Little Old Red Wagon

I really stepped out of my comfort zone and bought this little red wagon the other day.

Sorry about the quality, I used my cell phone to take pictures as I went along here.

I could tell by the look of the wheels it was an oldie!  She's pretty rusty but still has good bones.  I see bloggers doing cute things with old items like this and I started thinking of how I could use it.  I figured I would add it to my backyard garden area.

It still pulls very nicely and given the heavy denting along the front edge where the handle lands I can tell it's had a lot of hours put on it.  Perhaps some young boy pulled it around a neighborhood with newspapers in it and or raced it with his buddies! 

In was determined to plant something in it and my head went spinning as to how I could do it.  I didn't want to cause it to rust out too much faster so my first I thought was to line it with plastic to protect the bottom but that could also trap moisture.  Then I got the idea of putting potted plants in there.

I made a trip to a favorite garden center and came across these zinc planters.  They're very modern in design but their depth and overall size told me they were just what I wanted.  I still have a big bale of pine mulch I stored in the garage so I decided to create a thick bed (which should help keep the bottom from staying too wet).  

I added a little piece of landscape fabric over the drain holes which helps keep the dirt from seeping out the bottom.

I filled the planters up with some potting soil and then added some pelleted slow release fertilizer. 

I picked up some I ivy, begonias and impatiens.  Once they fill out the edges of the planters will disappear and I think the effect will be great! 

I don't want to paint it because I felt it's authenticity is part of the character.  I did some research and it would appear that it's from the 1930's or 1940's.  

 This morning I sat outside in the cool morning air sipping coffee and waiting to see the sun shine through.

 

 The woods were echoing with birds singing.  It's a special time and I love it!

I used my regular camera to get better color and detail.

I'm anxious to see the plants spread out and fill in!

I recently moved my arbor to this same back area that the wagon is now and I used my planters that I brought back from Pennsylvania a few years ago to hang there.  I added wandering jew, and more of the begonias and impatiens.  I hope the wandering jew spreads out quickly!

I took some more pictures in the evening while the sun is setting and shines briefly in the back.   I thought I'd also leave the hoop handle watering can out there too.  It adds a little more "gardening" character to the scene!

Stop by my garden blog and follow along with my garden as it progresses.

You can visit by clicking "here"!

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