Where Do Old Bikes Go When They Die? To the Garden of Course!

Originally my bike had a basket but along the way a grandson must have thought that was too sissy and took it off. I decided I was going to have baskets front and back. When I was at Ross (great place to find deals) I found this small basket for $4.99 and then . . .

I turned down the aisle and found this larger basket on clearance for $4.00. A divine sign. I had to try and decorate my bike.

Here's my bike! The kickstand doesn't work and the back wheel is frozen so it can only go forward when moving it (more on that later). I had much wider tires and those are not the original fenders. Seems my nephew changed out the handlebars and added a banana seat; basically changed my bike.

I had forgotten about the license plate. You had to license your bike!

How to get the baskets to hang on the bike? Zip ties. One in each corner worked for the front.

I put one on each side of the seat and ..

Two down the middle.

Since I always jump in on a project without thinking through, on the day I found the Ross baskets I saw this one for $3.99. Surely the coir would cost that much at a hardware store? I decided to grab it. (I may be able to put the basket on the back of my washing machine.)

Because I don't think things through the oval coir didn't quite fill up high enough in the big basket so I decided to cut some boards to shore it up so I could add more dirt. If it doesn't work out next year I'll redo it (hmm, sure I will!).

Place of honor for the license.

Back basket filled with begonias and zinnias. Not sure if they are Thumbelina or not, but they were on clearance so I bought them.

The front basket just has begonias.

I placed the bike along a walkway for now. There was an iron post that I could tie it to so it won't fall over. Because the baskets made it so heavy it was hard to maneuver around and I basically had to pick it up and carry it! At least my bike is where I can see and enjoy it again.

• I did a little research after cleaning the brass plate on the front of the bike. My bike is a Columbia and was made by Northwestern Mfg Company out of Westfield, Mass. You can still buy Columbia bikes (reproduction vintage). I viewed pictures and it has made my memory clearer. I had a light on the front fender and it was crème and blue; not white. I also found the sales receipt and my folks paid $50!

Fun to decorate for the different seasons!

My pal wants to go riding! My bike is in the shade so I had to give up on real flowers. Dollar Store has some really nice looking silk.