When my daughter and her neighbors wanted to deck out their modern townhouse complex with a few big containers, they were stymied by the lack of choices and the high price of pots. They weren't able to find any containers they liked, let alone afford. They wanted simple, sleek pots, but Design Within Reach prices weren't within reach. So they bought galvanized garbage cans in three sizes (about $20 each) drilled holes in the bottom, and potted them up. I can't imagine a cooler contemporary look.
The garden world is changing, expanding its aesthetics and horizons - why else would a project like the Crack Garden in San Francisco win an American Society of Landscape Architects Award this year? CMG Landscape Architecture created an 800 square foot garden for residents of a four-unit building by jackhammering cracks in the concrete, which now sprout vegetables, flowers and herbs. The entire project cost $500. (See the story at www.gardendesignonline. ) The ASLA jury called it "A profound project for the future we are about to embark upon." I don't know if I'd call my daughter and her neighbors' project profound, but they couldn't be more happy with what they've created...take a look at these freshly planted up trash cans:
