If You're in the Market for great junk...You've come to the right Place!

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

JUNK PLANTS!

Hello Friends!


I did something a little different this year when it came to decorating my back deck with plants and flowers.


This year I used ALL JUNK PLANTS!!


{If you listen to them at Lowes they have a bit more class and selectively call it the


Distress Cart.}


Oh do I LUVVVV the "distress cart!"


How could I not? It's totally in my nature to give things a second chance. When I see many of these plants just basically needing a good dead heading , a little cut back and healthy dose of fertilizer I grab one of the BIG flat carts and load up!



I wish I would have thought to take some before photos of all these. Little shrunken messes they all were, just dying for a drink all withered and sad..........and cheap.




Have I ever mentioned I *LUV* cheap?



It's funny who you meet back there too ...at the junk cart.

Whoever you do meet you feel like you've know um all your life.

You start chatting about how cheap you both are and how you love seeing the plants come back to life and what you found on it the last time you were there (yesterday) and how sometimes it's fun to by a "mystery" plant and see what happens and what's the best fertilizer to use and how you really don't NEED any more plants or flowers and so on.....








These were my "mystery"plant. I knew they were petunias but not the color!

I was tickled pink!





Garlic chives. Twenty five cents.






Sweet potato vine is one of my all time favorites. You can't beat the color and the impact it has.
Plus it gives you tiny potatoes!




The tall chippy metal piece is actually the top of an old post lantern that I turned into a candle holder.





My little concrete garden angel was bargain too. She was only 2.00 because she had a broken foot. We made a deal. I asked her if I would find her foot and glue it back on, would she grace my garden and nurture all my junk plants. We shook on it. She's doing a fantastic job by the way.





So tell me.....how many of you go diggin in the junk cart?


Ain't it fun? If you've never done it....you are missing out!


The only problem is , once you start , you can't stop and you wind up spending perhaps more money than you want to. I look at it this was....I am saving a life.....a little tiny plants life. I am giving it a chance to bloom and grow and be all it can be. To one day leave the nest and go to college , then get married and have a family of it's own. LOL!


Let me know what you find when you go.


Don't say I didn't warn ya!! *wink*




18 comments:

Tammy said...

I LUV shopping for those " left for dead" plants...I picked up 5 buckets of pompass grass last year to plant on the hill behind our townhome..$2.00 a piece...those babies are huge this year...HUGE!!
I love all those pretty colors and plumes of the grasses! Your deck is so purty!!! I love the little angel!
Tammy
Junk Wild

Sandi said...

You amaze me! My plants that I buy perfectly healthy rarely look as good as your sad ones!!! ha!! Lucky you!
Blessings~

Prior said...

Moma is always getting free almost dead plants from the hardware store. This is a good tip you posted about. And you are the plant whisperer...They look great!
Lezlee

Bonny@Spontaneousniceties said...

What a good idea! Your deck looks gorgey!

Angela said...

I got some wonderful succulents the last time I was there. They just needed the dead leaves picked off and a drink of water!

Lil Raggedy Angie said...

you mean to tell me there is somewhere to buy plants other than the junk cart? Wow , thanks for the info ! lol I love cheap everything , your deck is gorgeous , thanks for sharing! have a safe and happy fourth !hugs lil raggedy angie

Lee Hill Primitives said...

Hi, Your deck looks amazing.Love your angel. I always picked plants in the clearance cart, plant them using miracle grow soil and water....and then Beautiful Garden at low cost.

Pieces From The Past said...

OMG! I did the same thing! It must be the rust running through our viens... I purchased herbs for 1.00 a piece...XXX fingers they come back next year! Love the photos Beth....
Lisa
www.pieces-from-the-past.com

Karena said...

Beth...hey I'm totally a "junk cart" gal at Loew's too...I have some hanging petunias I bought there during spring for a song...the only 2 they had while I was shopping people were trying to buy them from the cashier while I grabbed some other things.......all they needed was dead heading, a good cleaning and some water...I will take some pics and post them...love your blog found it yesterday...I also have an angel watching my garden...thanks for your post


Karena from "A Loblolly Life"

Susie~From My Home To Yours said...

Hey Beth...yep, that's the first place I head at Lowe's. My hubby worked for Home Depot, in the garden department, no less, but they don't discount and employees aren't allowed to bring home the dying plants...they just toss 'em. That just makes me crazy!

Thanks for your kind words...I really appreciate it.

Blessings,
Susie

Cheryl said...

Your plants look great and I love the old lampost top and angel.
I love cheap myself!
Have a great 4th,
Cheryl

Joyce - Quilted Nest said...

Didn't know there was a 'distress cart' - thanks for educating me :) But I'm not sure they would thrive under my care. My thumb is not the greenest. Everything that you've done looks amazing! Love it.

Linda said...

Well, count me in as a junk plant lover too! WE are saving these plants before they go to compost heaven!
Linda

Ido said...

Wow! what a great tip, I didn't know about it, love all the plants you have found at the distress cart, will go today to Lowes.
Have a beautiful day!
XXX Ido

decorator to the stars said...

OK, YOU HAD ME LAUGHING AT "JUNK PLANTS" I THOUGHT MAYBE YOU WENT JUNKIN' FOR PLANTS & I ENVISIONED YOU GOING UP TO PEOPLES YARDS & YANKING THEIR PLANTS LOL, NOW THAT'S JUNKIN' STOP BY & SAY HI GIO

junkermidge said...

How inspiring! You make it look so easy -- and beautiful! I was just at Lowe's yesterday, but not to visit the junk cart. Next time I'll visit it for sure.
Midge

haizi daizi said...

I fairly new to blogging but just stopped by to say what a fab-u-lous blog you have ~ I don't know which bit to drool over first! Will be in the USA during August and I'm hoping to find some nice rusty things to send home. Thank you for sharing ~ x

Passionate for White said...

What the heck....no, I never thought of plant junkin'....but I am NOW!