Tipsy Pots Project

By Dottie Baltz, Pennellville, New York

When my husband, Gary, first saw a leaning tower of clay pots in someone's yard, he was impressed. I did a little research on-line and found some information on them, along with limited instructions on how to make these "tipsy pots."

Gary and I put our minds together and decided to build our own version. Here's how we put did it:

1. First, we picked a spot in the yard that was a pain to mow. We chose a place next to the deck on our screen house. The area needed some color to make it more inviting, so it was perfect.
2. After removing the sod, we drove a 66-inch piece of re-rod 2 feet into the soil. (It's important to pound the rod into the soil at least 2 feet so it can support the weight of the full pots.)
3. We surrounded the base with newspaper to prevent weeds from growing. Then we placed a 12-inch round clay pot at the base, threading the re-rod through the drainage hole.
4. At this point, we filled the pot with soil so the next pot had something to sit on. We pressed the soil down and watered it until it was firm.
5. Next, we took a 10-inch pot and threaded it through the rod, tilting it so one side of the base rested on the soil below.
6. We threaded the next three pots and tilted them in opposite directions so the weights were distributed evenly.
7. Then we added plants to the tipsy pots. (When planting, make sure to leave a 1- to 1-1/2-inch space at the top of each pot. That way, when you water, the soil won't run out of the pot. To conserve moisture, add a layer of mulch on top of the soil.)
8. Finally, to finish the project beautifully, we added a layer of mulch over the newspaper on the ground.

Enjoy watching your flowers bloom!

For more of Dottie's garden projects, visit her Web site.