Planting up the verges outside the house!

[Scarlet]

When I lived in London the road outside my flat was tree lined and always looked lovely. Here there are some nice hedges and the chap over the road has a bed that he fills with flowers that reseed. It looks lovely at the moment.
But on my side it�s all concrete
I haven�t got anywhere to plant in the ground. And maddeningly some people park their car on the wide bit!! ( I wish there was a ban on parking on the pavement but that�s another story)
Anyway..i�m thinking of a very large pot. I�ve had a few �ornaments� stolen from the garden. Wondering how big the pot should be?
Do you plant outside? Would you bother?

[veggiechicken]

No pavements here, just grass verge up to the hedge. My neighbour turned his into a flower bed to stop people parking on it.

I've thought about clearing patches for wild flowers but haven't!! I also thought about a planter with herbs in for people to help themselves to - but haven't. I have lots of thoughts but very little action.

[gardening_gal]

I trust no-one these days. I once had someone steal a special specimen tree from beside my front door, it was in the ground so they needed to dig it up. Once they'd got it out, they then dug up a bush thing from elsewhere in the garden and planted it in the space they took the tree from to help disguise the theft.

Best of it is, it did actually take a couple of days to register, I knew there was something wrong but it didn't hit me till later that my tree was missing.

Even a big planter could be lifted by a couple of burly blokes imo, especially if it's on the pavement outside your garden, easy access. If you could fix it down in some way it would be better. Chains can easily be cut if someone fancies it, could you maybe cement it down?

If it can't be fixed then personally I wouldn't bother.

What about wall planters? Do you have a wall or a fence that you could screw planters to at a reasonable height just so you could add a splash of colour? Failing that then it's down to you whether to risk it or not Isn't it a shame we even have to think about things like this? You'd think people would be happy to see improvements and added beauty and leave it at that instead of wondering if it will fit in the back of their van!

[Small pumpkin]

I don't bother, the only things that would benefit are the sheep, deer and bunnies. Using it as an all you can eat buffet!. No one lives opposition to benefit. Neighbors would only benefit if they used binoculars or as they drove past.

[Chestnut]

Like vc, it’s something that I have thought about but not actually got around to.

I have a feeling that you wouldn’t be allowed to put a pot on council owned land without their permission , but it’s fine if it is part of your property (consult the deeds or land registry website if you’re not sure).

Personally, I would aim for something unmoveable and inexpensive- maybe along the lines of a raised bed.
One of our neighbours actually has an 18” wide raised bed forming their front garden wall. It’s waist high, made of bricks and rendered, so certainly not easily removed!

[greenishfing]

A friend of mine planted some very large pots. Having learned from experience she hammered long ( about 80 cm) L- shaped metal stakes at an angle through extra drainage holes in the bottom before filling them with soil. (Like ginormous tent pegs.) As she said, " If they disappear it's a matter of finding the local scumbag with a hernia.

[Mark_Riga]

For 'large pot', you want something that is not worth pinching but would look the part. we have an old, well chipped heavy belfast kitchen sink that would do or and old holely wheelbarrow excluding wheel. Something like that could be made to look good but not really be worth pinching.
We have daffodils and snowdrops in the border but wouldn't put in anything else as tractors going past can kick up a lot of muck at the speeds they go these days, or dust when the mud they deposited has dried out.

[bramble]

Yes, we plant up the verges and pathways on our road every year.
Never had any problems.
I think it makes people take a pride in the area they live in.

[Bren In Pots]

What about something like a bath once its filed with soil/compost it would be impossible to move without equipment.

[JanieB]

I used to use an old tin bath when I was in my first home of my own. I painted the outside with flowers using enamel paint. No-one ever tried stealing it. Mind you, my husband managed to "lose" it when we moved house.

There's a verge opposite some cottages on the A420 near Tubney that has been planted with wild flowers. It looks lovely.

My house is straight onto the pavement so I can't put anything there. Anyone who puts up windowboxes on the ground floor windows doesn't have the plants for long. Bedroom height boxes are pretty safe if only I could find ones that are wide enough and that I actually like.