Drive-By Gardens: Creative cactus planter
October 09, 2010
A toy dump truck has to be the most unusual planter I’ve ever seen, and this golden barrel cactus looks right at home in it. I spotted this playful combo parked on the front lawn of an Allandale home yesterday.
Towering on either side of it were a pair of gigantic green agaves, about 5 feet tall and wide—a nice change from the popular silver Agave americana. Anyone know the variety? Update: Agave salmiana var. ferox. Thanks, Kacky, Denise, and David C.
All material © 2006-2010 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
All rough and rugged and weathered like that, the dump truck looks like it belongs there. So, are you out today looking for a dump truck to put in YOUR landscape?!
Ha, I like it, but I’d have to come up with something different. I’m still wanting some industrial metal pipes to use as planters. —Pam
Hi- it is the Agave salmiana ferox- I of course had to ask my husband. hahah Love the dump truck planter!!!!!
Kacky
Thanks for the ID, Kacky. —Pam
I would guess A. salmiana too, which I think is more frost tender than A. americana.
Thanks, Denise. A lot of the americanas were damaged last winter in our hard freezes. This salmiana looks unscathed, but maybe it’s in a warm pocket or recovered quickly. —Pam
Cool way to recycle a tonka toy into a cactus planter! The agave looks like A. salmiana or A. ferox to me, as well. We have a few of those in ABQ, and both it and A. americana seem to get some damage in the colder winters.
Thanks for the confirmation, David. Their two green giants seem to have survived our hard freezes of last winter with minimal damage. They are stunning. —Pam
That is the coolest thing ever! I guess its not the safest toy around, but surround it with a groundcover and you’re good to go. Thanks for sharing!
Isn’t it fun? Shallow-rooted cacti and succulents are perfect for these kinds of planters. —Pam
I love the dumptruck planter. I don’t know what kind of agave this is but I have seen these monstrosities in TX. They are amazing.
Yep, gigantic agaves are all over Austin. They do make a statement in a garden. —Pam
Hello! I just discovered your blog through Mouse & Trowel. I’m always glad to find a fellow Austinite gardening their heart out. I am fairly new to gardening in Austin. I have to say, the summer heat is a huge obstacle for me. Your blog, however, is an inspiration 🙂
Hi, Roberta. Thanks for saying hi. I popped over to your blog too and enjoyed reading about your chicken adventures. Yeah, the heat is a joy-killer for me too, but we do have the glorious fall, winter, and spring to make up for it. —Pam
I love it!!! I actually have my 17 year old son’s Tonka dump trunk in my flower bed. I’ve been trying to figure out what I want to plant in it. Maybe a succulent or cactus is the way to go!
Yes, at 17 he’s probably not going to miss it anymore, is he? 😉 Enjoy your new planter! —Pam
I want a dump truck!
Isn’t it fun to see what people come up with? When I first saw this dump-truck planter I knew I had to come back later with my camera to get a picture of it. —Pam
I brought the agaves in to keep them from frost which has not yet happened here. The dump truck looks tricky. What did they load that barrel cactus with? A front end loader?
That would be logical, Layanee. Maybe this is the way to get little kids interested in gardening? —Pam
Very whimsical!! Clever idea.
So there’s another whimsical gardener out there, eh, Cat? —Pam
What a neat container.
Hi Pam,
OK, I thought I had seen it all, but the dump truck wins the prize for….for?…who knows. But, I love it! Hope they put drain holes.
David 🙂 Tropical Texana/ Houston