huge planters...

...gigantic pots that a close associate gave me after I had randomly admired them in a big box store. Really too big to move once you get it filled with dirt and planted. So I have been undecided as to what I would put in them, after making a decision about where they would be located. Because after they get filled, loaded with a lot of dirt and growing things, they will be permanently in that spot.

Even though they are made of some type of foam, like that extruded stuff you see must have come liquefied out of a huge tube or pipe, and suddenly exposed to air, solidifies. The pots are really light weight, but still, when filled too heavy to relocate. I'm thinking of putting the holly shrubs in them, if the plants survive the winter. Still waiting to see if they will begin to show signs of life as the seasons change and weather warms.

Thinking that I could fill the pots half way with some sort of inert filler that would not absorb water or have the weight of dirt - which can be pretty heavy when you go to pick up a forty pound sack of potting soil. So I thought: styrofoam! I could raid the bin in front of the store for egg cartons, and fill the pots with recycled egg cartons. Or those oddly shaped mostly rectangular pieces that electronics often come packed in to hold them securely and prevent damage while in transit.

While I was pondering all this, I noticed that there Office Max was having a sale on packing supplies. Bubble wrap, strapping tape and.... styrofoam peanuts! The bags come in two sizes. The big size is huge, and costs about $ 35. The smaller size would be just about what I would need to fill my planter. Except for the fact that they are not at all synthetic or plastic. Even though they look just like what we all think those little squiggles of extruded plastic foam should. The ones on sale at Office Max are made of: cornstarch.

You know what happens when you mix water and cornstarch, right? It liquefies.Only good for thickening your gravy or soup. Not a good choice to put in the pot under the potting soil for planting my Mormon holly bushes. (You remember the story about the deciduous hollies? One male and three females. You have to provide a male bush for the females to make pretty red berries that are so showy in the winter when the leaves drop off.

I am still looking for a large quantity of inert items I can use to fill the bottom half of the pot. I might randomly peer into the recycling bins as I go to work, or pick up someone' trash on the street after than purchase of a flat screen TV. Maybe find another good sized pot to put in the planters up-side-down that will reduce the amount of dirt needed. Pondering a solution before the dormant Mormon family starts to put on new growth...