Gardening Sweet Spots
By Donna Hessel
Gardeners often have the problem of buying more plants than they have space for. If you find yourself in that predicament, here are some suggestions to help you find homes for all those extras you couldn’t resist.
Tipsy Pot Stack
A friend of mine who has a small yard showed me this project that not only let her plant more flowers but brightened up a corner of her yard, as well. This is an easy DIY project and a great way to utilize all those clay pots gardeners tend to collect over the years. 
First, clear a spot in your garden. Remove the sod and pound in a 66″ long piece of 1/2″ diameter rebar into the soil at least two feet. This is very important for stability as the pots being stacked on it will be heavy with soil, water and plants. Surrounding the area with several layers of newspaper will help to block any weeds that might come up through the mulch you put around the base.
Depending on the height of the pots you have chosen, you may need to lengthen or shorten the piece of rebar. Measure the height of all the pots ahead of time and then add 24″ to that total before cutting your rebar.
Place a 12″ round clay pot at the base of the rebar, threading the rod through the drainage hole in the pot. Fill the pot with potting mix, leaving an inch or two at the top and water it in. Slide a 10″ clay pot over the rod in the same manner and tilt it on its side. The bottom
will be resting on the soil. Fill the pot with soil, leaving at least two inches at the top. Continue stacking 10″ pots on the rod, alternating the way they lean until you run out of rod. You will need five pots based on the above sizes. You can adjust the number of pots given the length of your rod. Stacks higher than five pots will be hard to water and the tower could become unstable.
Now you are ready to plant the pots. Once planted, your tower will look something like the photo. You may need to add a little more soil around each plant as you are putting them in, but leave at least an inch at the top of each pot so that when you water, the water does not run out too fast. You can mulch the pots to help prevent this.
To water, start at the top and water slowly. Pour the water on until it starts to run out. Stop watering that pot and go to the next. Continue until all pots have been watered. Wait several minutes then repeat the process. Clay pots tend to dry out quickly. You can reduce how often you need to water by sealing or painting the pots first and lining the inside of the pots with newspaper. Or you could also use plastic pots instead of clay. This tower may need to be watered twice a day if you have temps in the 90s or higher.
Straight Pot Stack
I also like this suggestion for a DIY pot stack. The photo shows how to construct it. Your flowers will be displayed differently than in the tipsy stack, so it just depends on which final effect you want to achieve. This straight stack would be best in an area where it could be viewed from all sides.
Other Above-Ground Options
* Window Boxes
* Planters that attach to deck railings to hold potted plants
* Hooks that attach to siding or fences on which containers can be hung
* Hanging baskets
* Pots placed on the steps of an opened, weathered ladder
Vertical Upcycled Pallet Planter
If you have an empty wall, you can lean this planter against it, or it can be mounted on stakes to add height in a border. Keep an eye out for pallets that are being discarded to pick up one for free. Just make sure the pallet you choose is suitable for adding plants; i.e., free from wood preservatives or other contaminants. This is also a DIY project, but a bit more complicated than the tipsy tower. There are several how-to videos on You Tube for detailed directions, but here are the basics:
* Eliminate every other slat if the slats are too close together
* Cut a double layer of landscape fabric to fit in between the pallet boards
* Attach landscape fabric with heavy-duty staples placed every few inches
Fill the troughs with lightweight potting mix and add your favorite plants. Plants that form low mounds or trail over the edges of the slats will look great.
The best solution to overbuying, of course, is to go shopping with a list. But there will always be something that catches your eye or calls out your name that isn’t on your list. Hopefully, one of these suggestions will be the solution that lets you enjoy every plant you purchase.
Content credits:
Garden Gate Newsletter – Published April 8, 2019 – by Garden Gate staff (Pallet planter)
empressofdirt.net/how-to-make-tipsy-pots/ (Note: The reference I used were notes from my friend, but this is a how-to that goes with the photo)
Photo credits:
Primary photo: pexels.com
Tipsy Pot Stack: Pinterest – empressofdirt.net-tipsy pots
Straight Pot Stack: – Pinterest – hometalk.com-straight stack
Diagram – Pinterest – Pot stack planter-pinterest-etsy.com-7ad638715b7791c75f12cbbd289f6ed8
Pallet Planter: – Pinterest – balconygardenweb.com-pallet stack
