FLOWERING GARDEN BIKE and Porch Design

 

This is an exciting day for me! I was recently invited to be on a local TV Channel's mid-day Variety Show. They asked me to stage a fresh SPRING PORCH. Well, everyone in my neighborhood knows that I'm kind of a Porch junkie! I'm known as the "lady with the decorated porch" around here. haha. 

I had this crazy idea to turn an old bike into a planter, and when I suggested that to the producers, they loved the idea...and this project is what I ended up doing.

So, you can check out my TV segment online HERE!. Though I filmed the segment last week, it just aired today. (I'd been anxiously awaiting the airing all weekend because I wasn't able to see any of the segment that day.) I only knew how it went, though I probably even forgot some of that. It goes by REALLY fast! 

I have previously been on this program, STUDIO 5 two other times. Once was for having my hair done in my own bathroom (that was interesting!), and the other time I was cooking live in the studio! Both times were terribly fun so I was thrilled to be invited back again!

I'm including the directions here, as well as tips and more info (following the photos). I'm sure as the next couple of days go by I'll even be updating even more. If you have questions, please feel free to comment and I'll answer as quickly as I can. I love this project, and I would really love to see these colorful painted bikes popping up in yards everywhere!

First, here is a pic of the whole porch set-up that I did.

And some more close-ups of some of the elements other than the bike:

Here are some more close-up pics of the bike:

Here are some pics of the other elements:

 

I included a link to download this image in a previous post. You can find it here.

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So now let's talk about how I put all of this together:

This is what the bike looked like after I stripped it down, with the baskets added, but no paint yet. You can see the ends of the zip-ties hanging off because I'd not clipped them just yet.

BIKE SCULPTURE TUTORIAL:

 

Before you begin, you’ll want to decide where your bike will be placed. Is it going to be on a porch? Next to a fence? Planted in your garden? The location will determine what you will plant in it, which will also determine what type of baskets you will need.

PROCESS:

NOTE: If you are using an antique bike that has a lot of character and patina, I recommend that you leave it AS IS and just find baskets and attach them.  If you are using a “modern” bike, then follow the steps below

Tools you will need:

Work Gloves

Wire Cutters

Socket Wrench set

Allen Wrench set

Pliers

Screwdrivers

Zip-ties (Outdoor type)

Spray Paint

**WEAR SAFETY GOGGLES!!

DISASSEMBLY:

1) Remove the seat.

2) Remove the wheels.

3) Remove the rubber tires and tubes from the wheels.

4) Remove the chains from the gears, and then break one of the links of the chain to completely remove it. This is easiest with two small flat head screw drivers pushed against the insides of a gear to “snap it” open.

5) Remove the reflectors from the wheels (pushing opposite ways against the sides if it doesn’t have a screw).

6) Unscrew all the gear mechanisms, and pull the wires out along the way, cutting if needed with the wire cutters.

7) Remove all other components of the bike taking it down to just the frame and the gears.

REASSEMBLE:

1) Re-attach the wheels, and the seat, if using.

2) Attach chosen baskets with zip ties to various parts of the bike.

3) If attaching baskets to the pedals, make sure to use zip-ties to hold the pedal assembly in place next to the frame.

4) Spray Paint entire bike.

5) Fill baskets with chosen liner material.  (see Filling your Baskets)

6) Plant with flowers and enjoy!

FILLING YOUR BASKETS:

Types of Liners:

Coir (Coconut shell, sold in sheets at Nursery Centers)

Landscape Fabric

Burlap

Fine mesh with sphagnum moss

Plastic and plastic bags

Coffee filters (also to hold in the dirt if you use plastic)

**MAKE SURE TO USE A HIGH-QUALITY POTTING SOIL! This is not a situation where you can get away with the cheap stuff. You need water retention and fertilizer components added because of the extra exposure to air.

PLANT SUGGESTIONS:

Any drought tolerant plants

Geraniums

Portulaca

Bacopa

Verbena

Million Bells

Morning Glory

Sweet Potato Vine

Asparagus Fern

Succulents

Any plant that “vines”…especially if you are using the bike as a “trellis”

TIPS:

~ When looking for a bike, keep in mind where you want your baskets to be placed on it. A large men’s bike will have the bar when you can hang things below, where a women’s bike doesn’t have the same type of space. But a women’s bike can have a basket strung between the handle and the seat bar.

~ Pay attention to the handles on the bike you’re looking at. You’ll want to be able to hang a basket from them.

~ Use the extra holes, loops, etc on your bike frame to hold baskets in place. Before you remove a component when stripping the bike, decide whether it would be useful in holding up a basket.

~ Use a spray paint that works for plastic as some parts of your bike might be plastic or epoxy-coated.

~Scrape off the stickers if they are loose, or if you just want them gone. Otherwise the paint will lift them even more.

~Wash down all parts of the bike first because paint won’t still to dust and debris.

~To get full coverage, turn the bike upside down to complete the paint job once you have the sides down. Don’t forget  the insides of the tires where the rubber used to sit.

~You will need at least 3 cans of spray paint to do an adult bike. 1-2 cans for a child’s size.

~ If you intend to leave your bike out year round, you will want to spray it with a protective varnish so it doesn’t rust as easily. Also, if you’re putting it in a garden where it will get a lot of water, I would suggest making sure you use a varnish to protect it. Make sure to give it a heavy coat on the wheels where it sits in the dirt.

And as a fun last tidbit, I did a color generator on the bike, and this is what it gave me:

Linking on: 
Strut your Stuff Saturday on Six Sisters Stuff
All Things Thursday Blog Hop on Mother's Niche, 
 The Inspiration Gallery on Craftberry Bush
Oh my! Creative Wednesday Whimsey

Monday Fun-Day