A few years ago, my church started holding an annual Spring Tea. It isn't so much a formal event as a fun one, with exotic teas, delicious sandwiches and desserts, a speaker, and a hat contest. I have been in charge of centerpieces (they become door prizes at the end of the tea) and I scour thrift stores and garage sales for unique containers (mostly homeless tea pots for the past two events). One of my favorites the first year was a beat up, old, metal lunchbox…the manly, rectangular kind. I planted both the lid and the box, and since it was a lunch container, chose to fill it with food stuff like lettuce, chives, and other herb starts taken from my garden.
This year’s tea will feature a fashion show. In honor of that, I’ve chosen to make the centerpieces planted purses (and maybe even a pair of high-heeled shoes or two!). Here’s a picture of the first finished purse. I’ve decided that, once upon a time, a lovely lady in a lovely red dress and matching shoes carried this purse with her to a very important event. Because she felt so confident, was so witty, and looked so lovely, she got the job she was hoping for, or the man she was hoping for, or the (you fill in the blank) she was hoping for.
I like to think that same lovely lady would smile in delight to see her purse live on as home to two white Alyssum, one Dusty Miller and a bold,red-trailing geranium! I’m sure this purse, and the 14 I have yet to plant, will be big hits at this year’s tea!
Here are a few tips for planting in any container, especially things not originally meant to hold dirt and plants.
Because these will be sitting on a table and I don’t want them leaking, I’m using grocery-store plastic bags to line the purses. For this one, I used two bags, one inside the other, opened them inside the purse, rolled down the bag sides until they were lower than the purse top by about an inch. Then I hot-glued the bags to the purse.
Drainage is another must-have, no matter what container you use! I put a good inch of pea gravel in the bottom of the purse and then filled it with a light potting soil (if your potting soil needs lightening, add some perlite…you can find it in any garden center).
Water lightly! Remember, without holes on the bottom, there’s no place for excess water to go, so don’t over-do it! You don’t want to drown the roots.
I like to give my containers a weekly watering of a standard Miracle-Gro solution. It goes a long way in guaranteeing big, beautiful flowers all season!
I encourage you to think outside the pot this year and plant something whimsical! Choose the plants based on the container, like I did for the lunchbox (another time I had an old marshmallow tin and planted it with Althaea Officinalis, more commonly called the marshmallow plant), or simply plant what looks good to you. Either way, have fun!
