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Concrete is the world's most commonly used building material, but most do not know that it is actually a very green material. Instead of ending up in the landfills, most concrete today is reused, ground into gravel or remade into cement mix.
With a little creativity, you can continue the trend and turn those post-construction leftovers into something special for your yard. A leftover cement footing can be recycled into the perfect house marker, planted and stenciled with house numbers. Unused cinder blocks can be planted and used to edge a bed or a wall. Cement junction boxes that look like much pricier modern planters are perfect when planted for a doorway. People often forget that over time concrete takes on a lovely aged patina accumulating mosses and lichens while offering maximum durability and minimal maintenance.
Materials:
Recycled cinder blocks, junction boxes, or deck footings
Hardware cloth/screen
Cement floor paint
Number stencils
Newspaper
Spray adhesive
Spray paint
Soil mix of compost, bark, permiculite, and lava rock
Assorted plants
Tools:
Drill and tile or masonry bit
Metal snips
Directions:
1. Check your recycled cement container for a drainage hole.
• If the hole is too large or open at the bottom, cut a square of hardware cloth slightly larger than the hole. Make sure you leave the sharp edges in place. The sharp points will attach to the coarse texture of the cement and keep the screen in place. Simply push the screen into place to block the hole.
• If there is no drainage, use a drill and masonry bit to make several drainage holes in the bottom of the container.
2. To paint your container, use a cement floor paint found at any hardware store. Follow the recommended directions for applying the paint.
3. To stencil your container, apply a light layer of spray adhesive to the back of your stencil. You can purchase number stencils at any hardware store. Allow the adhesive to dry and when the surface is tacky, position your stencil on the container. Carefully press down all the edges with your fingers. Block off any areas (with newspaper) not covered by the stencil to prevent overspray. Apply two or more very light coats of spray paint and remove the stencil. Allow to dry overnight before planting.
4. Because you are using a container that may not have been intended as a planter, it may be heavy already. To create a soil mix that is light use equal parts: permiculite, lava rock, compost, and composted bark. This will create a soil mix that is light and nutritious for the plants in your container. If weight is not an issue, a regular container potting mix is fine.
5. Choose plants that suit your container's site. Because cement is slightly alkaline (the limestone in the mix) and porous you want to choose plants that prefer a sweet well drained-soil, like rock or alpine plants, or sedums and cactuses.
6. If you have a square planter you need to make sure one side has low light plants or plan to rotate the container periodically to assure even growth.