go to search and type in tipsy pots,,, there are pictures of hanging from porch beams to the on the ground ones... could try trellis for ideas also..... gemee

Is there any way you can post a picture?? We think better if we can see what you're talking about....

A couple of years ago a neighbor at our summer campground place gave me the corner panels from his screen house gazebo that was damaged over the winter. I turned the flat corner panels into trellises and they now sport morning glories every summer.

The canvas cover on our own screen house gazebo at home has seen better days, but the structure itself is still sturdy. Next year we are moving it to an area in the yard that will allow morning glories to grow (we have a lot of shade) and I plan to let the vines grow up and over the entire thing. I can't wait to see what it will look like!

If these types of panels would work for you then in the spring start posting on freecycle and look on craigslist for old screen houses that have been damaged over the winter.

I am a bit lost as to what planters to sit on means, though. Do you mean planter bench, with a seat in the middle and plants on the ends?a seat in general that does not take up floor space? I always go for tree stumps as seats whenever possible in the garden. You could fill a strawberry pot and grow plants from the holes, but put a seat on the top.

Oh my, sorry for not being clearer, and sorry again for no picture.

Imagine a nine foot tall box with one side open. The open side/width of the patio is six feet and screened from floor to ceiling. From front to back, the patio is about nine feet on one wall and no more than six on the other.
I guess instead of "plant to sit on" I should have said plant stand.

Adding in a 3' round table & my chair further limits floor space. What it boils down to is I have to grow up... trellises; and down...from plant stands or suspended from the ceiling.

The tipsy pots are hysterical! Luv 'em! Must figure a way to suspend them...

When I think "box" I think 6 sides-is there a ceiling, and if so, what is it made of? Are the walls the house? If not,what are they made of? Stone, metal?

The open side is the screened section-does that mean it has access, a door? Or is the whole thing only accessible from the house?

I'm thinking something like bench for seating on one side with the table in front of it, to save floor space. You may need to change the furniture out to make the most of the space.

And finally-what do you want to use the space for? relaxing and drinking coffee, reading the paper or a book, chatting with a friend or your DH?

My home is in an apt. complex...ceiling and floors are nicely finished concrete; patio accessible only from inside; fourth wall is single-width 6' tall (plus frame) window with the balance of the wall cut off at an angle for a single French door. That's why one wall is 6' long while the other is 9'. Walls are stuccoed cinder block (I imagine) painted a cool sage green; ceiling is white, trim is white floor is sealed with an off-white finish.

As far as what I plan on doing out there...everything you mentioned accept for the DH! Could even throw a party if no more than two people came...

My poor wording in the original posting has taken this in an unintended direction...my hope is for suggestions for offbeat things to use as planters on the floor or suspended from the ceiling.

Geeme's tipsy pots (in my mind) are already placed and planted...I'm hoping to go to six feet rather than the three of four that seem the most common...and your earlier thoughts on old gazebo parts as a trellis led me to Home Depot where I discovered masonary ladders to use as trellises for moonflower and blackeyed susan vines. Price couldn't be better...$2.97 each!

Thanks for your interest...I'm game to try almost anything that will increase my gardening space! This is such a change as I used to have roughly 1,000 square feet of garden and now its less than 50...

Have you looked in our Inspiration Album here? I'll post the link...Purplemoon adds lots of pics from lots of GJers here...maybe something will click for you. There's all kinds of albums to 'click on' on the right side ... also a 'view all albums' at the bottom of that list. It's hard w/o a pic to visualize your new garden space...good luck! Jeanne S.

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Junk Inspiration Albums

Ah-HA!! Now it all makes sense! The color scheme is great. Before you suspend something from the ceiling make sure you are drilling into a support beam, and not just the stucco/ceiling material. And that you don't get in trouble with the apartment complex folks for drilling.

Floor planter suggestions-this cart done by gardencraze is awesome: http://s569.photobucket.com/albums/ss131/gardencraze/?action=view&current=Amarylisandgardenshow012.jpg

I saved that pic to my clippings because I have had a tea cart in the shed for two years and have wanted to do something similar. It provides a place for plants and looks very pretty at the same time. You could do plnts on the bottom and keep the top shelf usable for your coffee or lunch or whatever.

The next picture in that same album is of a stepladder done in a similar fashion as the tea cart. I've seen these done as planter stands, too, so that one or two plants are put on each step. You could lean it against the wall to minimize floor space. Or use a taller ladder opened up with boards placed between the rungs for larger pots to sit on. Ladders in general make awesome trellises:
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/junk/msg1214444416750.html?16

Look for tall, narrow CD holders at the thrift shop for small pots to display them vertically.

I recently saw a canvas shoe rack planted with flowers, similar to the one in this video that was planted with herbs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhB5LC3m43A

This guy has a very funky plastic bottle vertical garden!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=ugc71yhAfV0

Do searches for "vertical garden" or "vertical gardening" for more ideas. Good luck!!!

That canvas shoe rack garden is so cute. I have one of those on my bedroom door, planted with shoes !