Could I plant anything in this bird bath?

[katymac]

I can't encourage birds into the garden as I don't think they should feature in an a la carte dinner for the cat!

We have just moved in and wondered if rather than getting rid of it I could plant something, no idea what as it's very shallow, I don't think I want to put a pot on top of it - but will anything grow in such shallow depth

Is the bottom of the bath fairly flat, ie could you use it as a stand and place a pot on top?

The problem with planting it is drainage, if you can drill holes in it you could then plant.

I think you would have a perpetual problem of it being too dry. There's not enough depth for a water reservoir of any kind, and when it does rain repeatedly, there's nowhere for the water to drain away and anything that likes dry conditions will rot.

You might be able to get a succulent going, or one of the ferns that seeds itself into walls, but I still think it will struggle.

A bowl with drainage holes would work very well, and you could have two or three and swop them through the year - bulbs followed by summer flowers followed by autumn/winter planting.

A square pot would be tricky to find I reckon - one that wouldn't just look plonked on top

Maybe - I like the bulbs/summer/autumn idea and I could manage those but it'd have to be cabbage or pansies in the winter I guess

I would get a square pot and plant something that trails like ivy as well as some flowers.

Succulents should work.
I saw on a program the other week they shoved succulents into a wall they'd built with random bits of rock so was a few nooks and crevices. Soil wasn't deep. Obviously no idea if they lasted or died but it was Charlie Dimmock who did it.

Oh I goggled & I found some videos

I think I need to drill some holes in it & maybe mix the soil with a bit of sand - and buy plants like saxifrage (which I recognise as my Nana grew it!) Then put gravel on top

I'm going to give it a go but maybe not this week - Fingers crossed

Thanks all

alpines?
or bonsai?

Sempervivums would probably work quite well. They are very succulent (and hardy), don't need much depth, and would spread to fill the space. I vaguely remember my great-gran had some S. arachnoideum (the cobweb houseleek) planted in a bird bath. They used to be planted on roofs, supposedly to protect from lightning, so are as tough as old boots.

I think I need a specialist shop - I'll have to google