Garden stores have so many different types of garden
art for your to choose from – there are beautiful water features like
ponds and fountains, as well as statues, wind chimes, birdhouses, and
so much more. But why not go ahead and make your own garden art? Why
not make sure that your garden fully reflects your own personality, and
nobody else’s?
When it comes to making your own garden art, there
are so many different possibilities as to what you can do that it can
almost be overwhelming. That is why I am going to focus on just one
type of garden art in this article: planters. Check out these fun and
unique ideas for your garden pots and planters:
The Spilt Planter
Add
a little humor to your garden with a “spilt planter.” Find an ordinary
pot or barrel and tip it on its side in your garden. Fill the planter
part way with soil, and then spread the rest out in front of it as
though it has spilled out. Choose a few of your favorite flowers and
plant them in the spilled-out soil. Warning: this fun and whimsical
idea is one that may have do-gooders coming up and trying to fix the
spill… until they see that the plants are actually planted in the
ground.
Bathtub Planter
Find a bathtub (a clawfoot tub,
preferably) at a thrift store, garage store, or even from your
remodeled bathroom. Fill her up with good soil and then plant a small
garden! It can also be fun to use a bathtub as a pond. It is even
possible to find a way to hook your garden hose up so that you can have
water coming out of the bathtub waterspout.
Thrift Stores Gems
There
are many other things that plants can be planted into (besides planters
and pots… and bathtubs). Why not go to an antique shop or a thrift
store and see what you can find! You can plant a pair of cacti in a
pair of cowboy boots. Why not plat a snapdragon in a tea cup? You can
use vases, pots and pans, tires, helmets, and so many other things as
planters. You may not know what item can double as a perfect garden
planter until you go out and find it.
Pottery By Your Own Hand
Why
not sign up for a pottery class and make your very own planter!
Granted, you may make a pot that is only large enough for one petunia,
but it is so much fun to create your own shapes and to glaze your pot
in whatever color you want. Homemade pots with a flower in each make
excellent gifts, as well.
Pot makeovers
If you already have
a pot that you like, why not just dress it up a bit? Go ahead and glue
a ribbon around the rim or even add sequins, buttons, scrabble letters,
or other items! You can also completely makeover a pot – you just need
some Mod Podge (a wonderful, glue-like substance) and some magazines.
Cut or rip out some favorite pictures from magazines (or use
photographs, newspaper, brown paper bags, tissue paper, etc.) and Mod
Podge them all over your pot. Use a weather-proofing finishing spray to
top it off. (If you are using a terra cotta pot or another pot that
breathes and is not glazed, be sure that you heavily coat the pot with
Mod Podge before you add your pictures, and consider placing another
planter inside the pot to keep the magazine pictures from puckering
when you water your plant.
Anne
Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting,
fashion, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and
gardening. For more of her articles on gardening and garden art, please
visit Garden Art.