Automotive Theme Garden – Creative Gardens

Once in a while you just want a different look for your garden.

I have several gardens and always look for something different to do. One spring I was thinking what could I do this year when my eyes spotted the eyesore that had been haunting me for a few years… The abandoned car.

My brother had brought a car in to use for extra parts and it ended up in the side yard past the garage with the hood removed along with some of the other usable interior car pieces.  It still had a few pieces that could possibly be used so it had not been removed from the yard.

I asked my brother what was left on the car that was usable and if I could plant by it and make a flowerbed in the hood area. He removed any parts and the Studebaker garden was underway.

I placed several layers of cardboard under the car to prevent any weeds from growing. I worked the soil on the sides of the car out about a foot and a half all around. By placing rotted manure, compost and leaf matter in the soil and working it in I made a better planting base.

Before I started planting I placed old chicken coop wire at the base of the car coming down to discourage rabbits or some other animal from deciding it would be a good place to live or hide.

I kept this garden simple. The edges had different varieties of marigold, small medium and large. I mixed a few red and white marigolds in the color scheme too. In the hood area I placed a box that fit in the opening almost perfect! It was about nine inches deep.  I made sure there were drainage holes in the box and then filled with a soil from my compost bin.

The front hood was a mix of annual flowers. Far in the back by the window area I planted a few teddy bear sunflowers. On the opposite side I had a small wood stump sitting in the box and placed an old rusted toolbox on it and planted flowers in that.

The front of the car had a few clumps of Teddy bear Sunflowers and flat rocks. I had to have a few places to get close to the flowerbed without trampling flowers so I could weed and water.
The last touch was a small window box on the one side car door.

I used this Studebaker as a garden for several years. It definitely became a conversation piece in the neighborhood. The garden was easy to change the look from year to year. You could add figures, vines, different car parts, old gas cans, etc.