Tutorial: Make a Vintage Typewriter Planter

I have a thing for old typewriters. I also have a thing for succulents such as hens & chicks. Yesterday I put the two together and made a unique planter & conversation piece!

I bought a pair of vintage typewriters heavy enough to anchor a 74' boat for $10 at the flea market last summer. I took the broken one apart for the keys, hammers and other parts, but this Remington has been collecting dust in the basement for months. I pushed the carriage across the top and heard a soft "ding." I imagined a who would have used such a finely engineered piece nearly 90 years ago; how many pages it has typed, how many letters of love it has created.

This terra cotta pot of Sempervivums (chickens & hens) has been growing for 4 years; it's formed into a beautiful cushion of rosettes. I thought I'd just take a few "babies" from the pot to start my repurposed typewriter planter.

I used some sedum also, to trail down the sides.

First I took some flat rocks to fill some of the gaps in the machine, so the soil wouldn't wash out.

Then filled it with soil. I just used soil from my vegetable garden. Succulents aren't very picky, they like sunshine, but otherwise adapt well to even the poorest soil & conditions.

.

I pulled off some different sizes of the chickens & hens with the roots still attached

and started planting them in the dirt. Soon they will root in well and take hold, I know it seems now like they might fall out.

I planted three types of sedum to trail down.

I didn't want to fill it in too much, because they will multiply quickly.

 

Give it a good water, then sit it in the sun and forget about it! Chickens & hens do not need a lot of care or fuss.
Cute, huh?

I love how it turned out!

FREE Book from Borders

Borders is running a great promotion for kids 12 & under this summer. Read 10 books get one free! Just list the 10 books your child has read on this form and turn it in to your local Borders by August 26th.

The only catch? You don't get just any book free, but pick from these great titles:

Ramona The Brave by Beverly Cleary

Miss Daisy Is Crazy by Dan Gutman

Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown

Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary

The Ruins Of Gorlan by John Flanagan

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

The Witch Of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

Johny Tremain by Esther Forbes

The River by Gary Paulsen

Kristy's Great Idea by Ann M. Martin

For the Love of Peonies

We heard of a couple not far from where we live who have a field of peonies. When they are in bloom you go pick out what you want, and in the fall they'll dig up a root for you to purchase. We knew we didn't have much time, as the peak time for these pretty posies was almost over.
Without even an address, my sister-in-law & her baby, my mom, me & my babies, went on a peony adventure. Unfortunately it did not end as well as we had hoped! We found the field, full of beautiful blooms, we found a kind old man, but he no longer sells his plants.
Years ago his father would spend his paycheck on peonies - pretty impractical I'd think, but romantic. The plants were beautiful, but overgrown, in need of a good weeding, some nice conversation. They were decades old, but you'd never know. Some flowers were as big as a salad plate and heavy with petals. Some had just a few petals, with a small puff of color in the center. They were just out of reach for us, & we couldn't help but be a bit upset.

My peonies are finished, the last of them shredded by yesterdays rainstorm. Their long stems are waving goodbye in this mornings chilly wind.

I just told my mother the other day that I'm so glad that my garden is getting established where different plants bloom at different times. It's a struggle, and it's sad when something is finished blooming and looks dull and boring again, after months of anticipation, bright green leaves & buds. When my husband and I bought this property almost 6 years ago, a single peony was the only plant here. I now have honeysuckle, hollyhocks, lilacs, ruffled iris, many clematis & climbing roses on my picket fence. I have foxglove that are standing tall & blooming bright. Large hostas are in the shade, housing baby bunnies. The wisteria on my chicken coop has not bloomed yet, but it's huge, vining all over the eves and I've heard it takes a few years.

This weekend we tilled another bed next to the house, where that single peony lives. I'm hoping that with some friends and a good dose of compost it will grow a little better, but I may have to move him to a sunnier location in the yard.