Welcome to the next installment of THRIFTED GOODIES! If you enjoy thrift shopping and love the thrill of the hunt, then this post is for you. Today I am sharing unique pieces I have found while thrifting to use in the garden. If you enjoy spending time in the garden and hitting up thrift stores, you will love this post. Come in, and check out all these unique, one of a kind thrift store finds I use in and around the garden.
If you are new around here, welcome! I am so glad you are here today, and I hope you enjoy yourself. Drop me a comment down below and introduce yourself. I love hearing from you.
The Thrifted Goodies series consists of monthly posts where my friend, Rachel, from the Antiqued Journey, and I share thrift store goodness. Topics might include particular finds, tips, techniques, up-cycles, stylings and general advice about thrift shopping mostly for home decor in general.
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All About the Thrifted Goodies Series
Let me briefly review what the Thrifted Goodies is all about. As I mentioned, Rachel, from The Antiqued Journey and I share thrift shopping related posts each and every month. For example, today I am sharing all about one of a kind pieces I picked up at thrift stores for gardening purposes.
Rachel is sharing all about her latest thrifted finds. She always finds the most amaZing pieces! You don’t want to miss her latest post and if you don’t know Rachel yet, make sure to hop over, introduce yourself and check out her newest Thrifted Goodies – Volume 23..
You can also find Rachel in her other spaces:
SO Many One of a Kind Thrift Store Finds for the Garden
There are so many different things to find at thrift stores, which makes it a treasure trove excursion. It’s one of the many things that makes thrift shopping such a fun activity. Often I pick up items at a thrift to use in a very unconventional manner. You’ll see from my garden finds today some things are really unique while others are super basic.
Vintage Tin Bread Box
I found this vintage tin bread box many, many years ago and it instantly became a treasured piece for my container gardens.
This bread box has seen many seasons as you can tell by the amount of rust in the newest pictures above.
I love that it has become crusty and faded since it has many stories to tell. It has held many pretty blooms and I will be planting it up for this summer soon.
Thrifting Pro Tip: Look at thrift store finds while thinking outside the box. Sometimes you like an item, but don’t need to use it for its intended purpose. Make it yours!
Up-cycled Seed Box
The next thrifty find is the basket box up-cycle I turned into a garden seed box, which I recently shared.
It’s the perfect box for all my seed packets, and simply with a little bit of TLC it has been transformed.
Follow the links below the images to see what the box looked like before.
Fun Garden Accents
This next find is super unique…for the garden. I found this baby blue cardigan, which would be adorable on any infant, but I chose to use it in the vegetable garden instead.
A Peter Rabbit vignette in the garden instantly appeared surrounding this Peter Rabbit inspired blue coat.
This was a super fun project, and although not for everyday, it is a great styling for a special event. It would be perfect for a baby shower or a child’s birthday party or simply for any garden party.
Gardening Books
I look for different types of books at thrift stores. I love vintage books for decor and basic books for craft projects plus books about my interests.
Interior design, cooking, entertaining and gardening include my main interests. I will pick up these books if they are pretty and/or informative. I recently picked up these two books mostly because I liked how they looked, but they have fabulous information and illustrations as well.
Not only do they help me with gardening tips, but I also use them in my decor for a fresh spring | summer look. I shared them here for my Easter coffee table styling.
Old Chairs
Old chairs with ripped seats are a great piece to pick up, which can easily be converted into container gardens. The seats don’t necessarily need to be broken, but if they are, chances are they will be considerably discounted more than an intact chair. I sold a few of these pieces back in the day when I had vintage booths.
The chair above I found pretty much as is with the great green, chippy paint job. I simply added the coco lined metal planter. It was a super easy flip.
The chair below, not so much. It had an embroidered seat, which I had planned to remove and recover to sell. I few minutes into removing the upholstery tacks it was evident the chair had been home to cat(s). The stench was so bad I barely got through the upholstery removal. I decided to wipe down the wood, paint it and added a planter insert. It actually turned out really cute once the foul odor was removed, but it was rough there for a minute..
These chair planters always sold on the first day of the show. I am currently on the look out for one to bring home to add to our yard. I just haven’t found the perfect one yet. Stay tuned…
Floral Frogs
Although I don’t necessarily use floral frogs in my gardens, I do consider them a “gardening” staple. I have curated a collection through the years, finding some pieces in my thrifting excursions.
I love to inject them through-out my decor and they always make great pieces in table scapes.
Other 2nd Hand Shopping Garden Finds
Although the following pieces weren’t necessarily “thrift store” finds, we still found them at second hand shopping sources. Antique malls and vintage pop-ups are also great places to find unique items for your garden.
Vintage Urn
This vintage urn was a great find a few years ago at an antique mall in Northern California. I treated myself since it was close to my birthday and you can read more about it here {birthday wishes}, if you’re interested.
Vintage Birdbath
To balance the above urn in the front yard design we found this vintage birdbath. This was also a find at an antique co-op. We found it in Oregon when we visited our son at college for a parent’s weekend a couple of years ago.
Metal Finial
The black finial was a pop-up store find. The Home & Garden monthly pop-up always had fabulous vintage pieces and although this cost way more than a thrift find, it was the perfect accent for this corner of our front yard sitting area.
Closing Thoughts on One of a Kind Thrift Store Finds for the Garden
This picture shows you the urn, birdbath and finial all in the front yard landscape design. I love the “formal” aspect of garden ornaments and statuary with some wilder plantings for more of a “cottage” vibe.
The push and pull of rustic and refined always tickles my fancy. Thrift shopping will always garner plenty of vintage and unique pieces to use in the garden. Keep in mind there are many other things you might find while thrifting, including things like pots, planters, tools and more. Estate sales are also a fantastic source for garden pieces.
If you haven’t already, please make sure to visit Rachel for more thrifted goodness.
Get the Vintage Garden Look
This vintage inspired mailbox would make a fabulous wall planter.
I love this farmhouse garden sign.
This is the type of seed box I was considering, before I up-cycled mine.
Another super cute seed box.
Steve & Brooke Giannetti were inspirational in our garden design and this book shows their outdoor spaces, Patina Living.
This book is truly inspirational; Bunny Williams has fantastic style.
I absolutely love the look of this birdbath.
This finial has a fantastic zing finish, which looks like aged patina.
Other Recent Thrifted Goodies Posts
Thrifted Copper Finds
Copper is one of those coveted items I have on my list when I hit thrift stores.
Thrifted Vintage Filigree Metal Frames
Today I am sharing my thrifted vintage filigree metal frames.
Thrifted Basket Finds, Up-cycles & Styling ideas
Let’s play with some thrifted basket finds.
Thrifting for Vintage Glassware
What to look for and how to use thrifted vintage glassware.
In his garden, every man may be his own artist without apology or explanation.”
Louise Beebe Wilder