Add a Little Kick to the Garden


Sometimes, adding that bit of pizzazz to an otherwise boring space means using the imagination. This holds true within your home and outside as you can see from our boots.

Nostalgia has kept them in our closet for several decades. Still in good shape and wearable, but a little out of fashion they have now been given an alternative use.

We can bring them into the house in the fall and put them back out again in the spring. If we decide we want to use different plants, these go back into the garden and new planters can be easily made.


Here's how you can make your old boots come to life.

Materials

• A pair of boots that have a good supporting leg. Using lace up or zip up boots will work.
• 2 plastic pop/water bottles complete with tight fitting lids. The bottles need to fit snugly into the leg of the boot; however, you need to be able to slide them in and out easily for watering.
• Pieces of broken clay pots approximately one inch in diameter. NOTE(2)
• Small rocks approximately half inch in diameter
• Potting soil
• Plants of your choice.NOTE (1)

Rinse out the pop bottles. Leaving the cap in place, slide the bottle into the leg of the boot as far as it will go. Place a mark on the bottle so that the cut rim will be approximately 1/2" lower than the top of the boot leg. Remove the bottle from the boot and cut the bottom off flush with the mark you have made. Check to make sure you have cut off enough by sliding the bottle back into the boot. Trim excess if necessary.

Fill the bottle 1/3 to 1/2 full with clay pieces. This depth will depend on the plant you have chosen to place in your planter. If your plant has a shallow root base, you may want to use less soil, therefore, more fill will be required.

Mix some soil with some small rocks and put a layer of about 2" on top of the clay pieces.
Add more soil and your plant(s). The plant should sit nicely into the opening of the bottle and settled in to be crowning the dirt at least 1/2" from the top of the bottle edge. This will allow space for watering.

For the first watering use mixture of water combined with a transplant solution. Slide the planter inside the boot leg and you have completed your project.
Watering should take place about once a week or when the soil is dry. Don't over water. When it's time to water again, simply slide the bottle out of the boot leg, water, and return.

Some plants may become root bound and should be transplanted to a larger container as need be or placed back into the garden.

NOTE (1) For our project, we used a "Hen and Chick" in one boot and a mixture of "Donkey Tail" and "Dragon's Blood" in the other.

OTHER SUGGESTIONS - Use annual flowers such as Lobelia or anything that cascades or herbs such as Pennyroyal Mint, Basil and Marjoram. Any form of the Cactus family.

NOTE (2) The clay chips will allow excess moisture to drain to the bottom. Before you water each time, open the cap on the pop bottle and let the water drain out. This will help to prevent stagnant water from forming in the bottom of the bottle.

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Other related articles and pages.

Amaryllis | Kitchen Tips | Outside Tips | Summertime Recipes | | Watering While Away | Preserving Flowers | Composting | Side Gardens | Bug Companions | Flower Dictionary | Trellises | Watering Tips & Saving | Bulb Planting | Container Gardening |

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