One of the Three "R"s

We try to be environmentally conscious here among the leaves, and like most folks, do better with some things than with others. We're pretty good with the "recycle" part, and not so good with the "reduce" part. But the pack rat in me really loves when I come across something I can reuse.

That is the case with these nursery flats, which held small pots of annuals originally. I find them incredibly useful in the summer, for keeping my small cacti and succulents from blowing away during summer storms.

Cacti and succulents enjoying life outdoors on a picnic table bench. Each of the three flats holds pots of 3.5 inches or less.

I also think that they make an attractive, tidy-looking arrangement. I do something similar with some of my larger succulents, using trays meant for small to medium-sized nursery stock. Some of the local garden centers encourage you to use them to hold your selections while shopping, and allow you to take them home with your purchase. So I do. I'll likely be sharing other pictures of my succulents during the summer, displayed in the larger trays.

Please excuse the weeds that are visible under the picnic table. Another of the ways we try to be environmentally conscious is by not chemically treating our lawn. So in our backyard, the weeds actually outnumber the grass. Sometimes, I think of it as being a wildflower meadow.