The most rewarding thing would be gardening, but boy, finding that perfect planter seems like finding a needle in the stack. Well, you probably won’t believe it, but large cardboard cylinder tubes can.

Well, it is the underdog beauties that are brilliant in embracing each variety of plants, adding that bit of eccentricity to your green space. Just imagine: strolling through a garden party, and people’s eyes land on your quirky planters-fancy that!

Cardboard tubes, which usually lurk around industrial warehouses, are tasked with shipping and storing fabrics. But add a dash of imagination, and they start resembling the Cinderella among garden planters. First, select tubes of variable lengths to add some variation. They need not be new but in fairly decent condition; water damage could spell disaster quicker than how fast a cat is able to chase its tail.

Now, onto the preparing of the tubes themselves, that is where a little elbow grease is involved. You have to line them with plastic or some such waterproof layer to inhibit some eager plant’s thirst from mushing up your planter. A cheery friend of mine once did this, and, well, let’s just say his plant met a premature, soggy demise. Don’t follow suit!

One important step is to poke drainage holes in the bottom. Your plants are going to need somewhere for excess water to go. Nobody likes to be waterlogged, not even plants. Fill the tubes with soil, placing a little splash of gravel in the bottom to help with drainage. It is a planter, not a bathtub! Design would include letting loose and having a bit of fun. The cardboard tubes beg for color-you could get as earthy and classic, or go really jazzy with some eye-popping colors. If feeling particularly artsy, you can try using patterns or even murals. The call is yours; that’s your rule. Let it spring through these tubes, as would the most vivid flora they are going to house.