Typewriter flower beds (above) and file cabinet planters (below).

Dr. Lori Verderame is the author, antiques appraiser, and award-winning TV personality who appears on the History channel’s No. 1 show, The Curse of Oak Island. With a Ph.D. from Penn State University and vast appraisal experience, Dr. Lori presents appraisal events to worldwide audiences and in-home sessions with clients nationwide.
Visit www.drloriv.com, www.Facebook.com/DoctorLori, or call (888)-431-1010.

By Lori Verderame

Plant Flora In Anything, From Typewriters To Teapots

When it comes to collectibles, it is always wise to know what you’ve got and what it’s worth. Objects such as plant­ers, mugs, cups and vases can be very valuable, but some are just collectible and cheap.

So, once you have an accurate appraisal of your antique and find out if it is trash or treasure, you might want to consider new ways to use and enjoy it. Re­purposing is so popular that many folks are looking at aging objects in a whole new way. Before you send that inexpensive vintage piece out to the curb, consider transforming it into doing double-duty in your garden.

From broken brass saxophones to chipped German beer steins, anything can hold a plant, vegetable or flower. Think about creating a colorful display in your garden by using valueless antique ceramics or even typewriters or suitcases as planters and garden dividers.

Don’t fret over that chipped-beyond-repair vintage ceramic tea pot or rusty filing cabinet. Paint it brightly and add some plant life to it to make these old objects into a cute flower pot.

Doug Oster, editor of EverybodyGardens.com says, “Any­thing can be a container as long as it has drainage.” Drill a hole for drainage and line your items up with other repurposed pottery pieces on a patio stone wall or suspended on your porch near your hanging wind chimes. You can secure each vintage coffee mug or teapot by their handles by sticking the handle in between the slat space of your picket fence.

Old metal desks, chairs and even beds can be transformed into flower or vegetable gardens by replacing seats, drawers or mattresses with plants or flowers.

Chipped, cracked or broken items can have new life as hosts in your garden. Try it as Spring comes alive in your neck of the woods, and use your antique, vintage or simply aging objects around the house as the focus of this year’s new garden project.

Repurposing Vintage Items in the Garden