1. Don’t bin it!
To me this galvanised steel dustbin is all the more appealing for its dings and dents, which point to its long and practical former life. Its rusted-through bottom dictated its use in my garden as a pot cover: it disguises a heavy-duty 35-litre plastic pot set to the right height on bricks. The advantages of this ‘cover up’ arrangement are manifold: plastic pots are relatively lightweight for shifting around and, raised off the ground, drain readily. I rely on this flexible system since it’s easy to swap a ‘gone over’ planting for one approaching its prime.
In full sun, the paired-up euphorbias create an eye-catching explosion of ruby-purple, blue-green and (Persian lily) and , planted together in autumn, accompanied the euphorbias in a more architectural arrangement. I love how the leaves of the former so perfectly echo those of .
