Published 4 May 2015 ● Last Updated on 24 November 2016
If you have a garden, chances are you treat it as an extension of your home. After all, your garden isn’t just something to be viewed from your window, it is to be lived in and experienced. Tending to your flowers and plants is one thing; bringing your own style and personality into it is a whole different – and fun – story! If you don’t have the luxury of space, your garden could be also be ‘the green corner’ on your balcony or patio which you nurture with love and care.
Well, whether it’s a huge garden or a smaller balcony, there are many cool things you can do to make it even more colourful and inviting than it already is. In case you are blessed with big trees in your outdoors, you could follow the latest trend in knitting tree trunk warmers for your giant friends or, you could use old mason jars to make your own whimsical candle holders and hang them from trees or pergolas. If your balcony needs a conversation piece, you could consider adding lanterns with character. The possibilities are endless!
If you don’t have time (nor trees!) for a knit-marathon but would still like to add something original to your backyard or balcony, the shoe garden is the perfect option. This is a project the whole family can enjoy and it comes with a great perk – You can finally get rid of all those old, painful shoes you’ve been meaning to throw out! Yes, those beautiful but ridiculously impractical stilettos you treated yourself to may be a real treat to look at, but you know you’re never going to wear them without breaking your ankles, so go on! Put them to better use. Let them be the home to purple Pansies or bright, orange Calendula.
You can create a shoe garden with most shoe types: sneakers, boots, heels, you name it. What will make it look especially attractive is using shoes that already have a unique pattern or colour. You could also paint some old workers boots yourself. All else you need is water resistant paint and a paintbrush. I have used some old leopard print ankle boots with a small stiletto heel. These were easy to use as they have a zipper on the side, allowing me to open the shoe wide enough to fit in a little plant. Fill the shoe with a handful of plant soil. Carefully take your flower and fit it into the soil. Once you have positioned it properly, check if you need to add extra soil on top.
Voila, your one-of-a-kind flower pot is ready! Now just position it in a spot of glory and call over some friends to hear their Aaahs!
I set my yellow pansies in their dashing leopard heels against my whitewashed wall for maximum effect. You could choose to place your shoe garden simply on top of a tree trunk, a table or you could decide to hang it from your wall, window grilles or flower boxes. Either way it will bring a lot of fun to your garden!
– Roxanne is a German/British Journalist/Author based in Spain who shares our passion for all things old and quirky.
0 Comments