Gary, I told Mark about your problem, and he said you are S.O.L., and that you should just get rid of the big ol' things. Then he said we would come get them, and send you pictures later on how you should have done it! Hahahaha. He's always on the "scrounge" for planters and the like!

Seriously, I have to think about it for a bit, and I'm sure others will have some great ideas, but my first inclination is to stack some concrete blocks as additional support under each planter, but then to fill in with dirt solidly between them. I don't think it would be a waste of soil, because some of the plant roots would use it. (And you could use junkier dirt under that part, too...yard sand, builder's sand, etc, and save the good soil for the planting areas.) That's just my thoughts, though. Others might have better suggestions.

As for covering material, I think you could use anything you like the look of. Reed fencing, short bamboo poles, upright all the way around, lath, or narrow pavers? (Something that wouldn't eat up too much of your planting areas.)

I'll keep thinking on it, and if I come up with any other suggestions, I'll jump in. And hopefully, other creative minds will help out, too.

Whaddya think, folks? Gary scored a great find. Wanna help him figure out how to show it off?

Marcia

I think the concrete blocks under each level as support is a perfect idea. If they are 'fresh' block, you might want to spray them with a good sealant so they don't leach into the soil. Around a planting bed concrete blocks aren't a problem but in this small a space they might be. Or how about pavers instead? They tend to be less porous and may be easier on the soil.

I don't think you need anything on top of the blocks. Packed with soil or sand, they should be stable enough to put the next pot right on top.

I would do hypertufa around the outside of the bottom pot, then spray the upper pots with one of those stone-look decorative paints. Check the paint section at Lowes. You could do them all the same color or graduate them from dark up to lighter at the top.

I love this project and want to do it! I tried the pot tree a couple years ago with all the clay pots askew on a piece of rebar stuck in the ground. It was pitiful and not a success. This one sounds much more stable. Be sure the base is stable and level before starting though, because this will end up being a LOT of weight. You don't want it to look like the Leaning Tower of Gary! LOL

Kate

hm... cheap and durable and capable of rounding... what about those relatively inexpensive rolling shades made from bamboo, the kind people use on porches to block the sun? some of them are very long.

use them sideways (so you wrap in the right direction), cut to height, wrapped around the pots and somehow or another tied/glued/affixed. they'd look good.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking when I said reed fencing. Same principle, Ill-Man. I think something like that (blinds or fencing) would work, cut to height. Mark has cut some of the reed fencing to encircle smaller planters and it looks pretty nice. Doesn't hold up forever, but nothing short of brick or concrete does, really.

Marcia

Hi
the fencing sounds like a good idea.. How to attach to the pots. Silicone?? Certainly wouldn't be too expensive or a lot of work to put it on. They also make it out of plastic which might last longer. They have "hoops on the bottom side so that a forklift can pick them up .Interferes with sitting flat .Concrete blocks or bricks would take the weight but fear it would bend over time. Thought of using some kind of disk to ssupport the entire bottom such as plywood but might interfere with drainage as well as rot buried in the soil. Was thinking of putting plastic soda bottles in the bottom to take up some room ,certainly don't need two feet of soil. Even with just two will still be 4 feet plus four feet to the center will be hard to reach the middle of the upper tier. I have a level, stable location in full sun but wondering if I need to put some gravel underneath to distribute the weight. Since it won't be holding water certainly doesn't need to perfectly level. Did you ammend the soil under your stocktank?? I setup a 150 gallon aquarium in the shadehouse using crushed lava rock drains well but has shifted from front to back in two years. Was too cheap to put in a concrete apron lol This also happened to a 5x10 above ground lily pool but took over ten years to become serious lol
Oh well I'm an old man it will probably last longer than me lol Thanks for the ideas !! gary

Gary, you don't need to attach fencing to the pots...just wrap it around them in a snug circle, and then fasten the two ends of the fencing together with some wire. Overlap it a bit & "sew" it up. Voila! Done.

I think Kate's hypertufa and spray stone effects sound really pretty, too. But a bit more work. So it just depends on which look you like, and how much work you want to put in it.

If it were me, I'd probably just fill each container with soil, and sit the next one on top. I'm lazy. Haha! No, we didn't put anything under the stock tank. We just leveled the dirt as perfectly as possible. The weight of the tank full of water has compressed that soil there, which was pretty darn compressed to begin with. I think it will be okay. It' doesn't seem to be settling crookedly or anything. *fingers crossed*

Be sure to take pictures, whatever you do. (can you cut off the hoops on the bottom side so it will sit flat? Or cut you sin them into the soil until the bottom rests on the yard surface?)

Marcia

Hi Gary, I love the idea of your tiered planter. Concrete blocks with soil to fill in should support it with a minimal amount of settling. As far as a way to hide the "poly pots" consider using mobile home skirting. It comes in different styles and is flexible so wrapping it around the pots shouldn't be a problem. Here is a picture of my small "stock tank pond" that I used it on -

The pond was still under construction in this picture but it showed the skirting the best.

nova

Hi
Lots of good ideas here!!. One more ??? though, .Where do i store them until I get around to actually working on it Lol I have 5 projects started and all about a quarter done. With summer coming work will be limited to EARLY morning unless I break into a sweat ,will be cancelled until winter arrives lol Thanks again gary

Need to do it quick? Then I still recommend the spray paint idea. You could do that in a morning and plant the next day. Done!

Nova, where do you find the mobile home skirting? I really like that stone look around the water garden.

Mike.

What about papier maché for pot coverage? Not too heavy and should stick to the plastic.

Mike- I got the skirting from a surplus shop in Belleview but I have seen it at Lowes. Also you might try mobile home supply stores.

nova