Firstly, Merry Christmas!!!! If you’re reading this, I hope you are enjoying this beautiful day.

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A few months ago I wrote a post about picking up an old rattan washing basket that a neighbor left out for the hard rubbish collection. It was still in perfect condition – I think it was thrown out because both handles on either side were broken.

I removed the remnants of each handle and lined the basket with hessian. I filled the basket with compost and planted some chives & grape hyacinths. As the weather became warmer, both started to die off, creating the opportunity to bring this basket back to life.

Bringing it back to life – to me – would not have been the least bit fulfilling if I had chosen plants that were just green like the ones before. Sure, the grape hyacinths bloomed a delicate purple, but this was short lived.

This time around I decided on variegated foliage of varying colours – shades of green, reds and whites – surrounding a dense forest of purple Salvia spikes.

I love the look of the plants coupled with the weathered basket and hessian.