Headed for a dental appointment (and late as usual) I passed by this collection of galvanized metal containers planted up with an interesting assortment of things. As luck would have it my appointment was quick and I had time to stop and take photos before the light in the sky completely disappeared for the day.
NE 28th Ave in Portland
This section of NE 28th Ave in Portland is a nice 3-4 block stretch of restaurants, coffee shops, and stores selling all manner of things.
Traffic can be heavy and swift so having these planters along the sidewalk helps to define the pedestrian space and make it feel less exposed.
This time of year the fallen leaves bring additional interest and color.
Industrial Stock Tanks as Planters
As a lover of industrial stock tanks used as planters (I have 12), I find the assortment of sizes and shapes they’ve included here especially interesting.
In most of the commercial applications I’ve seen the person designing the space tends to just line up a number of the oblong planters and call it a day.
Not here! And they also filled them with a great assortment of plants. Nothing too obscure and difficult, but not nameless “filler”…
I’m not conifer smart, so I can’t tell you which one this is, but doesn’t it look fetching against the silver metal and decorated with fallen leaves?
And notice, not just a plain green Fatsia but a variegated one!
I do hope the heavy containers sitting on the roots of the towering trees above do not cause them stress. Does anyone know, is this a concern?
I frequently flirt with the idea of galvanized metal trash cans mixed in with my stock tanks. I’m just not sure I could pull it off. Here it works.
Heck even the fire hydrant seems perfectly on theme.
