Junking in the garden

I love junking! I go to garage sales every Saturday morning, whenever I can, even for an hour or so before work. I rarely come home empty handed. Sometimes I only find one little thing, but it's usually worth it.

The top picture is one of my large 'Keri Blue' dahlias in an old bentwood rocker with the seat removed. It has been such a good holder for the large dahlia, that I plant it there every year.

I recently found two other chairs for the garden while on a short walk down my road, looking for nettles and jewelweed. I live next to the county forest and people are always dumping their trash there! It's shameful!

On this particular occasion I was overjoyed to find these two black iron chairs. There is some glare on them in the picture. They are all black, not gray at all. They are a bit broken at a seam or two so not usable as chairs, but they will make great holders for the new large dahlias I acquired this year or any other large, tall plants that need a holder in the garden.

They are standing in front of an 'Intense Purple' amaranth growing in the flowerbed. It's a beautiful and stately small tree where a little shade is needed beside a bench and it grows to at least 8' tall in the one season (it's an annual). One of my favouite things to grow in the flower bed!

After seeing the dresser planter on another site, I searched around and asked on Freecycle for an old, solid wood, small dresser with 3-4 drawers, to make one myself. I got one from Freecycle and the owner even delivered it! Wow!

This is the dresser I have stored away until spring, when I am going to make a planter out of it. I will refinish it first, either stained dark with fancy handles or painted white, distressed and heavily sealed, of course, for outside use.

I love repurposing furniture and unusual things in the garden! I have a couple of old teapots that do well as planters too. I also have an old pair of rubber boots that I am considering using as planters in the spring. You just never know what you can re-use as a planter in the garden.

I like broken, mosaic tile in the garden too but I haven't done anything like that yet. It's on the list! I have gone so far as to collect some interesting tiles. I have a large collection of junk for the garden. (It's time that I don't have!)

Whimsy and imagination are part of what makes up a fabulous and interesting garden space!