Sunday, June 21, 2009

Beach Planter

HAPPY FATHERS DAY TO ALL FATHERS!
A simple seed collected and given to a daughter to plant in her garden. The seed takes root and begins to open up in the garden so many miles away. The product of a Fathers love for his daughter in such a simple but special way! Thanks Big Daddy for the Morning Glory seeds you gave me from your Tennessee Garden, now in my Georgia Garden reminding me of you every morning!

Now let's take a look at a new planter shall we...
As you can see I do not have foundations beds by my Georgia house. After reading a post by Tina on her Foundation Beds, I decided it was time to created one. The spot between the Air/Heat Unit and the cement slab by the water faucet always bugged me. An empty plot waiting for something to be planted there.My mother in law was Spring cleaning her garage and came across many collected sea shells with her trips to Florida. She asked if I had a use for any Sea Shells. Well, No but I bet Tina would like some or she can pass them along on Freecycle! I was shocked to see how many shells there were and decided to keep a few for myself. Tina got the other boxes of shells and was happy. Hum, I wonder what Tina did with those shells?

Okay, now you know the inspiration for this planter, lets move on with it... The Saint and I chose the border then I dug out the grass and a layer of soil where they were to be placed. A slope and clay dirt make for some tough digging. We are lucky as we don't have much clay in our yard but by the house we have plenty. I am sure this was brought in to level the ground when the house was built.

With border in place, the Saint dug three holes for some plants to be placed.
See the red Georgia Clay he had to dig out? Lucky for us, the soil was moist so not as difficult of a job as could have been.
We have a banana tree (passed along from my parents) that has been planted in two different spots in the yard with no luck. One year the squirrels used it as a play toy and shredded all the leaves two different times! The pine needles from the trees above tore holes in it while planted in the second spot. Each fall, I would dig it out of the ground and bring it inside during the winter to bring the poor thing back to life. I kept it in the sun-room all winter long again this past winter and hopefully, this year, it will survive its final spot. I do not plan on bringing it inside again this winter!

As you can see we made two sections within the planter. One contains the banana tree while the other side, separated by a metal plate, contains a small clump of "Avalanche Feather Reed Grass" and a tall Lily. Lola sent me the Lily bulb last fall. Lola nor I know the name of this lily but look at the one which she has in her Florida garden! I hope my new lily will bloom such as this! Thanks again Lola for the wonderful gift! Do any of you know the name of this beauty?The Saint and I dug out lots of fresh compost from our bin and added it to the planter along with some bags of top soil. We watered everything well then I placed landscapers fabric on top of the soil.
Next, came sand. The title to this post is beach planter so you knew I had to have sand right? I placed the sand on the left side under the banana tree.
Then I carefully placed river rocks on the other side of the planter. The fabric below should hold all of this in place.
We put smaller pea gravel on the outer sides of the planter to help hold the border in place but make for a cleaner splash with rain fall.
The pea gravel was placed along the sides and back of the planter.The fun part of this project was placing the sea shells in the sand to form a beach type look. I added a crab which I must say I paid way too much for but he was perfect for my beach so I splurged this time.
The Saint found this empty turtle shell in our woods a while back and now was the time to incorporate it into the garden. Some people might think this planter is now finished but not so as I had a vision not yet completed.I cut some scrap wood and tied it together with rope. I drilled holes into some of the smaller shells and strung it on twine. I then put it all together to make this little sea post. Free decorations! We secured it in this spot by drilling a hole into the bottom of the wood and placing over a rebar we hammered into the ground. I placed the sea post in the corner but am looking for a water proof gull type bird to perch on top. I am on the hunt for that...
I wanted the Saint and I to build a backdrop of sorts out of wood but we did not have any such scrapes lying around. We found two small trellis for a good price and decided we could not buy wood as cheap so we put them in place instead of build our own.Next came the fun task of shopping at bargain centers for the perfect things to place on the backdrop! I found Fish Nets, a Birdhouse, Wooden Buoys and 2 Fish with my bargain hunting. I drilled holes into more shells and strung twine to make a garland.
I wrapped an old wine crate with a second fish net and placed old bottles and more shells around it.
There may be a bit more room for future items that I may run across in time. But for now, I am happy with my BEACH PLANTER, In the Garden...

