Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Plants and another dilemma

One of the big reasons we took our apartment was because it has a large balcony and I could plant herbs for cooking. We have been here three years and so far the garden hasn't materialized. (We do eat on the patio, as evidenced here and here, so we aren't completely wasting it).

Well, I have planter problems. Specifically, I have issues with the fact that many of them are ugly and expensive. The ones that actually look nice are even more expensive. Oh, and I already know exactly what I want despite the fact that I don't know if it exists.

I want straight sided squares or rectangles (I have nothing against round pots, but they aren't very space efficient). No frills, no carvings of grapes. Preferably made out of some material that isn't just straight up plastic, although at this point I'm willing to compromise.

{image from simplyplanters.com}

This would be a perfect space saving option, because we could store things underneath it. Exciting? Not exactly. Functional? Yes. But paying over $200 for a planter is too painful for me right now.

This website has some affordable planters I can admire, but no indication of whether or not they would ship them. Target has even jumped in on the game with one cute rectangular planter, but it's just too small.

If money was no object (as in, if I had so much money that I could literally pile dollar bills in my bathtub and wallow around in it for fun), I would throw all my requirements out the window and buy this one by VesseL. It is 60 inches long so you could fit tons of plants in it! It is glazed white ceramic with a good shape and a simple wooden base!

{images above + below from VesseL's own site, architecturalpottery.com}

Here is one in use, just so you get the scale...
I'm kind of in love with it.

Stay tuned tomorrow to see what I ended up doing.

*Hint
- it does not involve fabulous $1,700 planters or amazing facsimiles thereof. So don't get too excited. And yes, I just had a tiny heart attack when I typed out that number.

16 comments:

  1. It sounds like you've already solved your own problem, but just in case...the first photo you posted reminded me of some planters I put together out of wine boxes. Some wine stores will charge a little bit for them (think $3/box), but others will just give them away. I'm sure whatever you do it will be gorgeous.

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  2. We save money frugally by just planting them in creative pots and arranging them like we would a mixed pot of flowers. They always look so pretty contrasting against one another and produce huge yield.

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  3. Last year, my restaurant-owner friends were kind enough to give me some enorm. wine boxes. They were PERFECT for planting, though I would have lined them with plastic had I to do it over again. The wood warped, making them difficult to move.

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  4. I love that you're going through this before me. I am about to be in the same sitch. We're moving soon and our apartment has outdoor space so I can have an herb garden as well. I am feeling your pain though because I already started looking.

    I feel like we should be able to get what we want for $50 - why is that so much to ask?!

    Keep me posted.

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  5. These are wonderful....I have been talking about planting herbs in my backyard the entire winter and now I know how I will do it! So pretty, I can't wait for spring to come to NY!

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  6. How cool would it be if you could find a vintage mini canoe and fill it with plants like the fancy-schmancy one?

    Probably not the easiest option. But boy would it be cute!

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  7. can't wait to see what you've come up with!

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  8. Oh, I love that first one--very rustic. I would love to have a little herb garden. Can't wait to see what you come up with!

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  9. These look like great options - good luck!

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  10. I love the look of the first one - the simplicity of the lines of it. While it would be nice to have a bathtub full of bills, I still am not sure I could do the $1,700 planter! :)

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  11. herbs for cooking on your patio - i feel you. i can't wait to see what you have come up with, as i might need to copy you.

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  12. I suck at gardening (flowers in a vase? fine. flowers in the dirt? doomed!) But you might be proud of me- I just planted rosemary, basil, cilantro, thai chilis, and mint. So far they haven't croaked. I'm sure you'll make great use of your herbs!

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  13. have you checked out earth box {earthbox.com}? they are not the cutest, but many veggie container gardeners out there have recommended them to me...

    i got self-watering containers from gardeners.com {http://www.gardeners.com/Self-Watering-Raised-Beds/PotsPlanters_SelfWateringPlanters,17403,default,cp.html}. they are $169, but self-watering & not to offensively ugly!!

    and i love the wine boxes...sounds so cool.

    but it sounds like you have a plan up your sleeve! i can't wait to hear all about it...

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  14. I soooooooooooo love that but I'm completely with you, my taste always exceeds my budget.

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  15. Oh my Rach, the Vessel planter is a work of art. I am contemplating using the upside down planters to grow veggies and herbs, but I'm dissuaded by the ugly green plastic they use. I can't wait to see what you choose!

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  16. i love the idea of a planter + a deck! lovely pics .. looking forward to seeing what you do.

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