Use vintage ceramic plates to make pretty flower-bed borders.
1. PICK A LACKLUSTER LOCATION like a stone path or driveway. (This border works best for lining hard surfaces rather than grass, because a mower can easily break the plates.) With a small rake or trowel, clear any leaves, rocks or grass from an 8-inch-wide swath along the walkway. Toward the back of the cleared area, use your foot to press down on a half-moon edger (available at garden-supply stores), slanted slightly away from you, about 3 to 4 inches into the soil. Repeat, facing your body and the edger in the opposite direction, to loosen a line of earth in the shape of a V. Set aside the dirt.
2. BUY A PILE OF PLATES from a flea market or secondhand store. We used white ceramic and milk glass plates to contrast with the colors of the plants. Starting at one end of your border, place a plate into the dug-out V until a third of it is covered. Slightly overlap the next plate and use the dirt you set aside in step 1 to fill in the trench. If you removed larger clumps of grass, place them behind the plates to add support. Once you reach the end of the border, fill in the area between the plates and the edge of the walkway with small rocks in a contrasting color, such as the sandy brown shown here.
3. PLANT YOUR PATH PRETTY with an assortment of brightly blooming (and easy-to-grow) flowers like impatiens and Tampa verbain. Position and plant the flowers about 2 inches behind the plates. This will give them enough room to settle in and flourish throughout the summer, but also ensures that the plants and plates will quickly create one unified border. Intersperse visually intriguing plants, like dusty miller, and taller ones, like roses, for a subtle sense of romance. Note: Your border will be lovely whether it’s 2 feet long or runs the entire length of your driveway or path.
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