See what a little fresh paint, new blooms, and even strawberries did to these old items.
Old wooden chair
1. Cut center out of chair seat so pot can rest on the frame.
2. Spray-paint chair and pot.
3. Plant large pot (we used a 12-inch clay pot plus smaller potted plants for the ladder part of the chair) filled with yellow sweet potato vine, red verbena, 'Tango Neon' purple geranium, Calibrachoa 'Dreamsicle,' Supertunia 'Royal Velvet,' and premium potting soil.
Price: $55 for soil, flowers, and spray paint.
Metal strainers
1. Line large and small strainers with plastic grocery bags so the soil does not wash out of the holes.
2. Fill both strainers with soil.
3. Place an upside-down 5-inch clay pot into the back of the large container. Push it down until it is level with the rim of the strainer.
4. Place the small strainer on the upside-down pot and the back rim of the large strainer. (You might use a dragonfly pole pushed through the strainer, through the pot, and into the soil below to stabilize the top strainer.)
5. Plant the smaller strainer with Dianthus 'Strawberry Parfait' and Alyssum 'Snow Crystals.'
6. Plant the larger strainer with strawberry plants. (You could use the ever-bearing variety.)
Price: About $25 for flowers, strawberries, soil and dragonfly.
Metal watering can
1. Fill the bottom one-third of the can with crumpled plastic containers to improve drainage.
2. Fill the rest of the can with potting soil.
3. For height, plant a white caladium. For fullness, plant a dragon-wing begonia and Torenia 'Blue Wave.'
4. To soften the look, plant asparagus fern to drape over the edge.
5. After planting, spread a slow-release fertilizer and then cover the soil with sphagnum moss for a finished look.
Price: $25 for soil, flowers, plants, and fertilizer.
Man's boot
1. Remove the steel toe and shoe tongue.
2. Drill holes through the sole near the ball of the foot and drill one hole in the inside arch through the leather.
