tea with you!

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  5. Love the wheelbarrow and the bicycle all planted up. I've just given all my potted plants, mainly herbs, to my neighbour in preparation for our move home. I'm so looking forward to seeing my little garden and getting my hands into the dirt again. First thing will be to redo the herbs. Can't live without fresh herbs.

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  6. Does it cold in the winter? If it does, do you need to bring the plants in? Like the fern and spider plant? I'm trying to grow a spider plant indoors, he's looking very sad right now.

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  7. Love these homey posts! So nice seeing all your lush greenery. My lawn is coated with snow at the moment. I'm not gonna complain, though. These early snowfalls are lovely in their own way. By April, however, I will be whining about any falling white stuff loudly!

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  8. I love seeing your Birds Of Paradise outside. I have a neighbor who is commercial pilot and he brings back these from Hong Kong or Hawaii and gets them to grow well inside. I might be able to have one outside for the summer but they won't make it through our 'mild' oregon winter. If one crosses my path, I'd like to try it. And isn't the truth that the best looking plants are those that are root-bound?

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  9. Your garden looks beautiful Pam. I've done this too but it's been so dry up here of late, they're all looking a bit worse for wear. I've just given them a good dose of Charlie Carp and the recent storms have given them a good drink too. My trouble is I don't have enough shady spots. I'm working on it. Thanks for linking up to Thriving on Thursdays, as always. I'm featuring this post at tomorrow's party.

    Anne xx

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  10. I absolutely love container planting in my large garden! It adds a burst of color and versatility. Recently, I discovered the importance of protecting my garden's boundaries, so I hired a fantastic fence staining company to enhance the overall aesthetic. It's incredible how such simple additions can transform the entire landscape!

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  11. I absolutely love container planting in my large garden! It adds such a delightful touch of variety and color. Plus, it's so convenient to move plants around and experiment with different arrangements. I even hired a bitumen sealing contractor to ensure my garden pathways are perfectly sealed, making it easier to maneuver around my beautiful container displays.

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