I've had this oval iron plant stand thing for years, and I've always just potted some flowering plants in one large, or two smaller pots, and stood the pots in the planter. This year I decided to do something different, so I lined the entire thing with coconut fiber and planted a bunch of plants directly into the thing. Don't you just LOVE when something you try actually works?
Great idea! No pots to detract from the flowers' beauty, better drainage, and you get to pat yourself on the back for being brilliant (I'd give you a pat, but my arms aren't long enough to reach to Tenn.).
A very creative idea that has many applications in other containers that might not be thought of as flower holders. Now, what did I do with that coconut..........? Jerry
That looks great. I'm not a fan of the coco-liner stuff. It just doesn't seem to hold enough moisture. I like the way it looks... so what I did for one planter that pretty much required it, was line the coco-liner with plastic first (and of course poking some holes in it for drainage). Works so much better.
For me, the coco liner works fine in other containers that will hold some water before draining it, but not in a wire basket because it drains out too fast. I have an old fruit basket with a coco liner and it works great. My wire baskets that I tried a coco liner with drain out in a few hours and my plants are constantly thirsty. They look nice, but drain too fast. Ronni's project looks lovely.
I would probably re-think the coco liner in that basket if it was the only thing I HAD to water constantly, because yes, you're observations are correct, it dries out quickly. But I have a variety of pots in the front of the house where it is, and most of them require daily watering, I guess because of the abundance of sun they get from noon onwards. So if I'm out there anyway, spraying this container is just part of the daily routine. I did have a plant in a basket by my "Welcome" flag near the front door. I'd spray painted it yellow and it had a couple of lovely flowering annuals in it. But if I didn't water it TWICE a day it dried out completely! I eventually killed the flowers, just because I couldn't keep up with the watering. I'll never repeat that mistake!
They do dry quickly. Because the coconut fiber is so porous, it doesn't hold the moisture in at all, compared to, say, a clay or ceramic, or even plastic pot where the only way for the moisture to evaporate is through the top, exposed soil. With the fiber, it can evaporate from the entire container, so it dries out much faster.
I like your idea for this year! If the planter is nearby, and not a big inconvenience to water, I'd say it is a good alternative. I have a few hanging baskets with the fiber liners and don't seem to mind keeping them watered. (Maybe it helps that they are both in shady places?) I like your selection of plants, and it's fun to do something different...very pretty Ronni!
Thanks, Kay. About the only thing I'd do differently for next year is to add in something that has a little height. I expected those grassy looking things would get tall. I must have mistakenly chosen some kind of mondo grass rather than the grass that puts out tall fronds. And I'd put that in the middle, rather than having a couple on each side.
