Gutter strainers -- the wire cages that filter leaves and debris washed off the roof -- also make great orchid pots, providing the plants with excellent aeration and drainage. 

Buy an inexpensive copper strainer at a hardware store. Using a pair of light pliers, bend the spindly legs of the strainer into decorative loops around the top (the loops also offer a way to hang the orchid if you like). Soak sphagnum moss (available at garden centers) in water, pack into the strainer, and then put in the orchid. Pack with more moss for a snug fit, and give it a hearty watering in the sink. Let the moss drain completely before placing the plant in a bowl.

After pruning trees and shrubs in the yard, save the trimmed branches to support returning perennials, such as lilies. They'll be free and plentiful, not to mention more natural looking than metal or plastic spikes. Look for branches with lots of little twigs, and stake three to five of them around each plant. As the plant grows, its foliage will gradually wind around the network of twigs.

If you need to create a new garden bed but prefer not to resort to chemicals, try this technique. Lay stacks of 4 to 6 sheets of newsprint side by side on the grass, overlapping edges, to mark the desired shape of the bed. Soak paper with a hose, and cover with 2 inches of mulch. You can plant directly in the prepared area, using a trowel to pierce the layers.

Put a kitchen shaker to work in your garden; its a great tool for dispersing horticultural-grade diatomaceous earth. This nontoxic pesticide, which has sharp edges that kill slugs and bugs without chemicals, can be difficult to spread. But a shaker lets you dust an even ring on soil around plants.

The freeze-and-thaw cycle that root balls face this time of year can damage plants. If your planters are too heavy to move indoors, wrap the pots in cushioned packaging material for insulation. To hide the plastic, cover with burlap (available at hardware stores and garden centers).