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Draw Inspiration from Nature
When set on a sparely decorated porch, these drawers-turned-planters lend a homey touch to your home exterior. Make your own by securing wooden spindles to salvaged dresser drawers, then adding a wooden shelf at the base of the spindles. Coat the planter in an playful shade of exterior paint and fill both the drawer and lower shelf with greenery to put a smile on the faces of neighbors and guests.
Turn a Corner
If a corner cabinet’s awkward angles don’t fit in your home, move it to the porch or patio where it can serve as an unconventional planter. You don’t have to be a woodworking whiz to recreate this version. Start by attaching three triangular wooden shelves to the shelf frame. Spray paint the planter in a two-tone scheme and fill the shelves with soil and plants to lend a little color and fragrance to any corner of your outdoor space.
Reinvent the Wheel
Ideal for dramatic sprays of greens or trailing shoots and vines, this long and tall planter is as easy on the eyes as it is to build. The planter comes together in less than a day with pressure-treated wood slats, a few galvanized finishing nails, and basic drilling techniques. With the body work done, all that’s left to do is tack on four caster wheels, coat the planter in exterior paint, then fill with soil and your favorite flora.
Related: 14 of the Best Plants for Your Drought-Tolerant Garden
Gutter Glamour
Off-duty rain gutters are the surprising hero in this creatively conceived and easily recreated hanging planter. After assembling the three-sided frame of the planter from scrap wood planks, hang three painted vinyl gutters by rope from S-hooks secured to the top of the frame. Fill each of the three gutters with soil and plants, then stake wooden plant markers into the soil to give your garden a personal touch.
Related: Bad Neighbors: 11 Plant Pairs Never to Grow Side by Side
Bowled Over by Beauty
When you’re ready to retire an old salad bowl from its days on the dining room table, consider putting it to use in the garden to serve up a visually striking display. The recipe for this DIY planter is a cinch to follow: Affix three legs to an upturned wooden salad bowl, then fill the bowl with a deliciously colorful mix of seasonal greens.
Related: 10 Ways to Weather-Proof Your Garden
Double the Style
This towering two-tiered planter makes a statement on the porch that you can see from the street. Basic woodworking skills are all you need to assemble the lightweight planter frame from pressure-treated lumber and galvanized nails. From here, finish the wood with a subtle stain, or skip the stain and plop your preferred blooms directly into each of the two shelves of the rustic bare wood planter.
Things are Looking Up
Mounted vertically on the wall, this succulent planter makes for an oddly elegant conversation starter in any entryway. A brad nailer makes it a snap to construct the wooden frame for the planter. Once assembled, lay the planter flat on the ground and fill the base with soil, enclose the top of the frame with chicken wire, and drop each succulent into a separate hole in the wire. Once you hang the planter on the porch wall with a picture hanging kit, stand back and admire your new living artwork.
Hole In One
Who knew? The holes of a colander make this kitchen staple have all the makings of a self-draining planter. Recreate the design by lining the inside of a colander with landscape fabric, then topping with soil and greenery. You can opt to park the planter on a countertop, or put a twist on a traditional hanging garden by attaching linked chains to the handles of the colander and then hanging the planter over your porch or patio.
Secret Plot
In this next planter, all you see is three terra cotta pots painted in a cheerful yellow hue and filled with seasonal plants. However, the dramatic plant pot conceals a secret within its clever design. Hidden in the bottom and middle pots, two upturned pots provide a ledge for upper pots to rest, lending height and style to the planter. To recreate the look, stagger plastic pots inside the terra cotta pots to achieve an artful asymmetric arrangement.
Related: 10 Fast-Growing Plants for (Almost) Instant Curb Appeal
Grunge Appeal
One man’s trash can is another man’s planter in the case of this crafty conversion. Copper paint applied to the handles and rim of the trash can makes the planter look like an intentional design choice rather than a time-worn cast-off. When filled with bold red blooms, the cool tones of the metal can take on a certain radiance that belies its humble origins.
Lush Locker
With school nearly out for the summer, it’s the perfect time to empty drawers of old supplies and transform them into more playful outdoor accents. In this fun weekend project, locker drawer faces and wooden slats are arranged in the silhouette of a step stool. Each “step” is filled with plants that peek out from the tops of each color-coordinated drawer, for maximum exposure to the sun’s rays.
Related: 15 Plants Never to Grow in Your Yard
Out-of-the-Box Planter
Is your yard starved for space? Make room for your gardening habit with this planter box. Keep metal brackets and screws handy as you put together the stained lumber frame of the planter. Then, line the inside of the planter box with plastic sheeting, and top with soil and vibrant greenery. The two-foot height of the raised garden bed makes it versatile enough to house everyday vegetables or even a trellis brimming with twisting vines.
Related: 19 “Zero Dollar” Garden Hacks
Into the Woods
Installing a new fence this summer? Upcycle your old, discarded fence pickets into this ingenious three-tiered planter. Each level of the three-tier planter, assembled from cut fence pickets, offers a spot to showcase plants in three distinct colors or varietals. Supporting the drawers is a set of lightweight wooden legs that make the planter easy to transport from the porch to the patio at a moment’s notice.
