My sister and her husband recently built a home in the country. They bought twenty acres of land. The building project went smoothly. Their drive way is quite long so this creates a large area of grass to mow. The first couple of years they were content to plant a few trees in the yard as well as adding shrubs around the home. This year my sister wanted to add to the landscaping.

Since 1969, bushel baskets began to give way to cardboard boxes and wirebound crates in the produce industry.

She asked me to help her come up with some design ideas and to make a trip to the local nursery. When I arrived at her home she was measuring different areas of the yard space and trying to decide what she wanted to add to her plans. She wanted to place large barrels of flowers at intervals along the long driveway. She said that the barrels would need to be removed each fall so that they would not be damaged during snow removal in the winter. She also wanted to add some pots of flowers amongst the shrubs by the house to add color.

We went to a local nursery and looked at the whiskey barrels to line the driveway. The barrels are very heavy and the clerk told us that once they are filled with dirt they are almost impossible to move. The clerk suggested using bushel baskets instead. There are bushel baskets that are lined with plastic to keep the dirt in place and also to keep the wood from rotting. The clerk showed us the bushel baskets that they had in stock. I told my sister that she would be able to purchase bushel baskets much cheaper through a farm dealer.

We went to a dealer that supplies local vegetable farmers. We were able to purchase several bushel baskets in various sizes. The baskets were half the cost of those at the nursery and were made out of higher quality materials. We lined the baskets ourselves using landscaping plastic that my sister had left over from other projects. We filled the bushel baskets with dirt and planted an assortment of colorful annuals. Around the house we tipped the baskets on their sides to create the effect of flowers spilling out of the baskets. The color added greatly to the look of the landscaping. The bushel baskets are much lighter weight to move and they stack for compact storage during the winter months.

We were able to add to the beauty of their yard at a very minimal cost. Next year she will only have to invest in new plants. By using annuals they can create a different look each spring and summer through the plants they choose.