Well, ok, only 3 1/2, but it felt like a lot when I was lugging soil and rocks to the car!

My story begins one fateful day one day when my mom asked me if I wanted some used planters from their garage. Since they are eager to get rid of junk stuff and I have no budget to speak of, I jumped at the chance for free planters! Especially since I’d been into Rona the week before to price out new planters and came away completely indignant at the inflated cost of plastic receptacles.

The only catch? They looked like this:

DSC00132

Hm. Not exactly the matchy-matchy magazine picture I envisioned. (And in case you’re wondering why they are pictured upside down, it is because it was about to rain and I am too lazy to pass up a free wash.)

So after several wasted hours a quick search of pinterest, I decided to spray paint those babies.

Enter helpful Rona lady, who directed me to Rust-oleum’s hammered metal finish spray paint. Visions of charcoal grey hammered metal planters danced in my head!I bought my can for a mere $10 (or so), and strolled out with a certain amount of spring in my step.

DSC00141

The can told me to lightly sand any glossy surfaces before spraying, so I did that on the first two planters. I was annoyed that on the second planter this step left scratches in the plastic, so I decided to go out on a limb and not sand the third planter. Surprise! It worked! The world did not stop rotating and the paint most definitely stuck.

And here is a picture demonstrating the importance of reading instructions carefully. Students: take note!

DSC00144

Don’t you just love my outfit? I like to think of it as spray-paint-gumboot chic. All the range on L’Ile Perrot.

And here they are after! *Cue sounds of angels singing*

DSC00149

SO much better! Bless you, kind Rona lady with your excellent suggestions!

Fast forward to Mother’s Day, when my lovely mother, Linda, was visiting from Ottawa. While my dad and Erick went fishing, she was kind enough to lend her knowledge of plants to my project.

We went round to the local garden centres, finally ending up at Maxi. They carry all the President’s Choice products, so for about $55, I bought a bunch of plants and flowers to fill up my newly spray-painted planters.

Selfie!

DSC00152

DSC00151

DSC00150

I’ll include a run-down of exactly what plants went where in the final reveal.

The first step was to put a layer of small rocks at the bottom of each pot, to enhance drainage.

DSC00154

DSC00155

Then I put down a fairly thick layer of newsprint, to stop the soil from seeping into the rock layer.

DSC00161

After putting in my soil on top of the newsprint, I divided up the plants amongst the planters and sorted out their placement.

DSC00168

DSC00172

I had purchased some bell pepper and tomato plants, which is why I said that I ended up with 3 1/2 planters. Not wanting to over-crowd them, the peppers ended up in their own pot:

DSC00170

Once I’d placed and re-planted everything, I gave them a good drink of water from my cheerful yellow watering can (thanks, Aunt Sheila!).

DSC00182

And now for the big reveal… Drum roll, please! ………………………..

DSC00194

DSC00199

DSC00203

DSC00202

Ta-Da!

I feel pretty pleased with the whole project, and the best part is that I got to create them with the help of my mom.

So here’s a run-down of what I used.

planter

planter 3

planter 2

I love to read your comments! If you have a tip or a trick for planters, or just to tell me about your own garden projects, please drop me a line in the comments section.

Have a great Victoria Day weekend, flourishers!