Tipsy Tower

I forgot to link to the tutorial for the Tipsy Pots in my last post, so here you go: http://www.gardensandcrafts.com/tipsypots.html

She has lots of fun projects on her site--check out the glassware totems and the bowling ball crafts!  I have an iron plant stand I picked up at a yard sale that I think would be perfect with a painted bowling ball in it, and surely I can find old balls at a thrift store.

When I planted my tower, I used a 12" pot for the bottom, then three 10" pots, then an 8" pot for the top.  I estimated the distance I pounded the rebar into the ground, but next time I will mark off the 2 feet she recommends.  Then I threaded the pots onto the rebar and pounded a little farther.  Gil asked if it was sturdy.  I noticed it did sway slightly when I bumped it the first time, but pounding the extra length into the ground reduced that considerably.  And the weight of the pots with the soil in it made a difference, too.

About the rebar:  I don't keep the stuff just laying around, so I asked Lowe's if they had any.  They sold it in 1', 2', 4', and 10' lengths. Of course, I needed a 5 1/2" to 6' length.  They don't cut rebar and I wasn't going to spend hours sawing it with a hacksaw.  A bit of persistence on my part elicited some answers about where to get rebar cut (jiminy, guys, as much money as I've spent at Lowe's, you should be falling all over yourselves to help me out here!)

Not far from where I work is a precast concrete plant, where they have the huge drains and posts and all needed for industrial construction.  They have a tool that just snaps that iron bar in no time.  When I called, they told me they had 20' lengths, charged 50 cents/cut, and yes, they cut for private customers.  I asked for two 66" (5.5 ft) lengths, after mentally adding the upright heights of the pot plus the amount in the ground.  I could have even done 6 foot lengths with these pots. They had it cut and waiting when I got there, and it was only $7.00.  Heck, the potting soil cost more than that!  Besides, and this I didn't expect, they loaded up the 9ft piece that was left.  Apparently I bought the whole thing; they don't sell pieces.  Next year, I'll put the 9' post next to the porch, pounding 3 feet into the ground for support, as I can water the top pots easily from the porch.

I had more difficulty choosing plants to put in the pots than anything else. The plants needed to all tolerate full sun, have trailing habits, similar watering needs, and I preferred flowers, though I did buy one foliage plant, and one of the plants is a mounding plant (top pot). I forgot to check growth rates, and ended up with two that are medium growers, and 3 fast growers.  Fortunately, they all seem to be annuals, though one might be a perennial. It's a little complicated, keeping all that straight in this old head. Amazing that I am allowed to take care of human lives, isn't it?

Listing what went in each pot would be boring, so I won't inflict that on  you.  But I do have a gardening journal of sorts, and I kept all the little plant markers so I can  record their watering and feeding needs, and which one will do well and which not to re-use next year. And here is what each pot looks like right now:

                                                                         Bottom (5th)  pot

                                                                                  4th pot

3rd pot

2nd pot

                                                                               top pot

Wouldn't this be perfect for owners of townhomes or apartments?  Lots of color for small spots.

The pots would be pretty painted, too, and you could just have vines or trailing plants without worrying about bloom times.

Anyway, if you decide to put one or five of these things up, be sure and take pictures--I'd love to see what  yours looks like!