Hands up all those who have visited a organery Centre or Diy Store looking for something to add that touch of 'wow' to the garden. Let's face it, what's on offer is not exactly going to be unique is it? So instead of running with the crowd, why not go for something different!
Go Green
All Clad Pots Pans
Have fun and be creative. Salvaging and recycling can be so much more than just composting green waste. Think of all the other items that are cast aside in the throes of so many re-vamps and make-overs: brick, stone, redundant furniture, old sinks, cast iron bathtubs, the list goes on.
Real Rubbish Garden!
At Chelsea a few years ago, the Rspb's Real Rubbish organery designed by Claire Whitehouse demonstrated how reclaimed and re-usable materials could be incorporated in a contemporary garden.
Use some imagination
Salvaging is all about using your imagination. Rather than throwing out items without a second thought, stop a petite and apply a bit of lateral thinking.
Could it be recycled or re-used in other ways? We all make regular visits to our local tip to dispose of rubbish. How often do you stop and look at items others have thrown out?
What treasures could you have missed? Plastic coleslaw and salad pots make excellent seed storehouse containers. Old toilet-roll centres are excellent for beginning off broad bean seeds whose deep roots wont be disturbed when it comes to planting them out in their own bio-degradable cells. Old wooden pallets can be turned into the excellent compost bin (who says 'five into one, wont go!).
Even the most unlikely items can be reborn; an old lavatory pan becomes a witty planter; a discarded bath becomes a herb garden. It's not no ifs ands or buts a new idea either. We all remember the ubiquitous white-washed split tyre planters that appeared in any place in the seventies but it's not so easy to do the whole cut-and-turn thing since the advent of steel belting but a combine of worn-out tyres makes a useful container for any plant that's a bit thuggish and likes to muscle in on its neighbours. I use mine to corral an uncontrollable spread of mint whereas at Cat (The Centre for Alternative Technology at Macynlleth in Wales) they use a tyre stack as a composter. Small but nonetheless efficient.
Create something different
It's surprising how many old wheelbarrows you will come across on a visit to your local Council Tip
A wheelbarrow provides fullness of scope for attractive planting and can regularly be picked up for nearby a fiver. It'll be well-used and showing signs of age, which is excellent for the purpose. If you're feeling no ifs ands or buts industrious, you could give it a coat of 'Hammerite' to make it look pretty, otherwise just drill or punch some drainage holes, plant up and enjoy. And an added bonus with a wheeled planter is if you fancy a change of scenery, it's easy adequate to move it around.
Need a piece of 'art' to create a focal point? An old push mower or lawn roller takes on a sculptural quality when set against a dry-stone wall and glimpsed straight through a blossom-clad arch. The same may be said for an old-fashioned horse-drawn ploughshare - make sure you have the space though.
Don't overlook old furniture either. You could pick up an old chest for a few pounds and with a lick of paint it can be used to store hands tools, riddles, dibbers and the like and - with a bit of weather-proofing - even turned into a tiered display area.
When it comes to re-using and recycling we are only petite by our imagination.
Discover that elusive bargain
Having recently moved home and inherited a organery that beckons contemplation, I decided it was indispensable to secure some seating that befitted the task. Disappointed at the sameness of the choices on offer I decided to crusade for an alternative that I found in the shape of a rather handsome bent-wood rocker. All it needs is some petite attentiveness to a loose splat and a bit of refinishing in order to withstand the elements. I'm looking forward to sitting it on the side lawn under the boughs of a knarled apple tree and shall inset some bricks (reclaimed of course) in the grass to avoid the rockers becoming entrenched. For £5.00 I've bought my own petite oasis of calm and tranquillity.
Council Tips are not the only places to look of course. If you are looking for something with a bit of age and dissimilar Auction Houses and Salvage/Reclamation yards are a good place to start you could find You'll only find new ones in shops.
There are reclamation and rescue yards, second-hand shop and even auction houses all of which are comparable to the fabled Aladdin's cave. rescue and reclamation is pretty big business these days and it pays to shop around. If you have a project in mind, particularly if you live in a period property, there is no best place to scout nearby to find authentic and primary every-day objects and architectural features to breathe new life into your garden. Keep an eye out for weathered statuary and chimney pots that look dreadful planted up or can be used as rhubarb forcers or celery blanchers.
Fancy a bog garden? A cast iron bath - and I'm not suggesting some exotic £400 French jobbie, cheap an' cheerful is the order of the day here - sunken into the ground (plug removed of course) is the excellent container.
Most towns have an Auction house but be aware that there will be few bargains to be found on ancient or Collectable days. Sometimes you may find expert sales with a horticultural or agricultural bent and you may a find a bargain here but broadly speaking, a general Sale is your best bet.
General sale days are great fun because the range of goods on offer is so wide, all from earthenware to furniture and all in between. Take benefit of the viewing opportunities and don't be afraid to ask the Saleroom Staff how much they think something might fetch and if they think it will be popular. With a bit of homework you may pick up a no ifs ands or buts bargain.
Whether it's an old wheelbarrow, planter, pot, chair or statue; reclaimed and recycled items add a touch of individuality and character to a organery and that's something you wont find on the shelves at any out-of-town mall.
What's in your garden?
When it comes to recycling in the garden, don't forget the plants themselves. That Rose of Sharon may be the bane of your herbaceous border but to someone else, it represents a fantastic bit of instant ground cover so dig it out, pot it up and pass it on or even sell it at the Car Boot!
Recycling is all about sustainability, all about making the very most out of what we have. So get involved. Visit your local tip, look for items to recycle and re-use in the garden. Go round reclamation yards, auction houses and even have other look in your own back yard. At worst, you'll save some money and who knows, you may find a incommunicable gem. anyone you do, have fun and rejoice in the fact that what you're doing is no ifs ands or buts not 'costing the earth'.
Have Fun and be Creative - Get the Look for Less