Decorative Wire Wheelbarrows for Plants

Why Choose Wire?

• Wire supports plants without distracting from their look. Sometimes, the container overpowers the plant, especially if it's heavily ornate. Wire, on the other hand, can be nearly invisible, or as invisible as you want it to be. This is especially true in the case of flowers. Flowers grown in a wire basket or wheelbarrow are the stars of the show.

Types of Wire

• Decorative wire wheelbarrows abound, but some may not be designed to stand up to the elements. Some small wire wheelbarrows are designed for use as indoor decorations and may only hold one small potted houseplant. If you want to create an outdoor display, your best bet is to make sure the wire is galvanized -- coated to withstand wind, rain and other adverse weather conditions without rusting.

Prepping the Wheelbarrow

• You obviously can't just dump soil into the wheelbarrow -- it will fall right through the holes in the wire. Instead, line the wheelbarrow with sphagnum moss or coconut husk fiber, just as you would a wire hanging basket. Ideally, the wires will be less than 2 inches apart, but if not, wrap fishing line around the wires to help hold the moss and soil in place. Then, line the wheelbarrow with at least 1 inch -- you can use up to 4 inches -- of sphagnum moss or preformed coconut fiber liners. Sphagnum moss should be soaked in warm water overnight prior to lining the wheelbarrow. Before you start lining, squeeze out as much water as you can. Coconut fiber liners can simply be pressed into place.

Planting the Plants

• Container plants lose a lot of moisture. One way to ensure your plants stay as moist as possible is to line the moss with a thin sheet of plastic before you add the soil. Punch holes in the plastic to allow the water to drain -- too much water can lead to root rot and other fungal diseases. Before you add the soil, move the wheelbarrow to its permanent location; it will be heavy once the plants and soil are added. Choose plants according to the light at the location -- full sun or partial shade -- but keep in mind that space is limited. Trailing plants will look nice spilling over the edges of the wheelbarrow, as will flowering annuals.