Nice ideas, plant selection and more

Pay attention to

Most potted plants do not tolerate waterlogging. Drainage is therefore urgently required. The easiest way to create a drain is to drill a hole in the zinc tub. Is the vat too good for you for that? Then serve Expanded clay(€ 16.35 at Amazon *) as a useful alternative. This material is also recommended if your plants have a high demand for water. Unlike a hole in the ground, the brown spheres absorb the liquid and thus retain the moisture in the substrate. In addition, expanded clay prevents the Potting soil compacted in the bucket.

instructions

1. Drill a hole in the bottom of the zinc pan for drainage.
2. Place the pottery shard on top.
3. Drainage layer made of expanded clay, Styrofoam or pour more pottery shards into the zinc tub.
4. Fill the zinc tub with soil up to 10 cm below the edge.
5. Plant plants with sufficient spacing.
6. Fill the zinc tub with the rest of the soil to just below the edge.

Large selection of suitable plants

More plants will thrive in a zinc tub than you might think. The large selection makes it possible for you to customize your alternative flower pot according to your own personal taste design. For example, you can combine the following types of plants to create as colorful an image as possible:

• Succulents
• blooming summer flowers
• Vegetables and herbs
• Aquatic plants

Which substrate for which plant?

Ordinary flowers feel comfortable in conventional garden soil. Herbs and vegetables are somewhat more demanding due to their increased nutritional requirements. For crops that bear fruit, you should enrich the soil with organic matter such as compost. Succulents, on the other hand, have different demands on the substrate. They are best kept in sandy soil.

Succulents

Succulents often only reach a small height, but prove to be very robust. You won't find a sheltered space for your old zinc pan? The succulents, which stay low, do not risk kinking, even in strong winds.

Flowering plants for the zinc tub

In the following we present a few creative combinations and suitable plants for planting a zinc tub.

The spring bed
Consisting of:

• Daffodils
• Tulips
• Winterlings
• snowdrop
• and wood anemones

Since you plant the bulb flowers in the zinc tub in autumn, the planter needs winter protection. As soon as the plants sprout in spring, the flowers make the following demands:

• Penumbra
• damp earth
• nutrient-rich substrate

Fragrant violets

Did you know that the fragrant violet flower is edible? The slightly sweet taste is often used in desserts. A zinc tub enriches Viola odorata with its optical advantages. The flower blooms in bright purple from March to April. A partially shaded location creates the best conditions for that Fragrant violets numerous Bumblebees, Butterflies and attracts bees to the garden.

Common loosestrife

With its imposing, yellow flowers, Lysimachia vulgaris is ideal as a background planting in the zinc tub. Small flowering plants in very different colors, which you put in the foreground, provide interesting color contrasts.

Plants for practical use

Herbs

Herbs are ideal, especially if you want to plant a comparatively small zinc tub. You can decorate the windowsill, for example, with your own herb bed. Since the plants get a lot of light there at the same time, they will thrive optimally. This not only creates a great look, but also a practical benefit. Parsley, basil and oregano give your dishes that decisive aroma.

vegetables

As with a herb bed in the zinc tub, vegetables such as tomatoes or peppers promise a worthwhile harvest. Of course, you can also combine the useful plants with the herbs. The main advantage of this is that the aroma of basil, peppermint or parsley keeps pests away in a completely natural way. Well then, to a good neighborhood!

Aquatic plants for the zinc tub

A conventionally planted zinc tub is too boring for you? Then design the tub as a mini pond. In this case, you don't even need to drill a hole in the zinc bathtub for drainage. However, if it is an uncoated copy, it is necessary to include the tub Pond liner to interpret. Otherwise the material will begin to rust over time. Decorate the vessel with floating plants like

• Water lilies
• Dwarf flask
• or arrowhead

If your zinc tub is in a shady place, they are suitable

• Water iris
• Dwarf rush
• or frog spoon