Old wood chairs can easily be converted into holders for flowerpots; simply cut a hole in the seat and slip in the pot. Doll-sized chairs don't need any extra preparation because you can just set a small pot right on the seat. Potty chairs work the best because the hole is already there. Design by Nancy Ondra

Old teacups and saucers make great little flower pots. Simply drill a hole in the bottom of the cup, plant the flower and place on a saucer. Design by Tiffany Threadgould

Give old hats new life as hanging gardens. Baseball hats make instant pot covers: Simply open the sizing tabs in back, slip the opening around the base of the plant and snap the tabs closed again. On straw, felt or fabric hats, cut a hole into the front or top and gently feed the plant stems through the hole. Design by Nancy Ondra

Turn an old desk or dresser into a charming garden by tucking small bushy and trailing plants into the partly opened drawers. Complete the look by popping plants into desk accessories, such as a pencil holder, an old telephone or a small desk lamp. Design by Nancy Ondra

Colorful purses and small tote bags make fun and fashionable plant holders. Lining them with plastic will keep the potting soil from staining the fabrics. Hang the handles from hooks, slip them over fence posts or dangle them from tree branches. Design by Nancy Ondra

Leather or plastic sneakers, shoes and boots make adorable holders for individual flowering or foliage plants. Sit them on the ground, prop them up on a rack or hang them on a wall or fence. Design by Nancy Ondra

For a little Western flair, place an arrangement or flowering plant in an old cowboy boot.

Plastic, metal or wooden buckets are ideal for displaying all kinds of flowering and foliage favorites. Smaller pails are perfect for individual plants; bigger buckets are great for large single plants or colorful combinations. Design by Nancy Ondra

Turn a tackle box into a unique container. Display some lures in the upper tray or plant those sections too. Bait buckets, cricket cages, traps and fishing baskets also work well for holding plants. Design by Nancy Ondra

This moveable, raised-bed garden was built using a wood shipping pallet, old shutters and casters. Design by Joanne Palmisano

Old or reproduction food tins make terrific pots for annual flowers or houseplants. Group them by a theme, such as candy, coffee or veggies, or mix them up for a quaint and colorful collection. Design by Nancy Ondra

Recycle old paint cans or buy metal paint cans at hardware stores and home centers. To dress them up, drizzle craft paint around the top rim and add some drips down the sides. Cover with a coat of polyurethane to stop the cans from rusting, or leave them untreated and enjoy the rusty, rustic look that develops within a few months. Design by Nancy Ondra

Another option is to paint the whole can in different colors. Fill the bottom of the can with old wine corks for drainage then add soil and your favorite herbs. Paint stirrer sticks are used as plant markers. Design by Tiffany Threadgould

Old birdcages, birdhouses and feeders make fun and fanciful containers for displaying pretty plants. Abandoned nests, bird figurines, feathers and other avian accessories help to complete the theme. Design by Nancy Ondra

Repurpose a fruit crate by turning it into a countertop herb garden. Design by Joanne Palmisano

Red creeping thyme transforms any lawn area into a breathtaking scene, especially when bright reddish blooms appear in early summer. This thyme forms a dense mat that withstands moderate foot traffic. Foliage is evergreen and turns bronze in winter. Use it around stepping stones, a flagstone patio, on slopes or to edge planting areas. Give plants a spot in full sun with well-drained soil. Creeping thyme is deer-resistant and hardy in Zones 3 to 9. Shear plants after flowers fade in midsummer to promote bushy, well-branched plants.

Roman chamomile creates a pretty, low-maintenance lawn that releases an apple fragrance with every step. Plants prefer a sunny location but will grow in part shade. Soil should be well-drained in all seasons. Remove white blooms as they fade, or leave in place — it depends on your preference. You can mow this groundcover regularly or to remove spent flowers. Once established, Roman chamomile withstands normal foot traffic. Minimize traffic on young plants. This chamomile spreads rapidly, almost aggressively in ideal conditions. Plants are hardy in Zones 4 to 9 and grow best in areas with cool summers.

When you decide to replace your lawn with a groundcover, you’ll create easy-care beauty that trims your landscape chore list. Select lawn alternatives like you would any other plant. Consider the plant’s light and soil needs, as well as hardiness and maintenance requirements. With a lawn replacement, it’s also important to know how much foot traffic a plant can tolerate. Use groundcovers that don’t tolerate foot traffic in areas where you want to eliminate lawn but don’t want to install high-maintenance plantings. Add stepping stones to protect even walkable plants, like Irish moss. Check out this selection of botanical starlets that can stand in for lawn.

Pink, ruffled blooms blanket creeping baby’s breath in spring. Leaves are tiny and give the plant a ferny appearance. While heavy foot traffic will crush this perennial, it’s a wonderful choice for edging a path or adding color to planting bed edges. This perennial groundcover needs good drainage to thrive and morning to all day sun. Plants spread roughly 6 to 10 inches annually and are hardy in Zones 3 to 11. Shear plants after flowering to keep them tidy.

Choose Sunshine creeping speedwell to blanket soil in part to full shade. The golden leaves sparkle in low light areas, and small blue blooms open in early summer. Plants grow at a moderate pace, covering 8 inches of ground on average annually. This perennial is hardy in Zones 4 to 8 and needs good drainage to thrive. If plants receive too much sun and not enough moisture, leaf tips burn. Creeping speedwell tolerates some foot traffic. It pairs beautifully with dark slate steppers or a flagstone patio, or tuck it into a woodland garden to skirt ferns or azaleas.

