UPCYCLE A VINTAGE SUITCASE INTO A GARDEN
Excerpted with permission from Teeny Tiny Gardening, published by CICO books.
With the right mindset, you can consider any container a potential garden. An old-fashioned suitcase is ideal for creating a miniature garden. I love hellebores and the fact that they appear after a gloomy winter only adds to their appeal. The muted colors of these pulsatillas and hellebores look beautiful, but brightly colored plants would look fabulous, too.
Materials Black plastic refuse sack for lining the suitcase Old suitcase Drainage crocks Potting mix with a few handfuls of sand added
Plants:
Helleborus argutifolius(Corsican hellebore) Helleborus lividus (hellebore) Pulsatilla vulgaris andP. vulgaris ‘Eva Constance’(pasque flower)
Step 1
Gathered all the materials needed.
Step 2
Cut a plastic refuse sack down so that it will fit snugly inside the suitcase and form a lining. Push the sack neatly into the corners. Use a pair of scissors to cut some holes in the plastic for drainage. If you want to keep the suitcase in good condition, simply leave the lining intact and make sure you do not over-water.
Step 3
Put some crocks in the bottom of the suitcase, covering the holes in the plastic to help improve the drainage.
Step 4
Fill the suitcase with potting mix, stopping just short of the top of the refuse-sack lining.
Step 5
Take the plants out of their plastic pots and position them in the suitcase until you are happy with the arrangement. Scoop out some of the potting mix and push the plants into the holes, firming around the plants to keep them in place.
Step 6