29 comments:

  1. How creative you are Skeeter! It looks great-especially with the tied together piers and backdrop. You and the Saint did a super job. Can't believe how hard that soil looks to dig. Has your Mother In Law seen it yet? It is a wonderful use of the seashells. I've not done anything with mine yet. Sigh. I think I'll wind up doing some mosaics or something. Not sure. This winter probably. I'm a bit behind on projects.

    Happy Father's Day to all!!!!!!!

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  2. Forgot to say, Lola's lily is beautiful. Don't know what kind it is. I thought a Madonna lily, but that is not it at all.

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  3. Good Morning Everyone! The post did not show up for me until now. Hum, wonder what was up with that?

    Tina, MIL has not seen this planter as of yet. We just created it a few weeks ago and i was keeping it a surprise until the post. tee hee. It was so much fun creating this little beach planter. If i had known your topic on Friday, I could have worded this a bit differently with the bananas! Too funny we posted on bananas on the same weekend! lol. I will give you a call in a few minutes then we can chat a bit about getting together at some point. My Father is out on the boat with one of my brothers right now for Fathers Day and I am off for my last day of volunteering at the Yard Sale for the Cat shelter so I will be free for a visit across town soon!

    Helen, You can find the crab at Lowes. Maybe not so pricy after season though....

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  4. That's the cutest planter I have ever seen!

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  5. Ahoy matey!! Arrgghh. Ye've made a nice stretch of beach there, such a place as that would do well do have a treasure chest buried there! Aye!

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  6. Great job Skeeter and the Saint. You have a little piece of Maine in your yard!!

    Do not know what kinda lily that is but it sure is stunning and huge.

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  7. Skeeter, You and The Saint get to have so much fun together! The beach planter is really cute. gail

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  8. Very nice! Be sure to update us as it grows up.

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  9. WoW Skeeter when you do a garden YOU DO A GARDEN! Beautiful and how creative you are! Love all of it, the border, the trims, shells. And that Lily is huge. Is it taking steroids? LOL Beautiful too what a display flower!

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  10. Wow --that is such a cool creation Skeeter!
    Happy Father's Day!

    Tina -we picked three more cucumbers this morning after our walk. I'm sure there are a ton more but three kiddos -hence three cucumbers:) Boy 1 is off volunteering with dad at work this morning. And Lil Bundle was sleeping while on his walk --he is so cute!

    Now, we are staying indoors where it is much cooler --the humidity sure is something.

    Lola --that is a beautiful lily. Hubby loves lilies --especially at Easter --he loves the smell -he said it reminds him of Easter when he was a child. Very good memories -I liked the smell of chocolate better in this case, hahaha.
    Have a great day!

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  11. It is species lily Lilium formosanum, Formosa Lily, originated in Taiwan, formerly Formosa, perhaps the tallest lily. I'm growing one myself, it's only 1 1/2 feet tall, (from seed.)

    Your foundation bed is going to be gorgeous!!

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  12. Cute bed. Very clever of you to think to do all that.

    Jan
    Always Growing

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  13. Happy Fathers Day to all Dads.

    Skeeter, that is a fantastic garden. You are so talented. Terrific that The Saint is there to help.

    Thanks for super nice comments.

    I'm so glad that Lzyjo IDed the lily. I will have to make a tag for it. Mine are already over my head. I acquired them when we bought the house. They do multiply so not long till you will have more.

    Anonymous, I could send you some if you like. They bloom in July. They do need some kind of support or they will lean over.
    Have a super day all.

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  14. I love the new garden Skeeter. It is very original and so superly decorated!

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  15. I love your beach planter! It's not only the fun you have designing and planting it. I like that each object has some personal connection, and will remind you not only of other places, but other people too. I also have a sense that this planting will "age" well. I tend to be impatient and overplant. Your arrangement should mature well.

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  16. That turned out so great, I love it! I wish I was that creative. That lily is amazing!!

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  17. I love what you did with that bed, it's wonderful!

