Updating Your Garden? Three Ways To Use Old Tools And Cheap Garden Pots For A Whimsical Look

Do you want to update your garden without spending a fortune? All it takes is a bit of searching at swap meets or yard sales for some vintage farm or garden equipment. You might already have what you need hiding in that old garden shed. Then, buy some inexpensive garden pots to complement your new finds. Here are three gardening ideas to get you started.

Tractor Tyre Gardens

Tractor tyres make the perfect frame for your garden pots. Better yet, since they come in so many sizes you can fit them into almost any nook and cranny. Find spots for your tyres and then line the ready-made hole with potting soil. Then place your garden pot inside the tyre. The soil underneath the pot will absorb excess water, keeping your plant healthy. Flowers that do well in tractor tyre gardens include petunias, marigolds and pansies.

If you have limited space, you can make a tyre pyramid. Stack the tyres, making sure you stagger them so you have open spaces for your pots. Then mix and match the flowers in the pots so you end up with a living wall of colour. If you want an even bolder statement, paint each tyre a different colour.

Wheelbarrow Gardens

This is one time where the rust and pinholes in a wheelbarrow won't be an issue. In fact, the rustier, the better. The contrast between that old wheelbarrow with the perpetually flat tire and the boldly coloured pots and plants is considerable. That's part of the charm. Any wheelbarrow works, whether it`s a vintage model with a wooden frame or a well worn all metal version.

Find a spot for your vintage wheelbarrow, fill it with potting soil, then add your planted garden pots. This wheelbarrow idea works well with herb gardens. You could park it near your back door where you can harvest fresh herbs as needed. Parsley and basil do well, and also give off a lovely scent. 

Pots And Pitchforks For Climbing Gardens

Old pitchforks, shovels and spades that are past their prime can be used as posts for climbing vines such as sweet peas. Just bury the "business end" of the tool partway into the soil so it stays put and let the flowers grow up the handle. It's best to plant the climbing vines directly into the soil because the roots need more space. But, you can add a garden pot or two filled with flowers around the base. This scenario works for large and small gardens.

For more ideas and information, contact a garden pot retailer, such as Wentworth Falls Pots.

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