The first time I ever went to a pediatrician's office, they asked if we had a trampoline, because pediatricians hate trampolines. Still, people buy them and then find out how unsafe they are, or else they wear out, or the kids grow up and move away. For safety reasons, people don't want to buy a used trampoline, so what do you do with it? The possibilities are endless! I don't know the original source of the image above, but when it was posted at Happy Gardens, the response was enormous. Notice how the legs and struts are used to brace the ring against the fence behind it. The trampoline springs are used to hang the plants at varying heights.
Elena Greenall showed us how her community used this idea to dress up an alley. It's not only braced to the wall, but also embedded in the concrete.
Jen Mutton Topliffe used this idea to augment the ivy growing in the background.
Lisa Murray used more rings and made her garden into a socializing area!
Judith Christian used two rings set in concrete to construct a moon gate to her garden, and is training vines to grow over it.
There are plenty of other ways to use an old trampoline ring. Use them in halves to begin a quonset-type structure, and suddenly you've got a base for a greenhouse or chicken coop. Just be sure to bury the bottom well and brace the exposed parts in a sturdy way. -Thanks, CJ!