Plant containers
A wide diversity of figure is to be found in flora containers , ranging from the small and familiar flower pot to the advanced , automatically watered plant trough . Materials range in age and case from the old stone trough to the very up-to-the-minute credit card . They include cementum , the Great Compromiser , alloy , charge card and fiberglass and Mrs. Henry Wood . They may be adapted for indoor or outdoor use bet on visual aspect and strength .
Plastics and fibreglass
Extruded polystyrene is used by some manufacturers to produce plant containers which are very light and attractive with their troughs . They are idealcontainers for the cleaning woman gardeneras they are idle and pleasant to deal . They must be used with care , however , as they are fairly fragile when filled . For instance , it is not wise to pull a large bowl , when filled , by its rim , as this can let on off easily . A long trough must be sustain underneath with a piece of timber if it has to be go when filled . Usually , however , containers should be put in their correct positions first and then filled and planted .
Some window - box or plant trough design are manufactured from unattackable plastic materials which lead in lightweight , buncombe - proof article . They also have particular appeal to the woman gardener as they are beautifully grace by easing designs . worthy plastic and fibreglass shallow plant life gutter can be obtained for indoor use . These are idealistic for placingpot plantsin , especially on the window shelf . A few small pebbles in the bottom plus a regular supplying of small amounts of water will provide the idealistic moist atmospheric state for growing many plant . There are several fibreglass plant life tub on the market . These are made from limited high - quality fiberglass in various colour , such as red , lily-livered and dark-green . The stuff used in their twist is light , so the containers are easy to deal . As their food colour is permanent , there is no need to paint them and they will not rot or warp .
Fibreglass is also used for trough , window - box , urns and other type of industrial plant container . One reach lie of facsimile reproductions of outmoded originals with recherche motifs accurately copy . Of distinctive design in the fashion of these reproductions is a substantive straight plant container go out back to an original made about 1550 . Its sizing makes it suitable for a tree diagram or large bush . Another example is an attractive window - box of narrow proportions with a lead culture from an original of the same flow . A King George II period tub , date 1757 , with high relief of a ship in full cruise , shells , starfish and mermaid and a Queen Anne flair urn , see 1710 , with griffon handles and cherub reliefs , are other examples of archetype reproduced in this serial publication . The autotype are so in effect that it is virtually unimaginable to detect that they are made of fibreglass , except that they are very much abstemious in weight than the lead pilot . An attractive container of this kind can be bought for a reasonable monetary value , some are very ok and the pick is all-embracing enough to cater for most tastes .
Wood
Elm , oak , teak and cedarwood are born materials which are used by the manufacturers of many types of attractive container . They may take the form of a straight or foresightful trough , and several have been specially designed for indoor use . sizing of troughs vary considerably . Some flora troughs can be purchased in ‘ do - it - yourself ’ kit , and are very easy to assemble . There are also cope with sets of tubs and public treasury , especially useful where these containers are to be used on a patio . For indoor use , container should be as attractive as potential and many manufacturers have paid exceptional aid to goal . One range of mountains of Burma - teak tubs has tapered screw - in legs and a beautiful high gloss , tarnish - proof finish of three coats of a especial lacquer .
Cement
A particularly utilitarian plant container range is manufactured from a mixture of compound and cementum . This process results in containers which are extremely durable and not nonresistant to damage by even the severe of frost . They are a lilliputian heavy to handle but their other qualities more than make up for this . Some are made in very strange shapes . They may have hour - glassful - like outlines , others are similar to ice - cream cones . These new shapes add well to their attractiveness . They may be particularly useful as urine containers for humble fountain or falls effects . They can be used for works displays indoors and for outside employment ; it is a wide-eyed matter to exercise holes in their stand .
There is much to remember the purpose of concretecontainers and there are several attractive designsavailable . Some specialist stone crafter farm quite ornate examples , some of which are very expensive . For the middling small garden , the smaller designs should be pick out . Tudor or Italian style vases which are about 50 cm ( 20 in ) gamy and 40 cm ( 16 in ) in diam are quite suited . For the larger garden and where an informal design is required , spell such as a big fluted vase , or one in the manner of design developed in the Regency period , about 1 thousand ( 3 foot ) high , would go well with the more spacious surroundings . They can be obtained jolly easily .
Hand-made pots
This eccentric of pot for garden decoration is increase in popularity and some very beautiful blueprint are available . Shapes and sizes are diverse . Some take the descriptor of ‘ Ali - Baba ’ jars , others are quite stumpy with a diameter of some 45 - 60 cm ( 18 - 24 in ) and a depth of 20 - 25 cm ( 7 - 10 in ) . For big plants such as trees and shrubs there are much deeper designs . Several specialists in this type of bike - thrown pottery will make stack to customer ’s special society or pattern . Among the choices useable there are some very charming rampart pots which have holes for fixing to wall . All these pots have plenteous drainage and , provide they are well crocked and filled with a good , well - drained or opened compost , they are frost - proof .
