CAN RECYCLING! True Garden Beauties!

[Sheri]

I hate landfills! I feel so guilty every time I toss a can! I try to be good but some things just don't come in a jar! We have to put our heads together and start thinking about better ways to recycle this stuff. Here's a few for inspiration!

Paint cans and plastic paint buckets can be very useful in the garden! Here's a cute idea with some old Dutch Boy paint cans!

Just a simple can stuffed with your garden blooms, delivered to a home bound elderly person can be so uplifting! We have a program called "Meals On Wheels" here in my town. Meals are delivered to the elderly and us garden nuts love to pick our garden flowers and deliver bouquets with the meals. They just love it!

This is a real cutie! A sweet decorative can turned into a garden home for a bird! Here on my island we have a program to turn peoples yards into wildlife habitat. We share our gardens with the wild life here and co-habitat with them. We get checked out by the group and they certify our yards as meeting the requirements and post a sign in our yards for people to see.

[Gyda Marie Haynes]

I love the idea of the romantic lanterns and the bird houses! Excellent!

[Sheri]

Gyda, I've been warned several times that the can bird houses can get a bit hot for the baby birds so they need to be put in a shady location. Might be a good idea to put in holes for ventilation.

[Gyda Marie Haynes]

We don't really have any shade, so maybe I should stick to the wooden houses Larry built. When it got so hot in early August, I really worried about the house wren family I had, but they fledged successfully. Of course, they did this the weekend we were out of town, but I saw a couple of the youngsters around for a few days. We need to get the house down and clean it out for next year. I may be able to put a can house in the Blue Spruce in the front yard...that's the north side...but I'll still put in some vent holes. :)

[Margaret Beers Oliver]

So many uses for cans in the garden. I have done pierced tins with my grand daughter and she got to take her "lantern" home. Great memories for me anyway!
I have seen them used instead of stones for a raised bed. Though it seemed to me that it would not last as long as wood ... for those of us who are not skillful with wood it might work as an idea.

[Sheri]

Here's a sweet idea using old cans. Make your own scented garden candles.

With a bit of paint cans can become so beautiful.

And a home for a bird family!

Go vertical!

Transform unwanted tin cans into romantic garden lighting, perfect for hanging from a tree or sturdy shrub branches for a candlelit dinner outside.
You'll need:
empty cans
wire
beads
hammer and nail
Once the can's empty, simply remove the label, wash clean, and carefully pierce holes in the can, either randomly or forming a pattern.
Leave the tin unpainted or spray-paint it. To make the handle, punch two holes opposite each other just below the rim of the can and attach a length of wire to one side, then thread with coloured beads and fix to the opposite side.

A camp-out cowboy cook would love this idea!