Black Scallop bugleweed boasts near-black leaves that hug the ground. Use plants in areas where only moderate foot traffic occurs or to create a striking bed or path edging. Ajuga forms a thick mat that crowds out weeds, and this particular variety doesn’t spread as aggressively into lawns as other types do. Plants demand good drainage and spread at a medium rate (roughly 6 to 10 inches a year). This bugleweed is hardy in Zones 4 to 10. While plants love soil that’s high in organic matter, they tolerate poorer soils, too. Ajuga is susceptible to crown rot. Rake plants regularly to keep debris out of growing beds. Trim spent blooms using a mower or string trimmer.

Fluorescent-pink blooms cover hardy ice plant all summer long. This drought-tolerant perennial craves sunlight and well-drained soil that isn’t waterlogged in winter. It’s a perfect choice for a slope or hillside planting. Hardy ice plant doesn’t withstand foot traffic. Use it to replace lawn as an ornamental in areas that aren’t walked on much. This perennial is evergreen in warmer climates and hardy in Zones 6 to 9. Leaves develop a red tint in fall and winter.

Snow-in-summer earns its name from the blooms that blanket plants in late spring to early summer. Leaves offer an eye-catching grey hue. This perennial withstands conditions that kill other plants: full sun and poor soil. Plants spread rapidly, covering upwards of 12 inches of ground annually. Snow-in-summer doesn’t withstand much foot traffic. Use it on slopes or to replace lawn areas that aren’t heavily traveled. Plants are hardy in Zones 3 to 7.

Also known as monkey grass, creeping lilyturf is a tough perennial groundcover that withstands some foot traffic. Pale lavender flower spikes appear above leaves in midsummer. Plants spread by underground runners to form a weed-resistant mat. This is a groundcover that can compete with tree roots, making it an ideal lawn replacement beneath trees. Creeping lilyturf is bulletproof, resisting high humidity, heat, pests, diseases, deer and rabbits. Plants are hardy in Zones 4 to 10 and tolerate sun or shade, but prefer rich soil in light shade. Mow lilyturf in spring to remove winter-killed or discolored foliage and encourage new growth.

Dutch clover is a familiar face in meadows and lawns and actually makes a terrific lawn replacement. The deep green plants withstand normal foot traffic, but aren’t an ideal choice for a heavy traffic area, like a play area beneath a swing set. The small plants boast heat and drought tolerance and stand up to repeated mowing with ease. Newly developed micro-clovers are smaller and designed to blend in with turf grasses better. Dutch clover is hardy in Zones 3 to 9 and isn’t damaged by dog urine. Plants flower heaviest during a small window, but frequent mowing can keep flowers in check.

Buffalo grass is a native grass that spreads by runners. It makes an excellent choice for a low-maintenance lawn. This grass tolerates heat and drought, along with moderate foot traffic. Plants don’t do well in sandy soils but thrive in rich, well-drained, loamy soil and also rocky limestone soils. Buffalo grass is hardy in Zones 3 to 9. It’s a good idea to mow this perennial grass in late winter or early spring to kick off the new growing season. Mowing occasionally during the growing season helps keep the lawn in good health. Never cut buffalo grass shorter than 3 inches.

Buy plants that fit your climate and soil conditions. Balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus) doesn't tolerate heat, humidity or poorly drained soils, so planting in the Deep South or in wet soils is a recipe for failure. Instead, this summer bloomer is a long-lived garden stalwart for USDA Zones 3 to 8, in well-drained soils.

Use cuttings instead of buying more plants. If you love the coleus (such as 'Indian Summer' shown here) that you already have, there's never a need to buy more. Take cuttings in the fall, pot up the new plants, keep them indoors by a window for the winter and you'll have plenty of instant color for the garden after the last frost in spring. For more varieties, exchange cuttings with friends, neighbors or garden-club members.

Take softwood and hardwood stem cuttings to propagate some of your favorite shrubs. The method and timing for woody-shrub cuttings depends on the variety. For the common flowering quince (Chaenomeles) shown here, August is the best time. Softwood cuttings, dipped in rooting hormone, are usually successful.

Choose pest-resistant bulbs. Squirrels won't eat the so-called "tommies" — Crocus tommasinianus — here, 'Ruby Giant.'

Choose bulbs that multiply. Unlike most tulips, which tend to weaken every succeeding year, some bulbs just keep going, replicating themselves with no effort from the gardener. Plant a few dozen daffodils, and in five years, you're likely to have many more.

Invest in self-seeding plants. Cleome, like hollyhocks, cosmos, forget-me-nots and shasta daisies, sow themselves but aren't invasive. Snap a picture of each plant so that, come spring, you'll be able to distinguish the leaves of a "keeper" from a weed.

Choose long-lived perennials. Plants like scabiosa, wallflower and hardy mums typically last 3-5 years. Other perennials like blanket flower, columbine and coreopsis are equally short-lived but reseed freely. Others are long timers, such as bearded iris, daylily, hellebore, astilbe and bee balm, to name a few. Peonies, seen here, are extremely enduring, sometimes lasting for more than a century.

Multiply your plants by dividing them. Some plants like daylilies, bearded iris, yarrow and ornamental grasses need to be divided every few years to reinvigorate them and to reduce overcrowding. What you'll gain for your efforts are new plants to expand your beds and to share with friends.

When a particular perennial is best divided depends in large part on when it flowers. Spring-blooming astilbe (shown here) can be divided in fall or early spring.

Wait until the plant is "resting" to divide it. Bearded iris is best divided about two months after it finishes flowering; many gardeners like to divide their irises in August.

Late-blooming perennials like helianthus, shown here, are best divided in spring. Filling your beds with a variety of perennials that give successive seasons of bloom, blooming shrubs and colorful conifers means you'll be less apt to load up on trays of annuals to fill holes in the landscape.