Turn Old Junk Into Unique Planter Rusty Wheelbarrow, Claw-Foot Tub Can Be Raised-Bed Gardens

“Hey, sir! Are you throwing that away?”

“You don’t want it,” he says. “One of the handles is broken.”

“Oh, I just want to use it for a planter in my yard,” I reply.

What a find! A rusty wheelbarrow, broken handle and all, has made my trip to the dump unusually productive this time. One person’s trash is another’s treasure.

With the ongoing El Nino weather giving my shovel a rest, container planting has eased my boredom. I have been able to resist digging in the wet ground, focusing instead on planting above ground.

The rusty old wheelbarrow was my first conversion.

Of course, the usual clay flower pots still occupy the steps on my porch. Western bleeding hearts, aloe vera and mother fern plants love this well-protected spot near my garden. Shoes and garden mud boots also rest on my porch, usually scattered about waiting to serve their purpose.

Now, amid this sea of green foliage sits an old cowboy boot of mine, filled to the bootstraps with johnny jump-ups (viola tricolor). After tapping a few holes in the heel for drainage, I gave this worn-out boot new life.

This story is not about the plants in my garden. While you may stop to look at the flowers in bloom or to feel the soft leaves of lamb’s ears, I’m hoping you will notice the pleasant greeting that rusty old wheelbarrow gives at the front of the garden, brimming with red tulips, pink dianthus and white “Snow Carpet” alyssum. It’s the only spot in my garden where you will find annuals planted with color.

With this container, I can change the garden greeting with the seasons. Spring tulips and daffodils made way for summer gladioluses, lilies and ranunculus. And the wheelbarrow has brightened other spots in my garden as well, adding its colorful display to places amid the perennials that I cut back to bare this winter. These unusual containers sit among the perennial favorites - penstemon, lavendula, salvia, rosemary - which give my garden structure.

The ideas are simple: Take the stopper out of an old claw-foot porcelain bathtub and it becomes a raised bed, the stark white porcelain drawing attention toward a cutting garden of color.

Poke holes in the bottom of an antique enamel teapot and plant pink-flowering anemones. You may be surprised at what you find to use to contain plants.

Lorraine Munoz, for instance, found a home for her impatiens and begonias when she stopped using her antique wood stove for warmth by the family’s swimming pool. Instead, she filled the burners with colorful plants.

Porcelain, enameled metal and cast iron examples like these can be used as planters for many years. Cast iron may be treated with an anti-rust coating. Munoz repainted her iron stove recently when it began to show signs of rust after 10 years in her garden.

Other materials may also need some preparation before putting them in the garden. To extend the life of a wooden container, for example, coat the inside and out with a wood preservative. Avoid creosote, which is harmful to plants.

To prolong the life of the leather cowboy boot, I lined the inside with plastic, making sure to leave drainage holes.

If placed in areas exposed to strong winds, your container needs a wide base or enough weight so it won’t topple over. Munoz says that after planting, her cast iron stove is very heavy. “At least I don’t have to worry about someone stealing it.”

Wood and pottery containers will dry out faster than metal, porcelain or plastic containers, so you will need to water them more frequently. A drip irrigation system on a timer simplifies the watering chores.

Use a commercial potting mix for best results. Area garden soils, especially clay soils, are usually too dense for container planting. Water will not drain well from clay soil and air will not reach the plant’s roots.

Watering will leach nutrients from the soil, so be generous with fertilizers. A water soluble fertilizer such as Miracle-Gro works well.

What plants to use? Think ahead to the size of a plant at maturity. For a container smaller than six to eight inches deep, choose fast-blooming dwarf annuals such as alyssum or violas. Taller varieties such as snapdragons or geraniums will need deeper plantings.

Line an antique fishing creel basket with moss and place it in the rocks near your water garden.

Hang an old garden glove on a fence post with alyssum growing out of it. Place an old bathroom sink in the middle of your flower garden as a bird bath.

You can find unusual containers anywhere. Flea markets, garage sales, your closet … because, after all, one person’s trash is another person’s planter.