Hot or Not? Ceramic Plate Garden Border

We recently found this idea over at the Hallmark Magazine Web site, and immediately did a double-take. The idea was intriguing -- what better use of old mismatched plates than to make your garden look good -- but still, we were scratching our head a bit.

Described as a way to liven up a lackluster area in your yard, Hallmark Magazine tells you how to achieve the look in three steps: use a half-moon edger to create the space for the plates; buy a pile of plates from a thrift store (although, we think just about every household has some unused old plates they're hiding) and position the plates and plants.

We like this idea in theory, but go back to scratching our head again. What do you think?

Comments (19)

Different..... I imagine it would look great in the right yard, but I'm not so sure I would jump on it myself.

the border almost seems too high. what if you broke the plates in half?

I can picture my kids playing frisbee with those pretty plates in the future...I would if I were a kid!

Hallmark has a magazine?

Eh... I think it has the potential to be interesting.

I can't really tell from that picture...

I agree Haley, I wish there was another picture. I think it could be charming in a Country Living sort of way. I'm not how I would feel about it in a more modern backyard.

could be good--I have a sort of border starting with my three broken teapots . . . not too charming so far, but if I break a few more . . .

I think you would have gotten more yes votes if you had said it was from Dwell instead of Hallmark.

Wouldn't this be a little impractical? What about mowing, or edging to close to them, they'd break!

little too country crock for me

There is a house near me that has used this same concept...except they used plant saucers of different sizes and colors. It really looks great with the cottage style of their house. Man, I should snap a picture.

Haha - I have a half plate that is holding up the soil in a brick planter where some of the bricks have disappeared.

That'll work nicely until you run the lawn mower into it or over it.

i could see this with on a smaller scale with saucers around a kitchen window window box but that's about it. Although I wonder if using them in potted plants would keep cats out....

isn't this the same as the old fashioned English-style china garden, where you use old, chipped china plates in the garden?