These Aren’t Your Garden-Variety Containers

Containers can add form, texture, and color to areas that have limited garden spaces, like around buildings, sidewalks, vertical walls, and patios. The traditional container with annuals is great for beautifying your home, but next year you may want to try something different. Here are unique container displays that you can see at Minnetrista.

Aquatic Containers on the Rose Patio

Growing aquatic plants can be fun, and you can do it in containers instead of a pond. We lined the inside the containers on the Rose Garden Patio with pond liners purchased at Lowe’s. The liners were attached under the rims of the containers with silicone caulk. You could also try caulking drainage holes to seal them or purchasing containers without drainage holes.

The aquatic plants for our containers were purchased online and locally from Northern Tropics Greenhouse. Plants in the display include giant bulrush, blue pickerelweed, Bengal tiger canna, obedient plant, and water hyacinth.Maintenance of these containers is easy. Water is added as needed. Plants are fertilized monthly with aquatic fertilizer tabs. Mosquito Dunks, a safe, biological mosquito control, are applied monthly as well.

Here’s an aquatic container after it was put together in early June of this year.

Hayracks and London Baskets in The Orchard Shop Courtyard

If you’ve been to Farmers Market at Minnetrista, you’ve probably noticed these unique containers. Our crew transformed a surplus of unused hanging baskets into London baskets of various heights. This homemade option was a cost saver, and our finished product was definitely as attractive and sturdy as what you can purchase. One of our volunteers, an experienced welder, welded the baskets to 1 inch galvanized pipe. A fresh coat of black spray paint was applied before we installed them in the garden.

Hayracks mounted on the walls of The Orchard Shop Courtyard at Minnetrista.

Another new container you’ll see in The Orchard Shop Courtyard at Minnetrista is the two different types of hayracks mounted on the walls. These are great for livening up a boring wall or fence. Check out “vertical gardening” on Pinterest for budget-friendly ideas for sprucing up vertical spaces.

Some London baskets in The Orchard Shop Courtyard at Minnetrista.

Stop by and see these unique containers at Minnetrista. Maybe they will inspire you to try something similar next year!

Minnetrista gardener Clair Burt is responsible for the Ornamental Gardens including the Rose Garden and Culinary Herb Garden. She can be reached at 765.213.3576 or cburt@minnetrista.net.