Reuse not Recycle - Roof Ridge Tiles

As a result of the restoration of the old farm complex a number of the roofs had to be re-tiled. We tried to reuse as many of the old tiles as possible on the roof but we still ended up with a lot of broken tiles that were no longer weatherproof. This has led us to continuously look for creative and interesting ways to use the old and broken tiles.

Upturned reclaimed terracotta ridge tile with plant

Our latest idea is to create plant holders for our pond plants. The upturned terracotta ridge tiles are the perfect shape for holding a plant.  As they are open at the ends the roots will be able to escape into the pond so the plants should not get pot bound.  Also, any pond creatures that want to live in the roots will be able to find their way in easily.

To make sure that the soil around the roots is not washed away we have piled up broken tile at the ends.  We have also put broken tile on the top which will reduce evaporation (when the pond is deep enough for them to be in the water!).

The tiles, being used, have rough mortar on them and a constant source of worry to us is something puncturing the pond liner.  To hopefully prevent this from happening we have put scrap pieces of pond liner under the tiles to prevent their weight or movement working through the liner. 

So, not only have we been able to reuse what most people would think were scrap tiles we have made sure that the plant holders will still look attractive when the water level drop.  When we have made the others to finish off the side of the pond and then planted around the top then we shouldn't see the horrible brown plastic pond liner anymore.

Reclaimed terracotta ridge tile pots in pond