A Gardeners Forum Forums Members History Forum Life 2005 Suggestions for broken umbrellas

Okay folks, as some of you know, we run our own business. Some of the stuff we sell are customer returns we buy from one of the big TV shopping channels. We recently bought a load of samsonite umbrellas. A good percentage of them will more than likely be broken beyond repair to function as an umbrealla. It's the price you pay for paying pennies on the dollar for the stuff.

Anyway, after Angela's last post about the handbag planters, I thought I'd put this out there...any ideas for how I could either use broken umbrellas myself, or market them for other uses? We'll be getting about 300 total, so it'll be raining umbrellas here. Thanks for your creativity, which I lack very much of

You could use the ribs as trellis for climbing plants to grow in a circle instead of upwards.

You could market any with intact canopies as shading for new plants in sunny locations. So that they won't scorch before established.

Assuming it's the handle that gets wacked. It leaves a great canvas for fabric paint or glass paint if it will stick and then just think of how that would work as an overhead light shade. Or depending on how strong they are wouldn't they look great with hanging plants in them. Or take the canvas off completely and make pendants that flap in the breeze. Are the ribs still metal tube shapes that aren't completely closed? I haven't owned an umbrella in years. If so de-canvas two of them put them together run fiber optics through them and have a chandelier. you could have that right side up or up side down both would be neat.

I just started one of those..
I'll see if I got a picture before the camera busted,
I got the card, if I can down load it
by myself, if not, wait til hubby comes home..

But I had an old glass table that the glass broke out of it... and an old umbrella that was just so tattered and torn, I stripped the fabric off of it, and only have the ribbing on it...
I planted morning glories in pots, at the feet of the table *4 pots* and one in the bottom where the umbrella would be placed... so 5 pots total..
put the morning glories in there and then had
the woodchuck's eat a good portion of them..
sooooooo, they are struggling but still growing.

If they can leave them alone, it may be a very cute idea..
If not, I'm going to beat the :p groundhogs/woodchucks with the pointy end of the umbrella if they eat them again...
Oh, er, um, DID I JUST SAY THAT?????

wow I knew I could count on you guys to come up with some great ideas. Weezie I'm waiting with baited breath for that pic!

T, to answer your question bout the ribs-these are the super duper collapsible ones, so they're made of gangly thin metal bones & little joints...the reason a lot of this specific style are sent back damaged to begin with.

I'm gonna try the hanging basket thing myself. If it works, I'll market them that way, and also as trelises.

Great ideas!

Now mind you, I just did this project probably
10 days ago, so it's not anywhere's near ready
for real public viewing with flowers growing up it.
But you get the concept of what I did.....

I would have liked to have bigger pots/containers
at the legs, but I don't own alot that would have fit there and or the extra dirt to spare...
So, I just experimented!!!!

How'd I do???

Oh Geesh, I am not too computer savy today..

if those flowers take off that is going to be adorable weezie! Also I used to take the cute little ruffled unbrelles and use fabric paint then I would put a childs name on them and decorate them with like pictures of balloons or hearts stars and such. I did this when I was like 12 with a cute little pink umbrella that my grandmother got for me. No way was I gonna carry a pink frilly umbrella. Well it made a cute decoration for my sisters bedroom. As I recall my mother hung it in the corner of her room. A place that rarely gets decorated. You could just decorate a few and then take orders and make them as they are placed. I dont believe that the fabric paint takes long to dry. Also if you wanted to make them a little more charmeing get some fabric adhesive and glue some lace on the outside edge!

Ohhhhh wowwwwww That's a very cool idea Weezie! Though it looks like you used a patio umbrella, the concept still works - thanks! I think I'll try one!

LOL Karrie - I remember those umbrellas! One of my friends had one hanging over her bed if I remember right - great idea, thanks!

OOh! I think I see a clothesline in that picture, don't you?

That would also make a great clothesline for the yard!

Maryann

Add a few bells to the ends of 'em - that might keep the critters away from your stuff.

Oh! Carly, that's a great idea - kind of a wind chime holder thing

That got me thinkin of a couple of other things to do with a broken umb...

Thread tubing up the handle, poke a hole through the fabric so it goes out to the top, and then attache it to a pump for a fountain

Open it and lay prop it up like you would when you're drying one...add some goulashes or muck boots and plant stuff...Kinda got the mortons salt girl in my head...not sure what else to put with it to make it a little 'rainy' garden scene

so what have ya done with the umbrellas? got any pics? ya'll came up with some EXCELLENT ideas!!

Mine are growing slow..
They're up to the top of the umbrella,
one or two twines, but not filling out...

For my idea, I have to find some bigger
pots, that I put at the base of each leg
on my table...because they dried out a few
times here and there and they *the morning glories* don't like that much...
And we had a hot spell for a bunch of weeks that
they did not like either...

I have a picture, but haven't downloaded them yet.