Jul 28 2008
A different type of rock garden
A few years ago I came across an idea in a book titled, “The Beginner’s Guide to Gardening by Reader’s Digest.” It was very interesting and used something that completely surprised me. I am a huge fan of unusual planters so this was one idea that I just had to share.
If you are doing any type of home renovation, you may have some leftover items that you have torn out of your hose. Usually, these items wind up in a trash heap but if you take some time, you can use many of those items in and around your garden. One of these innovative items is the old kitchen sink (or bathroom sink for that matter) used as a planter.
These can make an excellent raised planter in a rock garden or an interesting focal point in any garden.
What you need:
- an old sink
- hypertufa
- PVC adhesive
- mesh netting
- course sand
- liquid fertilizer
- soil mix (gritty is best)
- rocks
- plants (usually a dozen works well but it depends on the size of your sink and what overall effect you are looking for)
- optional:Â stone chips
Directions:
- Clean out the sink thoroughly. Make sure there is no grease or left over residue in it.
- After the sink has dried, cover it with hypertufa. You do this by coating the outside of the sink in adhesive and then applying the hypertufa. Repeat with rim and the inside to about a third of the way down. The hypertufa should be seamless but not smooth.
- Allow it to dry.
- Brush the hypertufa with the liquid fertilizer. This encourages the growth of algae on the outside of your newest container.
- Place the sink where you would like it to go before you begin adding soil and plants.
- Cover the drain with the mesh wire and fill it with roughly 4 inches of course sand.
- Fill halfway with the soil. If you are using rocks, place them in the sink and then fill the remainder of the soil in.
- Place the flowers and plants where you want them.
- Cover the soil with the sand or you can use the same ground cover that you use in your rock garden such as stone chips.
And just like that you have a unique container and more importantly, not only did you recycle but it gave you a reason to renovate that kitchen.
Sirena Van Schaik
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