Installing Extra Large Wrought Iron Brackets for the Hanging Baskets

Seriously, the rain must stop or I will never get anything else crossed off my list.

I did get the corner boards primed and painted so we were able to install the new extra large brackets to hang the extra large baskets.

These brackets are from the same eBay seller where I purchased the wrought iron urns.

But Friday is a big day for us.  R reserved an excavator to break apart the pool and dig up or move 6 or 7 boulders.  Three of those stones worked their way to the surface over the last 6 or 7 years but now they are so high that I can no longer mow over them.  R is keeping his fingers crossed that these are not the size of the garden shed and more like the size of something I can use in our landscape.

As soon as I finish painting shingles I am going to start painting the deck railings with a ultra white opaque stain. 

I've crossed off a few items and added a few more items to the Mega To Do List. 

*Paint the shingles grey

*Paint the windows trim and sashes white (deck area)

*Prime the door trim (new door)

*Paint the door trim white

*Paint the doors white

*Make 4 of the faux wrought iron hinges

*Install the dummy handle on the stationary door

*Touch up the wrought iron furniture with black satin spray paint

*Take the outdoor cushions to the upholstery guy

*Hang 3 wrought iron baskets and plant with flowers 

*Haul out the umbrella and the umbrella stand

*Buy and plant flowers on the deck 

*Buy and plant flowers in the flower boxes on the railings

*Haul out all the deck decor items

*Put down the outdoor rug

*Plant flowers in the window boxes on the front and side of house

*Plant flowers in the pots on the front porch

*Fix paint on the bottom of the front door

*Add wide cove moulding to the bottom of front door

*Remove and replace 3" eavestrough and downspout with 5"
*Rent heavy equipment to break apart what remains of the swimming pool
*Call and get estimate for retaining wall in the backyard
*Cut down almost dead large pine tree
*Finish building gable vent and prime and paint it
*Install gable vent
*Paint the bistro set 

*Buy opaque white stain for deck railings

*Stain deck railings white

*Dig up boulders

*Move a few boulders to the area next to the driveway wrought iron gates

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How to Install Coco Mat in Odd Shaped Pots

I purchased these two wrought iron pedestal urns from a seller on eBay.  I knew that if I wanted to plant them with flowers, rather than fill them with large rocks, I would need to install a coco mat liner before I added soil and flowers.

There are not any ready made coco mats for urns that are this shape.  Actually, you can barely find round coco mats that correctly fit hanging baskets. I ended up buying the coco mat that I used, from my local garden shop.  I purchased 8 linear feet at $3.99 a foot and is 36 or 42 inches wide. 

 I ultimately lined these two urns, 2 very large hanging baskets, and 1 regular sized hanging basket, and still had a little left over.

First I eyeballed the length that I would need to do one urn and cut that length.  Use heavy duty scissors and not your best sewing scissors for this task.  I rolled the mat up and let it soak in a bucket of water for about 5 minutes and then flipped over the roll to soak the other end.  This step made the coco mat more pliable and less itchy to install.

I took the rolled up coco mat and placed it in the urn. I lined up the edge of the mat to the top of the urn and held it in place with a squeeze clamp.  I worked my way around the urn and overlapped the mat about 4 to 6 inches at the end.  I then started tidying up the bottom so that it formed a nice curve and didn't stick out between the iron pieces.

Look for coco mat that is sticking out before adding your soil to the pot or hanging basket.  You want a nice curve like how the coco mat is on each side of the protruding mat section.

The clerk at the garden shop suggested I put a piece of plastic in the bottom before adding dirt.  She said that it prolongs the life of the coco mat and also keeps the water in the soil for a longer period of time so that the plant has time to soak up the water before it drains out.  I chose the remnants of the bag that our lunch came in that day.  Big John's Steak and Cheese subs....delish.

The next step was adding a good potting soil.  I added about 4 inches and then tamped it down with my closed hand until it wouldn't compact anymore.  I repeated this until I was about 6 inches from the top.  At that point I unpotted the three large dark red geraniums and placed them in the urn.  I then filled in the voids with more potting soil and finished off with a good watering and removed the clamps. 

I was very pleased with how neat and tidy the mat looks in the wrought iron urns.  Getting the mat wet before installing and then using squeeze clamps to hold the mat in place were the tricks that made this coco mat install a success.

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Wrought Iron Urns and Taking Advantage of Sales and Cash Back

I have been wanting/needing two of these 28 inch tall large wrought irons urns for the last 2 years.

After seeing one on Pinterest, that was filled with little pumpkins, I knew I wanted/needed two of these.  But first... I needed to find out where I could buy them online.  I searched on and off for about 6 months before I found them. 

I put the two urns in my cart on eBay and waited until they either went on sale, offered free shipping (these are heavy and heavy=$$$), or there was an increase in eBay Bucks or Ebates.

Almost a year later during the Christmas holiday of 2018, I received a code from eBay Bucks that for 2 days I could get 10% back in eBay Bucks.  I then checked Ebates and they were offering 2%.  So I pulled the trigger and bought them.

The price for two was $259.90 + $97.90 for shipping.  Not cheap inexpensive but they are very heavy and well made and they were exactly what I wanted.  I saved $5.20 on Ebates and $25.99 in eBay Bucks for a total savings of $31.19.  The shipping was a lot but when I buy heavy stuff I know that the shipping cost is going to be brutal.

On January 1st eBay Bucks paid out and issued a code for me to save $34.56 on any eBay item or items totalling $34.56.  I currently have $78.12 pending on Ebates and I think they send out their Big Fat checks in February.  So signing up for these free programs do have an upside depending on how much you buy online.   

These urns comes in a lot of colors including just a clear coat over the metal or in a rusty condition. The eBay seller also offers other items in metal including wrought iron gates. 

If you like the large cast iron urns (in freezing conditions you need to protect cast iron urns so that the dirt doesn't freeze/expand and then crack the cast iron) but need something that can handle being left outside all winter, then check out these urns.  I think that these could also work well with a modern style home.

I haven't decided whether I am going to use a coco mat and fill with dirt and geraniums OR fill it with my collection of round rocks (fist size and larger) in the summer and little pumpkins, gourds, and squash in the fall, and then faux small spruce trees in the winter.

I am getting anxious to plant flowers and paint the back of the house.  The fact that we are only 1 month into winter is a real bummer.

Sign up for Ebates and get a $10 gift card of your choice after spending 20 bucks using Ebates.  There are over 2K online sites that participates in the program.

Sign up for eBay Bucks by clicking on eBay Bucks on the left side of your summary page.

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