horse play

Sometimes, the most utilitarian items turn out to make the most dramatic statement…take galvanized water troughs, for example.  When turned into containers brimming with flowers and plants, watering tubs for horses suddenly become a bold, welcoming statement on front porches and soften the lines of decks and patios.  While this is anything but a new design idea, I can honestly say it wasn’t until I saw this array of rosemary, purple verbena, Mexican sage and basil that Jennifer from the Newlywed Diaries snapped in front of Beach Dwelling that got me hooked on using horse troughs as planters in the first place:

Erika of Urban Grace Interiors has two 4 foot wide water troughs flanking her front porch stairs, brimming over with the most beautiful purple queen-gorgeous:

I love the idea of planting around the base of the trough – makes it look as though it’s been there forever:

Here are a few other lovelies:

Pam Penick

via

Apartment Therapy

I love the idea of using water troughs as raised vegetable gardens, especially in the middle of a lovely fenced-in space like this one:

While you can find a ton of different sizes and shapes of these water troughs online, I would suggest going in to your local feed store to purchase one….they are HEAVY and you would more than likely pay more to ship one than it costs for one of the tubs themselves!