Re-purposed Planter

When the clothes dryer died, I saved the drum in the event I might want to use it later.  (this makes Guido crazy!)  It sat in the backyard for a few months until I could come up with a good idea.  This spring our Robellini palm had to be transplanted due to the aggressive roots of the near-by Queen palms. 

I put the drum in the hole left from the Robellini,  it didn't look too good at first,,,,.......Actually, it looked like an old dryer drum left in the front yard.   I considered painting it, or putting back splash tiles on it, but in the end, I chose to make it a Gabion.  

I cut 1" hardware cloth larger than the diameter of the drum.  I assembled it in place and secured the middle with wire ties, and anchored the bottom to the landscaper fabric.    The space between the drum and hardware cloth was about 4".  It took 8 bags of Mountain Granite  (Home Depot) to fill the space.

For the lip, long-cut peat moss was laid in and secured with over-lapping mesh.  This will be a perfect medium to grow hardy, miniature succulents.   To ensure proper draining, I filled the drum with broken cement edgers, rocks, and broken clay pots.

The finished planter.  

Spring 2013

Spring 2013

This spring finds me trying to remember why I am a nurse living in South Florida.  It has been super busy at work and incredibly stressful.  I live here because of the beautiful weather twelve months a year.  Yes, I said 12 months/year.   Even when it's 95 degrees and 90% humidity, Florida is a wonderful place to live.

This winter has been anything but,,,,,, no freeze yet.....!   It has been wet and then suddenly dry with the arrival of February. 

This photo was taken in late March 2013.  You can see how brown the grass has become without rain.  The front flower bed needed an overhaul.  Between the two Queen Palms was a robellini that never thrived due to the roots of the palms.  In the picture, you can see a round metal thingy...  That is the drum from an old clothes dryer.  Don was NOT happy that I insisted we save it.  (lol)  It is soon to become a planter.  

Gabions are wire baskets filled with rock to secure land from moving water.  In this application, I am going to make a planter with the dryer drum, hardware cloth, and mountain granite. I secured the wire mesh to the drum, leaving a 4" pocket.  Then added the rock.

To finish the top, I considered keystone-shaped cedar or eucalyptus wood.  The long-cut Peat Moss was easier to execute.

Note to Self,,,,,   Peat moss is better when damp.  The wind was blowing and the first hand full blew away before it was secured.

First stage of planting.  Sanseveria, Aloe, Elephant plant, and Crassula paragoda.