Our Funnel Planter Project

We FINALLY got the funnel planters done that we started in March!!

I may have mentioned that we found some super cool old funnels at the flea market on the way home from my folks a couple months back. I was wanting to replicate some funnel planters that I had seen in a garden magazine. 

First we took a couple old funnels.  Any size will do, but I chose the largest ones I could find. .because I needed enough dirt in the things that they didn't dry out in an hour here in "hot and windy land." 

I let Jeremy punch holes in the top of this one. .it was cheap and not too fancy. 

This one though, was an old tractor funnel. .and it was super heavy with writing on the sidel, so I didn't really want him to make holes in it.  He has had it put together since right after we got it.  He took some old wire that was laying around, and made a little harness for the funnel to set in. .it will bring more at the auction when I die if we don't deface it now :-) Always thinking ahead!

He attached 3 small chains to each funnel to help it hang straight. 

I lined the funnel with an old plastic sack to help prevent it from rusting out.

The cheap funnel already had a small piece of screen glued into the spout. Jeremy fixed a small screen to the tractor funnel too, to keep the dirt from washing out. I cut a small hole in the bottom of the bag to let the water drain out of the bottom. 

After putting a little potting mix in, I sprinkled some moisture holding crystals on top, to conserve as much water as I could. These little crystals are similar to the things in baby diapers. .they absorb the liquid and swell up. The roots of the plant can then use the extra water as it dries out.  

Add a few plants of your choice. .

In this case, a chunk of some unknown houseplant I accidentally broke off when we helped grandma move to town (it spent the winter in the greenhouse rooting) and an overwintered coleus cutting. . 

And in this one went an airplane house plant. 

We hung them both up this evening on the back porch.  The magazine photo had a group of about 5 hung together. .and if the wind doesn't blow at your house. .it was sure cute that way. At MY house, we had to make sure that if the wind was blowing REALLY hard. .as it is prone to do. .that they wouldn't hit each other, or the house. .we ended up hanging them on separate ends of the small entry porch.  This door faces the east. .so the wind is less. .and so is the hot sun! A perfect place for some of my other house plants!

One of my favorite hobbies is taking TRASH to TREASURE!! 

Stay tuned. .we also had time to work on my other trash project tonight. .and hope to have it turned into treasure by the end of the weekend!!

Enjoy a beautiful spring weekend!