Shoe Scape – Grow plants in shoes

Have you heard of Alamo Square in San Francisco? This place is a tourist attraction for it has witnessed not only many television and movie shootings but is also well known as a spot where you can find a quirky collection of plants in shoes.

This collection was possible by the city gardener David Cliffton who found it easy to use the discarded shoes while collecting trash rather than throwing it. There are many who were inspired by this initiative and have done the same for their gardens after all it hurts to throw away your beloved shoe, so why not make some good use and they can make a great collection to your backyard garden .

• Clean your shoe from any dirt, thoroughly.
• Apply water sealant or outdoor acrylic sealant to the inside with a paint brush. You could use your old shoe without the sealant but the shoe will not last for a long time in that case.
• Get creative and paint your shoe if you like else, let the original charm remain.
• Make holes in the shoes with soft soles with the help of a screw driver. For a shoe with hard sole, use a drill. Holes are made to drainage for the plants. You cannot have too many of them and neither should they be close to each other. The number of holes will depend on the size of the shoe. For a long shoe like cow boy shoes, if you like you can make secondary holes large enough for plant to peek out.
• Now use potting soil and fill in up to ½ to 1 inch from the top. A good growing medium will help drain better.
• Throw in the seedling or the plant as available in the pot. Water the soil to moisten it slightly. Herbs and shallow rooted plants can grow in well in the depth which shoes usually have.

Now, nail that Red Croc with plants to the tree or hang the pair to your garden wall. Use your kid’s old Tennis shoe and place it by the pool. What are you waiting for; get ready to make you old shoes BOOT-TIFUL with some plants.

Written by Priyanka Malik for GreenMyLife