Turning a large log into a planter?

I do not claim to be an avid gardner although I do seem to have some luck growing various plants. I currently have a white pine log about 10'L and 2'w. I am thinking of cutting the top of this off length wise and then hollowing it out to create a trench, so to speak, down the center of the log. I thought I would put 2 to 3 inches of gravel in the bottom and then 6 to 12 inches of potting soil and dirt mix. This should create a nice bed for planting. I live near Knoxville TN in zone 7b I think. The log recieves about equal amounts of sun and shade with most of the sun mid day. My question is: does any one have any experience with what kind of plants might do well in this type of enviornment? The log has been laying on the ground for about a year allowing it to season and should be realatively sap free.

I wouldn't have a clue of what to plant in your log...but I can't wait to see pictures of it!

Are you wanting annuals or perennials? You and I are in the same zone. I've found myself planting alot of Coreopsis and Pineapple Sage this year.

Happy Gardening!

Lisa

I would skip the gravel, and you might consider drilling some holes in the bottom so that water can drain out (unless you're planning to grow plants that like wet feet). I would think you could grow pretty much anything you want in there as long as it's an appropriate size for the planter.

I prefer perennials although I do plant a few annuals for the wife when she drags 'em in. As for the drilling not a bad idea. My biggest concern is the acidity of the pine log. If I recall correctly pine is high acid content and could harm some plants more than help as the roots of the plants will eventually reach the wood and wood content will leach into planting media. Over time I would like to see the decay of the log turn slowly into no more than a raised bed. Something my 6 year old son could watch over the years.

Plants that require alkaline soil might not be happy there, but most plants can tolerate a range of pH and I don't think your soil in the planter will be so acidic that most plants would have trouble with it. And if you do have trouble with the pH getting too low, just add a bit of lime to counteract it.

What about coneflowers? They grow well in this zone and are drought tolerant.

Give me some details on cone flowers bloom time, heighth, planting companions etc. I have none of these and can not recall them (only have one pot of coffee in me so far). I think they resemble shasta type daisies?

This is off of the Purple Coneflower tag ( I keep all my flower and plant tags in a book so I can go back to them...just my way of 'learning' )...

Purple Coneflower - Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus'

Bloom Time - Blooms midsummer to early fall. ( On some colors I have blooms starting now )

Exposure - Plant in full sun.

Water - Adapts well to dry or moist conditions.

Height - Grows 28-36" Hardiness Zones - Zone 3 to Zone 9

Abundant vibrant flowers attract butterflies to a wide range of landscape settings. Beautiful in perennial, wildflower, cutting or mixed gardens, in formal or informal designs. Will tolerate periods of drought. 1998 Perennial Plant of the Year.
__________________________

Coneflowers come in various colors and sizes. I am totally new to gardening...but I already know that the coneflower is my favorite. It's a great flower for a 'beginner' such as myself to get hooked on!

The picture is one of my favorites. Coconut Lime Coneflower. "Double pompon flowers of creamy white with pale lime green cone" is how the tag describes it. It doesn't get as tall as the Purple Coneflower with a heighth of 24-30" tall.

I would suggest that you google Coneflowers if you are really interested in them because there is so much more to know about them than what I know!

NGT; It looks as if most of the coneflowers get tall. This log has no real wind proection. I think I will put some around the front and one end of the log. that way the flowers don't get blown over. We get some high winds here in the valley between the plateau and smokies. I have some day lillies and iris to move and I am leaning toward geum and shasta daisies maybe a poppy or two in the actual log. That should give some well rounded colors and bloom times as well as foliage to look at. I also have an Angel Trumpet I think I can plant behind it to give a back drop with some heighth. I think mixing some coneflower of various colors around the outside should pull it all together nicely. Thanks for the suggestion. Time to get cuttin'.

I hope you share with pictures!

Well this is going to be a project to say the least. All the rain we've had lately has made this pine log soggy. Chain saw can only do so much then comes the pick-ax. Got a good start today and with Mother's day tomorrow looks like Monday at the earliest to get back after it. Now that I have a start it should go more quickly. Dug out about a 1.5 square foot area so far. Took about 3.5 hrs. to get the hole started at the end. Keep in mind I'm taking my time, in no rush. It's not like the log is going to run away in fear of my saw and if somebody wants to try to carry it off more power to em! ;-)

We have had a lot of rain! The sun is shining right now...I hope it's that way for the rest of the day!

Please keep us updated on your project...:)

After 3 days working on this when I could(about 12 hours give or take) with a chain saw and a pick ax my log is now full of dirt. I will be going out later today to see just what I can get to plant in and around it. I have to admit I got lazy and bought some garden dirt and top soil from Wal-mart. I also mixed in some shredded leaf litter. The Angel Trumpets are in the ground and will need some tlc until they get well rooted. Once completed I will post a picture or three of my little undertaking.

NGT, Here are some pics. as requested. The plants used are as follows: cone flowers(several colors), speed well(various variety) alaska shasta daisy, shasta daisy, gaillardia(various variety), delphinium, geum, peony and angel trumpet.

Another view.

And the last one. I will try to post others as the flowers get into full bloom.

I love it!!

Kelly

Thank you. I can hardly wait till the flowers get going and they fill out.

You're a genius!! What a great idea, and it looks fantastic!

Time to go start looking for old logs....

Thank You. Good luck, I used a white pine, I can only imagine how difficult oak would be!

Please post more pictures when the flowers start filling out. ;o)

Will do.

That has such a rustic feel! It is wonderful! Please post more pictures when the flowers mature!!!!

Update, the holes I cut in the bottom apparently work. We watered well after planting and had a good thunderstorm with decent steady rain last night for several hours. Nothing floated out of the log and no standing water on top of it. I'll do a little digging around later to make sure no water is standing under the top soil I used.

Oh My Gosh! This is just amazing! I can't wait to see more pics as the flowers grow and bloom! You had such a wonderful idea...I would so be patting myself on the back!

Lisa

Lisa: Only problem so far is I may run out of smaller logs. Everyone who has seen it up close wants a smaller one for thier yard. So looks like I'll be whacking up a few of the smaller ones that can be seen in the second photo. BTW, Thanks for the cone flower suggestion they all appear to like thier new home and are putting on new growth as well as flower buds. I will post more pics as more flowers bloom.

This message was edited May 18, 2009 10:24 AM

I'm sure that everyone that sees it wants one! We just cut down a 60 year old Oak Tree in our front yard that was busting up our drive. Believe me...I thought and thought of a way that I could do something with one of those logs. Of course though...I wanted to use a piece of the trunk!

I can't wait to swap coneflower pictures with you...:)

When I was a kid my parents had an oak coffee table. A slice of the trunk adout 3 feet across heavily urethaned and four legs. Thing weighed a ton. Took three men to move it.