Creative ways of gardening in limited urban small space
Volcanic rocks (above) and tyres are creative ways of gardening in the city. PHOTO BY ALEX ESAGALA
If you are a micro gardener but have a passion for flowers, here are ways you can use your little space and creative ways on how to have your dream realised.
Make sure you consider the type, size, shape and habit of the plant to the container in which you are planting it. They must be compatible.
Volcanic rocks
These are the newest trends of micro gardening when it comes to planting flowers. According to Elijah Kayemba, a gardener at Kampala Flowers, you cannot use any type of rock but only those that are volcanic because they have a good drainage system. These rocks are got from Kisoro, (South Western Uganda).
“The rock has most of the nutrients a plant may get from the loam soil which is normally used. After identifying a particular piece of rock, small holes are drilled through them using a driller but very careful not to break the rock because of the vibration that comes with the drilling process.”
The rock particles that fall out are not thrown away. When the seedling plant is identified, its roots are carefully fixed into the drilled holes to a reasonable height like it would be planted in loam soil ensuring there is no damage to the plant.
Kayemba says, “Succulent plants are usually suitable for this type of planters because they have shallow roots. The rock particles that fell out during the drilling are then put to cover the roots and part of the stem.”
Car tyres
The next time you have your tyres changed, ask to keep the old tyres because you can turn those old tyres into everything from furniture to beautiful flower pots. According to Stephen Ochan, a landscaper at Royal Landscape says the old car tyres are trendy as hanging planters for most creeping plants. They can also be used as wall hangings, especially when you add paint to them.
“You will need to paint the tyres depending on the colours you want and then drill holes through them for drainage.
Then with the soil in the tyre, plant whatever flowers you want and suspend it with a chain or rope. These work well with smaller tyres or if you have a big enough tree, you could do a really large one and fill it with different types of flowers,” says Ochan.
Porcelain
Porcelain planters should be the new meaning for potted plants. You can use your old toilet cisterns to give your landscape a new look. They are durable and have an inbuilt drainage system. You can have several other plants surrounding it in smaller vases or containers or even planted directly in the soil.
“It could be from a bath tub to garden tub. Old bath tubs can make deep and durable planters. The plants can be themed to your own tastes but a mixture of different types of flowers would be the best choice. You may also grow herbs or vegetables in the bath tub,” Ochan says.
Containers
If you want to make hanging flowers, you can use old biscuit tins, lunch boxes, jars, dishwashers, kettles, basins and old kitchen sink as planters. Have a pattern of hanging your flowers with equal spacing to create a cozy look for your landscape.
The old containers can become beautiful planters if you add a few holes in them for drainage and a little paint since some of them may have lost colour. Group them depending on their colours or make a collection of different type of flowers in the same spacing.
Kayemba says, “The old baskets are good planters for your succulent plants because they come in all shapes and sizes and usually have an inbuilt drainage system. They are portable planters with handles and in different colours.”
Vases
These have long been used as planters. There are different creative designs that can be used for both indoor and outdoor. They give you opportunity to choose from a variety of material, sizes, shapes and decorations. The cost of a vase ranges between Shs10, 000 to Shs100,000 but can be more than this depending on its size or material used.
Kayemba says there are crocheted pot dresses introduced especially for indoor flower vases and pots. If you however have an outdoor function, you can bring out to add beauty to outdoor décor.
“They often break the boredom that comes with ordinary plastic planter vases with an option for various colour combinations depending on your colour scheme and size. The dressers currently cost between Shs35,000 to Shs50, 000 depending on the sizes of planters or pots,” he says.