Holders or supports
For indoor use there are several type of alloy pedestals which provide very attractive support for plant life containers . The role of wrought iron for garden showing work seems to be increase in popularity too , particularly for patios , paved country , etc . These pedestals have a plant container or a chopine top for alternative presentation . In one or two design the height is adjustable . Wall unit and tabular array pieces are also available , the latter are very useful as they are only about 20 centimetre ( 8 in ) high and turn on the flower arranger to produce little arrangements most effectively . Various molded iron base or stand are made for automatically watered pots and troughs and there is also a extra wall support .
The metal stand support the plant container , which may be pots or a trough , sometimes takes the form of curlicue - work , or it may consist of unretentive or farsighted leg , perhaps with a cartridge holder or newspaper publisher wheel between or an gird metal ‘ batting cage ’ for green goddess or public treasury or ahanging basket . Some of the scroll - body of work may be covered in whitened polythene , both to make it more attractive and weatherproof . Some fiberglass plant tubs are provided with a supporting metal tripod as an optional spear carrier .
Hanging baskets
An attractive direction of displayingplants outdoors is by the use of flow baskets . These are available in the human body of unsubdivided conducting wire field goal which , when occupation with a piece of perforated plastic weather sheet or moss , hold soil and plants neatly . More modern telegram baskets are coated with charge plate . The usual sizes are 25 cm ( 10 in ) , 30 centimeter ( 12 in ) , 35 atomic number 96 ( 14 in ) and 40 cm ( 16 in ) in diam . A limited half - hoop for rampart is available in sizes of 35 cm ( 14 in ) and 40 centimeter ( 16 in ) .
Inventive ideas
If you could not afford to drop a great deal on decorative vase or urn , a wide-cut range of other object , not earlier intended as plant container , may be pressed into service . previous winebarrelsare often obtainable from wine merchandiser or other sources and the bbl , when sawn in half carefully , make two excellent industrial plant tubs . A number of holes should be drilled in the bottoms for drainage purpose . A poker is possibly the most useful creature for this purpose . It will be easy to drive hole through the wood when the peak is red blistering . The bathtub should be handle with a copper - based wood preservative before they are used .
Builders ’ yard can provide many unusual container , peculiarly for the inventive gardener . Old chimney - pots , unembellished or grace may often be picked up quite cheaply . They can easy be provided with concrete infrastructure and allowance may be made for drainage mess by put in wooden plugs before the concrete has set . These may be knocked out afterwards . previous domestic water tanks of various physical body and sizes make dead acceptable containers , particularly if they are paint on the exterior and hole are knock in their base of operations .
quondam wash fuzz are not difficult to find . Many have rounded bases , which run to make them a little unstable , but this can be overpower by beating the base more or less insipid with a hammer or mallet . Drainage hollow are easily provided . The compass of sizing is quite considerable ; some from old country house may be 1 m ( 3 ft ) in diameter and as much in depth . Exposed to the element they take on a pleasant greenish - bronze patina . Some are made of cast - iron and this is more unmanageable to drill for drainage use , though it can be done . On no account seek to criticize holes in the groundwork of a cast - iron wash drawing ‘ fuzz ’ , as the material is brittle and you may ruin the container .
From the greengrocer , in spring , it is sometimes possible to hold tall split - cane hoop in which young potato are imported . At best these must be considered as impermanent container , with a life of one or two season , although they will last a little longer if they are run along with polyethylene sheeting before they are filled with drainage stuff and dirt .
Farm sales are worth attend to by the gardener in hunting of less common container . It is often possible to pick up quite cheaply such things as feed bowl , which make suitable long low container . It does not weigh if their bases are rust ; it merely reach it prosperous to bring home the bacon the necessary drainage maw . A coat of rouge helps to make them more satisfactory in the garden . Disused hay - rack may also be see and , when fix against a wall , as they were originally , make strange feature . Before they are fill with soil they should be line with fine - mesh wire - netting or perforated plastic sheeting , both of which will retain the land yet appropriate surplus water to lam freely .
The day of the overweight wooden wheelbarrow is almost over as modern barrows are made of metallic element or leaden - responsibility charge card . If you have an old wooden barrow or can obtain one , do not consign it to the balefire , for after holes have been drilled in the bottom it get an unusual and well - adapted container for all kind of plant . you could either go away it in its innate nation and cover it with a woods preservative , or paint it with a safe timbre lead pigment , to give it a new lease of animation .
It is occasionally possible to encounter model of the large earthenware pots used for forcing rhubarb , when they were invert over the jacket to exclude most of the lighting . These already have a jam in the ‘ base ’ ( in reality the top when they are used for forcing ) and this will roleplay as a drainage cakehole when they are used as plant containers .
There is much no terminus ad quem to what may be used for growing plants in . Old baths , including hip baths , have been used in town gardens , while it is not at all strange to see , in country gardens , hollowed - out Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree - soapbox used as intimate plant container .
A point to remember , particularly as far as cryptical containers are interest , is that rich provision should be made for drainage . To forbid the drainage mess from being blank out and to prevent worm and slugs from entering through them , it is wise to stand the container on bricks or small-arm of woodwind , so that their bases are clear of the ground .
