Repurposed Vintage (gas/watering) cans
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
In yesterday’s post I showed you how Jamie and I planted succulents(hens & chicks) for her wedding reception.
These are the plants I brought home from the wedding. I needed a place to plant them.
If you follow me on FB or Twitter you already know what I ran across while cleaning these cans out! I generally post what I’m working on if you’re interested in following there. The can on the right had a MOUSE family that committed suicide in it. There was a cap on the top, apparently they went in through the spout. Joyce said she thought it was a great mousetrap!
After I got it cleaned out, I drilled some holes in it.
Then I used a pair of tin snips to cut a larger hole. I tried a hole saw, but it didn’t want to work very well on the roundness of the can.
I used a file to remove some of the sharp points.
I filled it up with a sandy topsoil. Not pictured: I drilled many holes in the bottom for drainage, and added some rocks to the bottom for drainage. These plants need well drained soil.
I didn’t fill all the holes because I thought the babies would come out of the holes. Cathy thinks they won’t. Thoughts? Can you help me know how these things work?
This is just for staging because it is too shady in this area of my flower bed.
I will have to move it to a much sunnier location.
I had a few more plants, and wanted another unusual container. I found this vintage watering can in my shed.
I drilled and cut holes in it too. I also did drainage holes and rocks in the bottom.
This is a very small decorative watering can. I put some of the leftover plants that were not used at the wedding.
This is an old furnace grate. I used all of the leftover dirt and garbage roots from the container that Marybeth delivered Nana’s (aunt Jean’s) hens & chicks in. I have this in the sunniest part of my back yard. I will keep you posted if this “garbage” produces any plants. I am hopeful that it will. update: it did nothing 🙁
updated to add: I built this container for Jamie to grow her Hens & Chicks, and it’s doing great. You can see how I built it in my post Planter Made With Reclaimed Fence
What is the most unusual container YOU have used to plant flowers/plants in?
gail
Pin It
I was going to buy some of these the other day! I still have other plants that need to be planted before I buy more. They look cute in the watering can. I have an old chair I painted blue and made a basket for it and filled it up!
The cans look great! I just started a new addiction with hens & chicks last year, now I have some new ideas….
That’s such a cool look, and it’s only going to look better and better as the plants grow! I think it’s really special that all these plants are “family” plants, and now you have some, too.
I hope the furnace grate gets a few hens. That would be fun to see!
loving this! and kicken myself for not grabbing a couple cans at a garage sale last weekend because I didn’t know what I would do with them to convince my husband why I needed them. umpf!
I can’t tell you anything about them, but my Dad gave me a vintage mccoy pot to plant some hens and chicks in. (I got the babies from a teacher’s assistant last year before I retired.) I hope yours and mine will thrive.
love your containers.. i have some hen and chicks my mama gave me for Mothers day last year and they are still living..surprise surprise and I honestly havent done anything to them at all. I like that kind of plant.
I planted flowers in an old rubber boot. It was too cute!
In my experience, the chicks only grow right next to the mother, so they are not going to spread to the rest of the holes. Eventually, the mother will probably die off also. Did you clean the gas can really well? Gas will kill vegetation.
The new planters look great. You need to put a chick in each hole. The chicks form off the mother plant.
The most unusual thing I’ve planted in was an old turquoise toilet complete with the tank. I sold the toilet, plants and all for $50 at my moving sale.
Your cans look like they will fill in nicely. I just got myself 2 old metal watering cans and maybe I’ll make them planters too! Thanks for the ideas!
Right now I am working on a lid from an old trunk. I am making a moss garden. Your watering cans are great. I would probably snip a finger off!
8>)
Im so rubbish with plants I see all these wonderful ideas & I feel very shameful