Why buy new things to contain your plants and flowers
when you can make the plants or flowers even prettier by using vintage items.
So today, I will show you how I use vintage items for all of my plants and flowers.
You know those orchids that you can get quite inexpensively at the grocery stores?
The containers are not all that interesting, so remove the orchid from the container
and place it in a wonderful vintage pitcher
or any other vintage container that will beautifully accommodate the plant.
When I buy preserved boxwoods or other faux topiaries
I usually remove them from their department store containers.
This particular one, I placed in a vintage McCoy flower pot.
As the ones shown here that I purchased from HomeGoods
and placed them in vintage ironstone sugar bowls.
This tropical plant sits in a vintage ironstone tureen
that was purchased at a great price because it did not not have a lid.
I am now experimenting with adding faux to real plants.
I took a faux boxwood topiary ball . . . attached it to a stick . . .
and placed it in the center of the live plant that is in a vintage ironstone commode.
This vintage transferware urn previously contained faux evergreens.
Removed the faux with a pretty green tropical plant (that I call an umbrella plant).
For as long as I can remember, I have had a plant
in my treasured blue and white transferware commode
a gift many, many years ago from a friend. It was a family piece.
Many of us place a plant in these olive buckets.
I just love the difference in the textures. Great juxtaposition of natural and rusty metal.
I am making a conscious effort to “go green” with my plant containers.
Maybe that will give me more of a green thumb!
To use the gently used treasures of the past.
On another note . . . I was in Florida last week. Another season of bleachers and red clay.
While I was there, I met up with a sweet lady!. . . . A blogger that I have not met in person,
however, feel that I know her.
That’s me on the left, Sherry from No Minimalist Here, and my friend Merry.
Sherry is a joy!…We had lots of fun and she took us to her favorite antique places.
So happy that I finally got to meet her and can’t wait to see her again at Haven.
It is always so wonderful to be able to meet fellow bloggers and get to know them.
Have a most fabulous day!
Shirley, you are certainly one of the most social and friendly people I’ve come to know in blogland! All your ironstone (and metal) look great with your plants, and I have one question – do you always insert your plants inside another vessel first (like plastic, etc.) with drain holes, before you ‘plant’ it inside the ironstone, and lift out to water? I know I’ve had old ironstone that seeps if I place wet soil or water for flowers directly in, so I was wondering what you do.
Love all your plants tucked in cute containers. Yes, good to reuse those items and nothing better than adding some life to them. I love that blue and white one.
So much better to get the pieces out and used for pots than to keep them in a cupboard! Great idea Shirley!!
Shirley your plants all look wonderful in the vintage wares you have collected over the years! Love the orchid and topiary balls! How great to meet Sherry!! She is such a great lady; another with a discerning eye!
xoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
Artist Nathaniel Galka
My grandmother taught me the value in using unique containers for plants….she had a teapot without a lid…what to do? Put a plant in it! I’ve followed in her footsteps! You have a beautiful collection of planting vessels…the plants look much more elegant! I’m always looking for “vessels” in antique and thrift stores…never know what you will find! 😉
Hi Shirley, Love your plants in vintage treasures. The blue and white is gorgeous. I also like to help a real plant along with a stem or two of faux. You can’t tell and fills in the empty spots if needed.
How great to meet Sherry. Great pic of you girls and glad you had a nice time in Florida.
Have a good week.
Hugs, CM
Love every bit of this, Shirley. You remind me I need to pick up my olive bucket when we go to storage this week.
It is so much fun meeting blog friends!
Shirley, you have some amazing containers that are perfect accents with the preserved boxwood and plants in them! Thanks for the wonderful ideas on the versatility of containers. I love your blue and white transferware chamber pot; it’s a stunning piece! I know you and Sherry has a fantastic time; she’s one sweet lady! So sorry I haven’t been a ble to visit as often as I would like- Dad is keeping me busy these days!
Love the plants paired with the containers you have chosen! I would have never thought about placing an Orchid in a pitcher, such a clever idea! How fun to be able to meet up with other bloggers and make new friends too!!!!
~Des
Love your ironstone pieces; they’re perfect for beautiful indoor plantings! and how fun to mmet up with the gals!
You have given me lots of ideas. Everything looks so good and live plants are so good for oxygen in a house.
Go glad that you got to meet up with a fellow blogger that you met while in Florida.
Have a great week Shirley.
Mary
Nice that you got to meet Sherry. Everything looks great
Cindy
That is so nice that you got to meet Sherry! Great idea to use vintage pieces for plants too. I never keep plants in the containers they come in either but don’t really have vintage pieces to use. I DO have a VERY old cachepot that was my Grandmothers and can’t find it:( You reminded me to look again for it.
How nice that you were able to meet up with Sherry!! Your plants look great in all your pretty containers!
Shirley, all of your plants look so great! It looks like you get a lot of natural light in your home. How fun that you got to meet up with Sherry! You are truly Miss Social Butterfly…lol! I’m sure you ladies had a great time!
Shirley, It was so fun to meet you and spend some time antiquing. You are just as sweet as I thought you would be! I am looking forward to us getting together again at Haven. I love all the containers and especially the blue and white transferware.
Hugs,
Sherry
How fun that you met Sherry! I’ll bet you had a ball shopping with her, too.
I love all the different ways you’ve repurposed your containers to hold plants. I have a tureen without a lid that I’ve used once to hold a plant (at Christmas time) and I love the look. If I can find another tureen with a lid to replace it in my tureen collection above my cabinets I would use the non-lid one to hold a plant.
Beautiful plant ideas Shirley. Have a great day! Jo
I was just having this conversation today with a friend. She’s super creative and always finds unique items to place plamts in. I’m wondering if you provide for drainage when you use items that don’t have holes? That’s always my biggest challenge. Sometimes I use small rocks, but I’m wondering what you do?
How nice that you met a fellow blogger and yes, it’s always fun to do so!
The plants look great in those vintage containers. Glad you got to meet a blogger.
So many beautiful containers, I love using them for plants too! I purchased a small orchid a while back and kept it in an ironstone pitcher. I don’t usually have much luck with them ever blooming once the flowers fade, but this on has new growth on it…I’m so excited!
I’m sure you had such a great time with Sherry, I’ve never met her in person but I’m sure she is a joy!
Blessings,
Cindy
Great way to go green and reuse your beautiful pieces. I especially love your blue and white transferware commode.
Great container ideas Shirley. I particular love the tureen without lid, perfect for a plant!
Shirley , you always provide us with such great inspiration. I love that you think out of the box all the time. Your plants and greenery look wonderful. Have a wonderful weekend!
You gave me some great ideas for using unexpected containers for planters. All of yours look gorgeous! Since last fall I have gotten rid of all “faux” greenery except for a couple of preserved box wood topiaries and a tall palm. I am much prefering real plants even if it means they have to ve replaced every so often.
Love your creative use of containers Shirley, especially your transferware and lid-less tureen! Fun meeting up with Sherry 🙂
Gorgeous plant ideas… You inspire me to change it all…