Sunday 16 December 2012

Any old iron (or tin)?

Juncus in a watertight tin tub - set up your own mini water garden!

Hello Dolly tub - it's so nice to have you back where you belong - in the garden, filled with tulips.

Don't pack off your old tinware when it starts to spring a leak - plant things in it instead, like I've done with this old dolly (wash tub) which was a legacy from the seller at a previous house.  It's never going to be abandoned by me though, as it sets planting off so well - particularly these gorgeous orange Ballerina tulips and the purpley pink Passionale.


Here are some other herbaceous hairdos the tub has previously sported:





The patina of this tub makes me keep an eye out each and every time I pass a skip, in the hope that I can find more splendid metal containers to employ in the garden.  So far, I've found two zinc mop buckets and the small tub above - love them all.

So keep following the mantra - reduce, reuse, replant it.

For more on tin tubs, try Lead up the garden path.


10 comments:

  1. Glad you like it - I had it for several years before I realised its full potential.

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  2. Looks awesome!! Anna B

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  3. Love your dolly tub, such a lovely shape, hope my tin bath looks as good next year with my tulips. Thanks for the link!

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  4. Your dolly tub brought back childhood memories (yes, I am that old) of washday. I would beg Mum to let me agitate the clothes with the posser (wooden stick with three legs). We had a brick copper,too, for heating the water. We've come a long way, haven't we? I would love a dolly tub for my garden, but I've never seen one in the US. P. x

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    1. I don't go back beyond the days of Hotpoint twin tubs personally! My husband just looked at me weirdly when I called my container a dolly tub - he's convinced I just invent these names... My mum always termed what you call a 'posser' a 'ponch'. Maybe it's a Derbyshire/Staffordshire division in dialects.

      You can pick up dolly tubs at garden antique places and on ebay here in the UK, but they are not often to be found cheaply. I have half an eye on my allotment neighbour's unused on - might have to try sweet talking him into exchanging it for some plants!

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  5. Very nice dolly tub as you call it. We in the Netherlands also have vintage metal wash tubs but in a different shape. This is a very nice one.

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    1. It seems to be pretty popular judging by the responses to this post!

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  6. The planter filled with tulips is gorgeous. So glad I found your blog. Lovely, just lovely!:)

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  7. Thanks very much - glad you like it!

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