Creating a vintage garden without flowers

 When you live in the high desert like I do, growing anything is something of a challenge. One way to add color to the ultra hot spots of my yard is with colorful vintage (or fake vintage) containers. Tins, old cups, and even old plates can add a spot of color to an otherwise dull corner of the yard.






I recently found an interesting old birdhouse at the junkstore which quickly went on the south facing wall of my garden shed. The birdhouse was pretty enough with its cheerful yellow color but when paired with a bunch of colorful coffee and tea cups, it looked even better!

 I chose cups with a floral pattern to fill up the shelves of this birdhouse. Some of the cups were vintage and some were contemporary, but all of them had some kind of damage and weren't good enough to use.  Here's a closer look....

Dishes hold up remarkable well in the yard and keep their colors for many years. They do need to be brought indoors once the temps drop to below freezing to avoid the cycle of freezing & thawing that leads to cracks.

How to make a tiered container garden with broken pots

One of the ways that I upcycle old and cracked pots is to stack them inside another pot. These bits and pieces allow me to plant succulents at different levels which makes the container look a bit more interesting.

Broken pieces I push directly into the soil to create terraces which are then planted with different types of plants. 

Smaller cracked pots are placed either upright on top of the container such as the vintage marmalade jar shown on the right or on their side as shown in the photograph below.

I have a small hen & chick planted in the opening of this sideways pot but other types of succulents will also work.  Creeping varieties of sedum work best but if you do want something taller, then it must be planted on the edge of the opening or it won't have enough room to grow.

Tall flower pots for high sided bicycle racks

One of my favorite wire racks for vertical gardening are a set of vintage bicycle baskets used by my mother-in-law in the 60s. These racks are tall and shallow which makes them practical for storing hoses, hand tools and more. What they aren't practical for are growing flowers since it's hard to find tall slender pots that will work.


When I found an vintage terra cotta wine cooler at the junk yard last week, I realized I had solved my problem. These coolers were super popular in the early 80s and are the perfect size for growing herbs and succulents on a vertical surface.

The rack shown was made using the cooler and assorted terra cotta pots (some broken) along with a few other random things I happened to have in my stash of vintage garden accessories. There's an old restaurant sized pepper mill in there, along with a gold cherub-candle holder thingy, a "shooter" marble on top of the candle holder, and an old wooden monkey pod spoon that had an interesting look.

 Wine coolers aren't the only option. Tall, slender tins will also work especially when paired with tall, vintage accessories such as seen below.

Where to find interesting rocks for your container succulent garden

While it's not necessary to use rock in succulent container gardens, I do for two reasons. A layer of decorative rock makes the plants look much more interesting while also preventing the soil from washing away during watering.

Where do I get the rocks for my gardens? I live on top of an old riverbed which has an endless supply of smooth granite and quartz stones ideal for container gardening. I also pick up interesting rocks when walking along the river, the beach or along old railroad beds.

If you don't have access to these places, another great resource for rocks is at stone yard which sells decorative rocks and pea gravel directly to the public. Rocks and gravel have to be purchased by the half yard (which is roughly 3 & 1/2 wheelbarrow loads).  Pieces of slate, however, can be purchased by the piece which you can then break up with a hammer once you're at home.

For smaller amounts, garden centers carry decorative rock by the bag which is a great way to pick up an assortment of polished rocks. A 40 pound bag can cost between $20-35 depending on the color of rock you want.

I store my decorative stones in buckets that I keep next to my potting bench for easy access.

Creative ways to elevate a shallow planting bowl

When it comes to container herb & succulent gardening, shallow planting bowls are my favorite style of pot because they provide lots of workable surface space. Shallow bowl containers do sit low on ground however which is why I elevate my containers anywhere from a foot to forty inches in height.

The easiest way to elevate a shallow bowl planter is to place it on top of an other pot like this:

This is a great way to reuse a terra cotta pot that is cracked or damaged. Here are some other ways to elevate a shallow container garden

• Placing it upon an old chair tucked in the corner of your yard
• On top of a tree stump
• Upon an old birdbath
• On top of an inverted galvanized barrel
• On an old wooden picnic table (old kids picnic tables work great too!)
• In wheelbarrows

The shallow planter shown was made from a vintage McCoy wash basin that had cracked and been inexpertly mended. I filled it with a mix of potting soil & sand and planted it with two different sedum varieties and a Hen & Chick .  The glass knob in the center is merely an inverted salt shaker I found with an interesting pattern. The rocks shown are crushed lavarock.

The DIY container rock garden in a shallow bowl

Because I live in a high mountain desert with hot temps and frequent winds, succulents are my "go to" plants for the hot spots of my yard. Some of my taller succulents are planted directly into the ground while the creeping varieties are planted in an assortment of pots to give them some height.

One of my favorite container styles are the shallow bowls which are great for planting an assortment of succulents. Shallow bowls offer a larger surface for succulents to grow plus provide ample space for decorative touches such as rocks, figurines and more.

I made this container rock garden using a vintage pot found at a junk store and added some chunks of red slate to give it some interest. Plants shown include a Mexican Feather Grass seedling, hens & chicks, and three varieties of sedum. For soil, I used regular potting mix mixed with sand in a 2:1 ratio.

