I just bought a bird bath with the intent of using it as something other than a bird bath. I was thinking of turning it into a container garden -- are there any plants that will grow in very shallow soiil?? Being a bird bath, there isn't a lot of depth for plant roots to grow in.
Comment Guidelines
We welcome your feedback on Houseandhome.com. H&H reserves the right to remove any unsuitable personal remarks made about the bloggers, hosts, homeowners and/or guests we feature. Please keep your comments focused on decorating, design, cooking and other lifestyle topics. Adopt a tone you would be willing to use in person and do not make slanderous remarks or use denigrating language. If you see a comment that you believe violates any of the guidelines outlined above, please click “Alert a Moderator.” Thank you.
I'm so focussed on using the bird bath as a planter, I never even thought of doing something like a zen garden or candles -- thanks for those suggestions :)
i like the zen idea if it is a simple bath. or a grouping of candles would be nice too.
I don't know if it is your style, but have you seen those tabletop zen gardens sold for interiors? They are basically a small, shallow tray with (white?) sand, and they include smooth stones and a miniature wooden rake. Something like this would be interesting in the garden in a sheltered area. Toys-R-Us sells COLOURED sand, if you want something a little more lively.
Another idea would be to just display rocks in it-maybe a few bags of highly polished rocks from the dollar store.
Ivy and impatiens. I have seen quite a few birdbath containers in my long walks and they have these 2 plants in them. They look amazing!!!!
I think I remember Jennifer Reynolds putting together that garden on an episode of H&H. Thanks for mentioning it -- maybe a combination of succulents and rock garden plants will work :) Now I just have to go find them!!
Here is another pretty succulent that would look nice and add more colour. It is called Sempervivium 'Red Ace'. It was shown in June/July issue of gardening Life on page 40. So pretty!
You could do a variety of succulent plants. In the Jan/Feb 2003 issue of Gardening Life pg 24, Jennifer Reynolds designed this bird bath planter for indoors but it would be fine outdoors as well.
The article reads...
"A high birdbath makes perfect planter for low-growing, jewel-toned succulents. Spread a thin layer of sandy potting soil (Nature's Mix Cactus and Succulent Soil) one inch thick over a quarter of and inch of gravel in the top of a birdbath. Add large Echveria rosettes in hues of blue, rose and emerald green, and soften the edges with lime green trailing sedum (sedum morganianum). Kept in a sunny place with minimal water, this arrangement will thrive--maybe even flower."
I don't have a bird bath for indoors or out but I like to bring my hen and chick plants inside in the winter and put them in bathrooms. They do really well inside and hardly need any care.
You've all given me some great ideas -- I'm going to turn this bird bath into a container garden yet!! Of course, the bird bath is currently outside in the rain, so for all I know, the birds might have taken it over!!
Altho my birdbath is back to being a bird, chipmunk, squirrel bath, I once used a hanging basket liner to cover the mound of dirt (upside down bowl shape) and cut slits to insert plants. With the raised center, it gives them more room. The plants around the outside were slanted so their roots were more to the middle. Begonias worked well, impatients dried out quickly, -trailing snapdragons, lobelia, million bells, allysum, marigolds were really nice! Have fun! Norm
I agree with hipfunkyfun, seems your bird bath is really shallow and therefore plants for rockgarden is probably the best idea. I have some evergreens in my little rock set up but they are already growing too much. I let you know if I find something.
BC
i have found lots of help in the various forums here:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/
have a look at plants listed specifically for rock gardens. there are some beautiful ones and they don't need much soil.
I love your bird bath container garden, Lisi!! It's lovely!!
Unfortunately, my bird bath is nowhere near as deep as yours -- it's maybe an inch deep in the center, at the most. Do you know of any plants that would work in such a shallow container??
Yes, it should not be a problem to make a little garden out of your bird bath. I have a shallow bowl in im front yard, this year I have allyssum, marigolds, veronicas and some ivy geraniums in it. Last year there was too many plants and I didn't like how they were overhanging the bowl and covering the stand up.
BC