This hanging plant may look fairly normal, but it's actually attached to a pulley that makes it possible to raise and lower the basket with ease. The simple pulley can be used to lower the basket to a comfortable working height. You can then water the plant easily and do any dead-heading or replanting while you're at it. When you're done, you just raise the basket back up to display height.

I love the way the pulleys are hidden within the structure of the patio cover. In fact, if it weren't for the bright orange sign announcing their existence I would never have discovered them. Notice how the steel cables fit nicely between the metal posts at each end of the structure. This same pulley concept could be applied in a residential setting using a metal or wood patio cover, or stands designed for this specific purpose.