I love giving cut flowers as a gift, but cut flowers often last only a few days. So lately I've been giving potted plants and flowers instead. That way, the gift keeps growing long after.
Succulents are some of my favorite plants to grow and give because they are pretty low-maintenance. And when giving a plant as a gift, it’s nice to be able to have something that won’t require too much work on the recipient’s end.
Based on your recipient, try finding an unexpected container—like a vintage roller skate or a vintage car—to turn into the planter for their blooming gift. Simply find something that has a large enough opening to hold potting mix (I used Miracle-Gro® Cactus, Palm, and Citrus Potting Mix) and deep enough to allow for the plant's roots to grow.
Since these don’t have a ton of depth, they are perfect for holding succulents which don’t need a lot of depth to grow. For non-succulents, you need to use deeper containers like old tubs, sinks, rain boots, wheelbarrow, crates, colanders, etc. A few tips for planting in found containers:
-If you have a container that has drainage or you can drill a hole into at the bottom, that’s ideal. We were able to drill a hole in the bottom of a vintage car. Your local home or hardware center may be able to help you drill drainage holes if you are not equipped to DIY at home.
-If using something that is not totally waterproof (like the vintage skate) line the inside with plastic to provide a waterproof base before filling with potting mix and rocks. We used a simple zip-lock bag to create a pocket to place the soil before placing it inside the skate.
-You can use plant food (like Miracle-Gro Indoor Plant Food) to keep plants strong.
You can start growing these in advance and give the gift fully bloomed. Or you can give the gift with some seeds, indoor plant food, and a note telling the recipient how to care for it and give them a surprise to look forward to in the upcoming weeks! And, click here for more inspirational garden ideas from me and Miracle-Gro.
*This post is brought to you in collaboration with Miracle-Gro. All content, ideas, and words are my own. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that allow me to create new and special content like this for Oh Joy.
{Creative direction by Joy Cho, photos by Casey Brodley and crafts/styling by Julia Wester for Oh Joy. Wallpaper by Juju Papers.}
I am so excited about this post! I recently purchased some plants for the house and have been shopping around pots to plant them in. This is a much more creative/decorative way to display them.
Thanks for the awesome idea!
Rachel
http://rachelinflight.com/
Those look so yummy….great idea!
Love from Germany,
http://lasagnolove.blogspot.de/2014/09/sugar-is-toxic-and-other-news.html
Bambi
PS: Sorry- this is not my native language…..yummy might not have been the perfect word 🙂
This is an awesome idea. I love it and it’s so simple. The plants look adorable!
Such a good idea for gifts with Christmas coming up, especially since you can make it personal to the person you’re giving it.
I love the idea of giving people potted plants instead of flowers. I would have never thought of experimenting with containers, though. Thanks for the inspiration!
-Helen
http://www.sweethelengrace.com
This is awesome!
– Christina http://www.cityloveee.blogspot.com
I love the idea of using a roller skate, so sweet! x
Oh my gosh, that is freaking ADORABLE, I love it!
http://www.youtube.com/sparklesandsuch26
Totally cool idea! Love it!
this is soooo cute! there are a few vintage things i have laying around that would make wonderful succulent pots. thanks for the idea!
Seriously, I had roller-skates like your uber cool planter! Pinning, saving, hoping to make the car planters 😉
How fun – I especially love the car as a planter!
What a great idea! I love how the vintage car turned out!
So perfectly quirky, I love it!
I liked your word choice. Technically speaking, ‘yummy’ is used for something that tastes good. But there are no strict rules about how to use most descriptive words like ‘yummy’. You made your post fun to read, and I’m sure most readers knew exactly how you felt about these great ideas.
I’m just wondering how long would the roots grow because the space for these pots were a little small.
http://cebuspawellness.com/
The miracle grow collaboration is really gross. Had hoped Joy would reconsider but I guess the $ is more important. 🙁
http://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2012/mar/21/2
Hi Lisa,
Thank you for your comment and concerns. Im really sorry to hear you feel that way as I truly value all of my readers opinions. When partnering with any brand, I do my best to focus on the positive aspects of what we can jointlybring to my readers. In this case, my true intent is to get excited about gardening in my own life and in others and to do that with a brand that supports my enthusiasm.
Best,
Joy
Hi Jazmine,
Ive had succulents in all different size pots (some even smaller than the ones shown here) and they tend to do fine. They are a really hardy and versatile plant and usually only need watering once a month which is why I chose them to use in this project. They dont need the amount of space that most plants do.
Hope that helps!
Joy
By “focusing on the positive” you are ignoring the poison that Miracle Gro (Monsanto, Roundup, etc…) out into the world. There are more positive companies I’m sure you could partner with ie Seeds of Change.
Love these ideas! I can’t wait to have a house and yard to do this in!
Thanks Anna! The great thing about this one is you dont need a house or yard for this since succulents can grow really well inside!
Joy
Thanks Anna!
Joy
I love this idea – so cute!
So clever and cute I love it. Wow. Never would have thought of this
You are so creative!!! I love your planting ideas! The flowers in the toy car look amazing! Thank you so much for sharing!
I love it, I love it, I love it! Now I have to find a vintage item to plant my flowers in!!!
I like this DIY Vintage planter for the yard. Thanks for sharing. Pinned for my followers.