grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

  • Home
  • Bio
  • Publishing
  • SHOP!
  • Garden
  • Food
  • Reading & Books
  • Sunday Letter

Vintage Coffee Tin Succulents. My new fav!

July 3, 2015 By Talya Tate Boerner

Vintage Coffee Can SucculentsThere’s a saying in the South that if it isn’t nailed down, we southerners will monogram it. I have my own saying. If it isn’t nailed down, I’m gonna plant something in it. My newest obsession is planting succulents in vintage coffee tins. And if you think about it, the tins are already monogrammed with the company’s label/artwork. Love, love, love.

Here’s one of my favorites—Summer Girl Coffee. How perfect is this? Technically I’m a “summer girl” born almost on the 4th of July. And I’m guzzling coffee while you read this.

Summer Girl Coffee Tin

Look at the history on this can. “Roasted and Packed by the H. D. Lee Mercantile Company”. H. D. Lee Mercantile was founded in 1889 in Salina, Kansas. This was the first company to manufacture overalls and the zipper fly jean. Today the company makes Lee Rider but no coffee to my knowledge.

vintage coffee can label

Here’s my other favorite.

Vintage Coffee Tin Planter

I chose this one mainly for the colors and the little old Aunt Bea looking lady on the front.

I found these two tins at Long Ago Antiques on Huntsville Road in Fayetteville (one of my favorite places to shop for antiques and vintage items). Similar tins are available on Ebay, often in a group of four or five. Prices vary so look around. Tip: look for ones without lids to save a few dollars.

To preserve the value of vintage tins, I prefer not to drill drainage holes in the bottom, so I added a layer of charcoal in the bottom instead. (Buy the charcoal at your local nursery—it’s not lump charcoal used to grill.) Some of the old tins come with holes rusted in the bottom which solves the drainage issue. Succulents don’t need that much water, so I find they survive quite well with charcoal.

Top with pebbles or moss for aesthetic purposes. I think the rock highlights the plant better.

vintage coffee can tin succulents - fun garden project

Voila! Perfect on the porch. I’m taking orders. Not really, but maybe.

How to - Vintage Coffee Can Succulents

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

[tweetthis]These #vintage coffee tin #succulents will rock your world. #gardenchat #growsomething @WestwoodGardens[/tweetthis]

[tweetthis]If it isn’t nailed down, plant something in it. #Vintage Coffee Tin #Succulents! @allsucculents @iPlantPerfect[/tweetthis]

Musical Pairing:

Queen, We Will Rock You

 

Filed Under: Crafts, Gardening, Memories, Simple Pleasures Tagged With: gardening, succulents, vintage crafts, vintage planter

Wanna receive posts via email? Sign up here!

Comments

  1. Alicia says

    July 6, 2015 at 10:39 am

    This are sooo cute!

    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      July 6, 2015 at 2:30 pm

      Thank you Alicia!

  2. Patti says

    July 6, 2015 at 11:46 am

    These are beautiful and EASY to build and take care of.

    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      July 6, 2015 at 2:30 pm

      Thanks Patti! I agree:))

  3. Melissa @ The Fit Chocoholic says

    July 7, 2015 at 11:21 am

    What I great idea!! I love Succulents!

  4. Karren Haller says

    July 14, 2015 at 9:01 am

    I am loving succulents this year, not so much in past years. The cans are perfect and I didnt know about the charcoal. lol I usually do over water and have lost a few, thanks for the tip!!
    I tweeted your post and I came to your blog from Chain Linky Climb.

    I would love to have you visit and share on the #OMHGWW this week!!

    Hope you enjoy your day!!
    Karren

    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      July 14, 2015 at 11:20 am

      Thanks for visiting Karren. I’ll check your page out now.

  5. Angie says

    August 1, 2015 at 10:14 pm

    This amazing post is being featured on my blog today – you are the “Highest CLIMBer” from last month’s CLIMB blog hop: http://www.godsgrowinggarden.com/2015/08/august-2015-chain-linky-climb-giveaway.html
    Also, the August CLIMB is now starting if you wanted to link up more of your wonderful posts.
    Thanks again
    Angie

    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      August 2, 2015 at 6:42 am

      Wow, thank you!

  6. Crystal says

    October 9, 2016 at 11:46 pm

    Awesome idea! I love coffee so this is really cute. I wanted to make my own budecisions I was wondering about the water rusting the tin? I have a vintage tin which is already quite rusty but I just wasn’t sure if I should coat the inside with something… any ideas or suggestions? Thank you!!

    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      October 10, 2016 at 8:58 am

      I guess I don’t worry about rust since they are already pretty rusty. Glad you enjoyed my post!


Hi! I'm Talya Tate Boerner. Writer, Reader, Arkansas Master Naturalist / Master Gardener, Author of

THE ACCIDENTAL SALVATION OF GRACIE LEE (2016)

GENE, EVERYWHERE: a life-changing visit from my father-in-law (2020)

BERNICE RUNS AWAY (2022)

THE THIRD ACT OF THEO GRUENE (coming 2025)

Recent Ramblings:

  • Sunday Letter: May 25, 2025
  • Sunday Letter: May 4, 2025
  • Sunday Letter: Rainy Day Edition
  • Spiderwort: my love-hate relationship
  • Sunday Letter: March 23, 2025

Never miss a blog post! Subscribe via email:

Looking for something?

Categories

All the Things!

A to Z April Blog Challenge Autumn BAT Book Reviews childhood Christmas creative writing prompt Dallas Desserts Fall Fayetteville Food Gracie Lee Halloween Hemingway-Pfeiffer holiday recipes home humor Johnson Family Keiser Lake Norfork Lucy and Annabelle Mississippi County Mississippi Delta Monarch butterflies Munger Place Nana nature Northeast Arkansas Northwest Arkansas Osceola poem Reading Schnauzer simple living simple things spring spring gardening Summer Talya Tate Boerner novel Thanksgiving The Accidental Salvation of Gracie Lee Thomas Tate Winter Wordless Wednesday

Food. Farm. Garden. Life.

THANKS FOR READING!

All content and photos Copyright Grace, Grits and Gardening © 2025 · Web Hosting By StrataByte