THE RECYCLED GARDEN
Roses rambling over reclaimed gates, seedlings growing under a windowpane – repurposed finds add charm to a truly ‘green’ garden
The concept of decluttering and throwing stuff away is something I struggle with. I prefer to find new uses for unwanted items, and the garden is usually my destination of choice for reinvented things. There’s an innate kinship between old, worn items and fresh foliage and flowers, where the distinctive patina of vintage garden furniture, statues and architectural salvage adds instant lived-in charm. They are usually investment pieces at the pricey end of the scale, but if you are on a budget, try hunting down smaller items. Stone and concrete planters or galvanised metal troughs are simply begging to be filled with overflowing planting.
Salvaged bricks, tiles and paving are recycling gold dust, with a naturally aged feel that adds character and warmth. Reclaimed from building work, they can be reinvented as features within new pathways, patios, walls and structures in mosaic or collage form. You can tell a unique story about the journey of your house and garden by referencing past incarnations in these old materials. Hold on to old windows too – they make great temporary cold frames, or use them to build a whole recycled greenhouse if you’re handy.
Even on a smaller scale, gardening has repurposing built into its DNA – from making compost with indoor and outdoor green waste and cardboard packaging, to reusing plastic pots as many times as possible. And surely the process of taking cuttings, making divisions and saving seeds are all ways of renewing and reinventing the life of a plant? If gardening is an inherently circular activity, then upcycling adds a whole new dimension. Inspired by
Derek Jarman’s use of found objects at Prospect Cottage, his home on the shingle beach of Dungeness in Kent, a selection of rusting industrial iron and driftwood pieces has found a home in my borders over the years.
might be surprised by how the bell-shaped mechanism of a defunct Victorian toilet cistern and a discarded heating element take on a sculptural feel when nestling among plants, while old wrought-iron gates make great trellises for climbers.
I also have a weakness for a repurposed container. From wooden wine boxes to tomato tins, chipped teapots, old wooden chairs and Wellington boots, it’s hard not to imagine a new life outdoors for discarded items. Simply filling them with plants extends their usefulness and lends a quirky style to gardens.
Even broken pots and china can be recommissioned as essential drainage – or crocks – at the bottom of containers. I have a stash of frost-shattered terracotta waiting for a new home, stored in a recycled compost bag, of course. And I love to add chips of colourful old crockery to gravel. It means never having to throw out a family heirloom and it reminds me of seaglass treasure found on the beach.