Friday, May 8, 2009

Flower pot stack


Flower pot stack with succulent plants.

Gardeners are busy sprucing up their yards. For those with limited space gardening in pots is one way to still have a garden. If space is really tight stacking the pots could be an answer to finding more room for plants.
We came across a cute idea on the internet that we decided to try for ourselves. We do have more room than most for gardening but this idea is also great for a decorative look.
The internet address for the idea we found is at: http://www.instructables.com/id/Tip-Top-Flower-Pots-Maximize-limited-space-to-gro/. We followed the basic design shown but instead of flowering plants we used a variety of succulent plants. They also come in a variety of colors and shapes.
For the larger pot in our version we used a glazed 12-inch ceramic pot. Our 8-inch pots were the plain terra cotta variety. For the stake going up through the center we used a 40-inch piece of rebar.
To hold the rebar centered in the large flower pot we used two pieces of 1-inch plastic pipe the width of the inside of the pot. We drilled a hole the diameter of the rebar through the center of each plastic pipe.
After the rebar is placed into the plastic pipe and resting on the bottom of the large pot we filled that pot with potting soil. Next we placed one of the 8-inch pots onto the rebar and let it sit at an angle with the top edge resting against the rebar.
Once that pot is filled with potting soil the other 8-inch pots are placed on the rebar. They are tilted as seen in the photo and filled with potting soil.
Once all the pots are in place and filled with potting soil it is time for the plants. We choose a variety of succulent plants for our stack. Succulents are slower growing and look nice for longer than annuals or perennials. When the flowers are through blooming on annuals or perennials they loose there appeal and have to be replaced.
Our pot stack is off to one side on our front porch where it is sheltered from the wind. With strong wind gust like we have here in Red Bluff we do not want to take any chances with it falling over.
But that is enough for decorative plants for now. It is time to focus on getting our vegetable plants started. We are disking up our vegetable plots this week. Then it is off to the nursery we go for plants and seeds.
We always choose a variety of tomatoes, peppers, melons and squash. It has been several years since we have grown corn but we hope to try some again this year. We will probably come home with something else new to try also. Trying something different is always fun for us.
Whether it is gardening, crafting, shopping or something else, we hope all our readers are having a good week. Maybe even try something new to you and have fun.

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