GB2196521A - Plant containers - Google Patents

Abstract

A plant container comprises a substantially flat base with drainage apertures formed therein, and peripheral wall along opposed sides of the base, at least one said side being re-entrant such that its wall at least partially surrounds a recess for a further plant. The container may be endless, for example annular, or may have open ends for use either in conjunction with other such containers or against a wall or other vertical surface. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Plant container This invention relates to plant containers for interior or exterior use.

It is well known to insert or embed plants such as flowers and shrubs in flower pots of various sizes or, particularly for indoor or patio use, in tubs, troughs or bowls. However, it is often inconvenient to provide a planted arrangement or display of different varieties of plant, due to the difficulty of removing plants of one variety, for example as they fade or die, and replacing them with plants of another variety, without disturbing those plants which are to remain. The same problem also arises in connection with planting in the open ground, for example where it is desired to change bedding flowers around a shrub without disturbing the roots of the latter.

According to the invention, a container for plants comprises a substantially flat base with drainage apertues formed therein and peripheral walls along opposed sides of the base, at least one said side being re-entrant such that its wall at least partially surrounds a recess for a further plant.

The container may be endless, for example annular, so that the recessis entirely surrounded by the said re-entrant wall and is, for example, circular. Alternatively, the container has ends, which may be open or may be closed by end walls, so that the recess is open at one side. For example, the container may be semi-annular and the recess may be semi-circular.

The walls of the container should be generally upstanding, but preferably the wall which at least partially surrounds the recess, hereinafter referred to as the inner wall, is sloping outwardly, more readily for the recess to accommodate a traditionally-shaped flower pot, whereas the opposed wall, hereinafter referred to as the outer wall, is substantially vertical.

The container may be provided in a variety of sizes but it is preferred that the depth of the outer wall should be within the range 0.1-0.3, more preferably from 0.15 to 0.25 times, the diameter or width.

Preferably, the container is provided in sections, such as two halves which may be placed, preferably clipped, together to form the complete container, or a section may be used on its own, for example with the ends or end walls placed against a vertical surface such as the wall of a house. Furthermore, providing the container in sections enables easier removal when in use the container is in the ground.

Optionally, trays may be provided for insertion in the container for particular applications.

Such trays may be intended to cover either the central hole at the bottom of the recess or alternatively the bottom of the container proper, and may be formed with drainage holes or may be unperforated. Additionally, the container may include a rim or plinth underneath to assist in drainage.

Containers according to the invention may be used in a variety of ways. For example, a shrub or tree may be planted in the central recess of an endless container or of two or more sections placed together, buried or partially buried in the ground, which further plants being planted, optionally in pots, within the container proper, without disturbing the roots of the shrub or tree, which can extend downwardly through the bottom of the recess. Alternatively, a container section having open ends may be placed against a wall so that a plant planted in the recess can grow up or along the wall. For use on a patio, a tray having drainage holes formed therein is placed over the central base hole in the bottom of the recess. The recess and/or the container proper may then be filled with earth or potting medium for planting purposes or may be used to contain free-standing pots.For indoor use, the central tray with drainage holes may be replaced with an unperforated tray, and an an- nular or other suitably shaped tray may cover the drainage apertures in the container proper, and the container may then used in a similar fashion to the patio use.

Containers according to the invention may be made from any suitable material, for example earthenware or a plastics material.

When formed as sections, the sections or end walls thereof may be releasably secured together by suitable fixing means such as interlocking lugs or clips.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a container according to the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view showing how a half-container may be used against a wall; Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view showing how a container according to the invention may be used to contain a plurality of pots.

Referring to Fig. 1, a container is shown generally as 10 and consists of a vertical outer wall 11, an outwardly-sloping inner wall 12 surrounding a circular recess 13, and a a base 14 with drainage apertures 15 formed therein.

Referring to Fig. 2, a half-container 20 is shown against a wall and standing on a patio.

The container has outer and inner walls as in Fig. 1 but semi-circular, and is open at its ends 21. The recess contains potting medium 22 or a climbing plant in the ground and the container proper may be used either for potting medium around the central recess, or for containing free-standing pots.

Referring to Fig. 3, a container 30 is shown containing an inner wall 31 and an outer wall 32. Small pots 33 may be placed in the con tainer proper. The container includes a lower rim 34 for drainage purposes.

Claims (11)

1. A container for plants, the container comprising a substantially flat base with drainage apertures formed therein, and peripheral walls along opposed sides of the base, at least one said side being re-entrant such that its wall at least partially surrounds a recess for a further plant.

2. A container according to Claim 1, the container being endless such that the recess is entirely surround by the re-entrant wall.

3. A container according to Claim 1, the container being open-ended.

4. A container according to any preceding claim, in which the inner wall which at least partially surrounds the recess slopes outwardly.

5. A container according to any preceding claim, in which the depth of the outer wall is in the range 0.1 to 0.3 of the diameter of the container.

6. A container according to Claim 3 or Claim 4, which may be used in conjunction with other such container or containers with their open ends facing to form a larger or endless container.

7. A container according to Claim 6, further including fixing means to hold it together with the other container or containers.

8. A container according to any preceding claim, further including a tray for insertion within the container.

9. A container according to any preceding claim, including an underneath rim or plinth.

10. A container substantially as hereinbefore defined with reference to and as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings.

11. A container substantially as hereinbefore defined with reference to and as illustrated in Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings.