Design a dedicated potting area

Potting alfresco
With no walls, floors or ceilings to construct, outdoor potting areas are practical, efficient, affordable and easily achievable. Hilary Bellis’s space  has plenty of style as well, thanks to her flair as a floral designer. She collects vintage garden implements that help transform her workspace into a beautiful garden focal point.

Located near her garage on her back deck, Hilary’s outdoor work area has wooden shelves attached to the walls of the house and garage to hold small pots and tools. There are hooks on the ends of benches and on plant screens and trellises for drying bunches of flowers and hanging small tools. The L-shape configuration of the potting table and storage bench keeps everything close at hand, yet when more room is needed for bags of soil or large pots, it’s easy to slide the potting table farther along the deck. Hilary fills her watering cans from an old wine barrel, positioned under a downspout that collects water from the roof of her studio.