Plant containers

I had only known clay and cement pots as containers when I first started gardening.  It was only after I got in to Dave's Garden website, I got to know about some of the weird things that can be used to grow plants. The easiest I could do was the 'shoe planter'.  My worn out pair of jogging/tennis shoes was the first thing I tried with some rain lily bulbs.  It did well and it was so portable.

This is a 2008 picture

I got to view many pictures from gardeners in that website using and even making containers to hold plants.  Based on those, I built one using bricks because I had a concrete slab ready and that portion need not be made.  Even a stone slab would have worked, but this had the advantage of having holes that was meant for the handle. It was a cover for the concrete water tank, but I used asbestos sheet and had discarded that, reason being too heavy to handle.  Notice it in the left half of this picture.  

I later made another container which can be seen painted in brick colour.  Evolvulus Blue Daze grew in it. 

It is now temporarily used like this:

Among other incredibly beautiful and creative containers I saw on that website, the discarded vehicle tyres attracted me. You know why?  I was at that time noticing 3-4 medium sized tyres discarded by the road close to our house.   I passed by them every day.   Soon they rolled in.  Their inner rings that fitted the rim had to be cut up.  A sharp knife did the trick.  Tough work, but realized how rigid the tyre material is made of.  I've put Aechmea gamosepala plants in it. 

The advantage with these tyre planters is that it can be pulled around if some plastic sheet is kept beneath.  This will also prevent grass from growing through. Some people paint the tyre. 

Here another by the pond. Also notice the cement bag planter. 

A spare tyre that was cut was helpful in storing the rounded stones. 

Then there was the stone trough that I brought from the house we vacated.  It was suitable to have my water lilies in it. That trough was lying idle outside the gate and belonged to the original owner in the house that had a cattle shed.  In olden times, such troughs were made to feed water to the cattle.  It now sits near the entrance gate.

This is my favourite cement pot. It was removed from its pedestal done up in 1950 and brought with the stone trough.  Now it holds the Holy Basil that is worshiped by the Lady of the House every morning. 

There is an endless variety of containers for plants like Pet Bottles, Wheel Barrow, Watering Can, Bath Tub, and many attractive containers, but at this time, these are all what I have.