Thinking outside the planter

April showers have brought May flowers to my neck of the woods.

And what do May flowers bring? The need for lovely planters that will do them justice.

It's a dilemma I face every year. Clay pots and urns from the big-box store simply won't do. We need something more punchy, something more individual. Something less expensive.

So it was a trip to a new-found thrift store that inspired me to think outside the urn and put new life into secondhand items.

When it comes down to it, you can grow a plant in anything. All you need is a container deep enough to put a couple of inches of potting soil in and you're set.

After walking aisle after aisle at Thrift Town, I left with a small copper pot, four drinking cups and (the prize of the day) a Barbie minivan.

It didn't take me long to get home and go to work with some fresh herbs and flowers from the farmers market and potting soil from our local nursery.

To turn everyday items into plant containers, I would also recommend having some pebbles, an awl or punch and a power drill on hand. The key to keeping your plants alive is proper drainage, so you'll need these items to work that out.

The copper pot was perfect for my sprig of lavender, but not so easy for making drainage holes. Instead, I put a thin layer of pebbles in the bottom and filled the rest of the pot with potting soil -- leaving room, of course, to insert my lavender.

The pebbles should elevate the dirt so any extra water will drain into the rocks, rather than leave the plant waterlogged.

For my herb garden made out of Crayola cups, I used an awl to punch holes in the bottoms. Three holes in each cup were enough to let the excess water drain through.

Lesson learned: Be careful with the pressure you use to punch through plastic containers. It's better to apply gentle pressure in a twisting motion than to stab with a lot of force. Some harder plastics will shatter if you apply too much force.

For my piece de resistance, I used a power drill to add some extra holes to the undercarriage of Barbie's minivan. There were already some, but a few extra (and larger) holes couldn't hurt.

Once the holes were cleared, I filled the front and back seats with potting soil and then planted some mango flowers inside, letting the stems crawl out the roof and windows of the van.

Now I've got fresh herbs in colorful containers on my kitchen counter and a fun little piece full of flowers on my front porch.

So, go exercise your green thumb. Save a little green on containers. And be a little green by recycling old toys and dishes to grow a little green.

Vanessa Cook is a former copy editor for the Southeast Missourian who dabbles in decorating.