Sams Club for Inspiration (Creating a Tiered Planter)

Is it all men who have zero patience in discount clubs (i.e. Sams Club or Costco) or is it just Mr. Monogram? We don’t go very often now that both boys are potty trained (once upon a time having two in diapers and wipes forced us to know the greeters by name and the receipt checkers birthdays we were there so often) but to my delight, I was able to work in a visit to Sams Club on Saturday for a few essentials (trash bags, toilet paper, that 50 pound box of Cheerios that will probably only last us 2 weeks). And like most women I know, I really like to walk the aisles and see all the *stuff* they have there. But Mr. Monogram? Not so delighted.

Where else on earth but Sams or Costco can you buy a six pack of deodorant, a pressure washer, mattress and box spring combo, a 6 lb wheel of brie that could double for a tire on a compact car and a jumbo pack of diapers all under one roof (oh, and don’t forget the hot dog or $1 slice of pizza on your way out too)? Its genius I tell you, pure genius. So anyway, as we’re strolling the aisles I’m commenting on all the great deals...

ME: ooh! Look at the water trampoline!

ME: OMG, that is a great price on that 5 gallon jar of pickles!...

ME: Holy Cow! I was really thinking just the other day that we needed to buy a vending machine! (or just fill in the blank with anything useless you don’t need but always convince yourself you DO need once you see it at Sams or Costco)

But then I do come across something really cool in the outdoor entertaining/patio aisles on Sams. This lovely three tiered planter. In fact, it really is perfect for our newly expanded back deck, but Mr. Monogram just kept on walking, rolling his eyes all the while imagining me making him move this thing all over the deck to find it’s perfect spot (fully planted and about 400 lbs no less).

So that got me thinking. Why can’t I try to do this myself? I actually had unused pots in the garage that I could experiment with and if it looks alright, then I’ll just go buy some more decorative pots. And Lord knows Mr. Monogram would love for me to get some of my extra things out of the garage. So what have I got to lose?

You Will Need

-2 pots of different sizes (I already had one that was really large, about 24” in diameter, and then another one that was about 2 sizes smaller)

-Spray paint if necessary (my pots were the terracotta color and I didn’t like the color)

-potting soil

-flowers and plants (whatever you like, I prefer some that are cascading like Ivy to throw in there too)

Instructions

1) If you don’t like the color of your pots (for instance, if you bought a couple that had a great shape to them but not color), you first want to spray paint them.

2) Once the spray paint has dried, fill the largest pot (the bottom pot) with potting soil. Pack it down pretty good so it’s nice and firm.

3) Plant your flowers around the perimeter of the large pot you just filled, leaving the center completely empty of flowers.

4) Take the next pot (the smaller one) and place it in the center of the larger pot. Once it’s centered, fill it with potting soil.

5) You can do as I did and stick a dwarf tree in the center of the smaller pot, or just fill it with flowers.

A few Notes My absolute favorite annual that I love to use and mix with other plants and flowers, is Portulaca. It is a very forgiving plant, and flowers all summer long where I live (April- September), and is so beautiful as it gets really full and spills out over the pots. What’s really neat about this plant is that the flowers are abundant and open up during the day, but close again in the evening. Other plants that I like to use are sweet potato vines (this is really good for those of you in the South), Creeping Jenny, any member of the Ivy family (I like to mix my ivy’s in my pots).

Basically, any plant or flower that you like, can be mixed together, provided they all require the same general amount of sun. Clearly my pots look a little sparse here, but given time, lots of water and sun and they’ll be overflowing in no time! And now that I know what this looks like, I think I’m going to head out to my garden center to pick up some prettier pots, and plan a day of planting today.

P.S. If you don't have a yard but still like the idea of this tiered look, then remember you can always use smaller pots and indoor plants to create a summery look indoors.