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  18. Good evening all... I had another busy day today! Volunteered at the benefit Yard Sale where Tina stopped by to make her donation and take home some treasures! Me thinks we may be seeing another bottle tree soon. tee hee. Her timing was perfect as I was ready for lunch so off to lunch and great conversation together! Then back home to shower, relax a bit then get ready for the next phase of the evening. We met with one of my brothers and his family with my mom and dad for a Fathers Day meal at the Catfish House, One of my dads favorites foods! We had a great meal and visit with lots of laughs compliments of my great nephew (dads great grandson) which is 4 years old. Love that fun age. He and i played Transformers together but he was Bumble Bee therefore, I never won the battles we had over the table! Too funny that kid!

    Then home to watch a heartwarming movie with my mom while winding down from the day. A wonderful day indeed..

    Tomorrow, I plan to trim their Ivy and mow the grass. I hope I dont melt away but did bring my old clothes as I planned the yard work. My gift to Big Daddy since his back is out of whack right now. Thank goodness for riding mowers. lol...

    Lxyjo, Thank you so much for the ID on the lily! Now Lola and I will make our tags to put into place for when others ask about it!

    TC, there are rumors of buried treasures in our area. With each plant hole I dig, I hope to find it one day, then my planter will have a treasure box! :-)

    Thanks for your comments on this fun project the Saint and I created together. I really am happy that the Saint is taking so much interest in the gardens with me. I guess I will continue to go to his boat shows! :-)

    I hope everyone had a wonderful day either with you father or holding onto fond memories of your fathers!

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  19. Hi Tina, do you talk with plants when watering them or planting them.Do you see plants as companion?

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  20. Hi Skeeter, I love your decorating ideas. The way you've created the beach look is great. Love the way you've used the shells and the crab/the whole beach look!! Those shells tied up to the post...I think that's so cute! Sometimes I scatter shells near plants but in no way do they look as good as your creation.

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  21. Lawyerjourno, No, I never talk to plants when I water them. I just enjoy their beauty and the habitat they provide for birds and such. The plants simply provide beauty for me. I have pets and my husband who are usually close by in the garden so they are my companions.

    Kanak, Hello and good morning. Skeeter may check in here in a bit but I wanted to say hello!

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  22. You are so creative, Skeeter! Who needs a trip to the beach when you can visit this in your own backyard:)

    I went to see my Dad last night and take a small Father's Day gift to him, but I'm the one who came home with flower seedlings he had started. And we took a tour of his vegetable garden--oh my, my 83-year-old Dad puts mine to shame!

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  23. How cool and creative. I think I'm gonna send this post to my dad as a father's day gift. He lives (and gardens) on the beach and this fits right into his theme!

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  24. Lawyerjourno, I dont talk to my plants either but do talk to the animals around me when in the garden...

    Kanak, You are so kind with your words today! My, you give me motivation to create another planter! Thanks. :-)

    Tina, are you working in the garden today? I was out with my dad until I received a headache, not from dad LOL but the heat. Sigh, to think I left GA heat for cooler temps only ti find the same hot stuff. lol...

    Rose, Arent things passed along from a relatives garden wonderful. all things passed along are great but something extra special from a loved one.:-) I should pull out the lawn chair and hook up the water sprinkler and pretend an ocean spray is hitting me! lol...

    JGH, Sending this to your dad as a gift is such a compliment to me! Thank you so much for the kind words. I have fun creating new things. I call them spots of interest to draw the eye away from eyesores such as the ac Unit. Maybe your dad can take an idea or two from my little creation!

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  25. Your Beach Garden turned out super cute(-:
    I found a ton of things online for my beach garden.
    My DH bought the sand castle at Lowes for me. I love it but there again it was to much money. I saw all the cute things at Lowes though. I wish I had more money!
    Whenever I go to the flea market or garage sales I am always looking for shells to go on the beach garden. A couple weeks ago I got 5 abalone shells for 50 cents a piece!
    I collect driftwood too and whatever looks good to put on mine.
    I don't have a wall behind mine so I had to improvise with a ocean look. Hence the "swimmers legs" in the bushes(-:

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  26. What a creative theme Skeeter! I love the sand, shells , well everything! :)

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  27. I'm a little late here but wanted to congratulate you on your great idea. I think you're secretly an island gal who's gradually transforming her inland Georgia home into a tropical paradise. I was going to suggest a treasure chest, but I see that TC beat me to it.

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  28. As one who likes to fill spaces, outdoors and in, I love your invention!

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