Converting a coffee urn to a planter

Part of the fun in gardening is finding vintage containers to create unusual container gardens. Look at this interesting coffee urn (also known as a samovar) which I recently upcycled into a pot for holding an assortment of succulents.

Here are instructions for making your own raised succulent garden from a coffee urn:

• Unscrew the knob from the lid and remove the screw to create a drainage hole.
• Invert the lid and place inside the samovar.
• Fill with potting mix (mix with some of your own garden soil if planting succulents or herbs)
• Arrange plants as desired. My container is planted with an assortment of hens & chicks and different sedum varieties.
• Top with an assortment of crushed rock.  Add a vintage garden or kitchen tool to add height and interest.

Should I add rocks to pots without drainage holes?

When I first started gardening years ago, adding a layer of rocks to a non-draining pot was conventional wisdom. The idea behind this technique was that the rocks would act as reservoir, storing excess water until the plant drew it up from the roots.

Does this actually work? It's really hard to say. I've tried it both ways and noticed that pots with a two-inch layer of rocks at the base had looser soil around bottom of the roots than pots without rocks. Aside from that, there really wasn't much difference in how well the plant fared.

While I don't add rocks to my container veggies and flowers, I still add them to pots containing succulents. These plants thrive in poor soil and low water, and adding rocks replicates the growing conditions where they do best.

What kind of rocks should be used?  I used everything from crushed lava rock to pebbles and decorative landscape rock inside my planting containers. Broken bits of terra cotta pottery will also work.

Gardening with galvanized steel wash tubs

While it is super easy to convert soft metal containers into planters by punching holes through the bottom, sometimes we don't want to destroy containers that have other uses....such as galvanized wash tubs.

I've done quite a bit of gardening with galvanized steel wash tubs and discovered that without holes, deep rooted veggies (such as tomatoes, cukes and squashes) don't seem to fare as well. The veggies I have had the best success with are shallow rooted spring veggies such as salad greens, bunching onions, radishes, and spinach.

To use your galvanized wash basin for gardening, simply fill it up with high quality potting mix, Gently scatter the seeds, cover with a thin layer of potting mix and then water in. That's all there's to it!

How to turn metal containers into a planter

One of my favorite planters aren't bought from the store but made from vintage metal containers found at my local thrift store salvage yard. Lightweight metal containers such as camping pots, vintage coffee or teapots, storage tins, even galvanized wash basins or watering cans all make terrific planters for flowers, herbs, and succulents.

Converting an old metal pot into a planter is super easy to do. All it takes is a hammer and a good sized nail which is used to pierce drainage holes in the bottom of the container.

For small to mid size containers, I'll punch drainage holes every two inches or so. For large containers (such as galvanized wash basins), the drainage holes are spaced about 6 inches apart.
Once the drainage holes have been punched, the container is flipped over and filled with potting mix and a few plants. Because I live on top of an old river bottom, I'll often add a cobblestone or two to my containers.

Here is an old camping kettle that's found a new life as a container rock garden. This kettle is filled with hens & chicks, along with two varieties of sedum.

An old copper tea pot also works. This vintage kettle has been planted with mint.

"Fake old" tins also make great planters. This 90's era tin contains oregano and crushed lavarock mulch.

Even modern gadgets can be upcycled into an unusual garden pot. I found this aluminum stove-top popcorn popper at a salvage yard. It was the perfect container for two different herb plants.

Creating storage space with upcycled shower racks

While most of my gardening equipment is kept in my greenhouse, I also keep a few things outdoors for convenience....such as plant trays, small hand tools, water cans and even gardening twine. These are all kept organized in old shower racks which I have hanging from the side of my tool shed.

The advantage of using shower racks for vertical storage is that they are small, compact, and designed to handle water. The shower racks shown are ones that I picked up at our local thrift store salvage yard for 50¢ each. Not only is this a handy way to store often-used gardening supplies (or show off cool old gardening tools) they add interest to an otherwise ho-hum building.

Upcycling candle holders into plant holders

The most common wire racks found at thrift stores are candle holders which can often be found for $1 or less. Candle racks are super easy to upcycle into mini plant holders for the small two-inch terracotta pots found at craft stores.

These smaller pots don't hold much soil which is why I use these smaller pots for seedlings or rooting succulents. The succulents shown are both in the sedum family which will eventually cascade over the sides.

Upcycling a condiment caddy into a outdoor centerpiece

If you have an unwanted condiment caddy kicking around the house like I did, these too are just the right size for making a unique outdoor centerpiece. Three-inch size terra cotta pots fit best. Because the smaller pots mean lots of extra watering, I prefer planting them with low water succulents such as stone crop and hens-and-chicks.

What is the DIY Vintage Garden?

My DIY Vintage Garden is all about discovering fun, creative ways to upcycle old household junk and second hand treasures into one-of-a-kind garden containers. Some containers, such as antique watering cans and old wire bicycle racks are easy to visualize as plant containers. Others need a bit of creativity and that's where the fun comes in.

When I replaced a rusty old wire rack in my water bath canner last fall, I kept the rack with the idea that it could be upcycled into something for the garden. Here's the result.

Wire racks of any type are perfect for displaying a collection of pots. The advantage of a canning rack is that it comes with handles which makes transport from the patio to indoors super simple.