Summer is a time to celebrate things that grow—plants, trees and daylight among them. I also love to make things in summertime, especially in the garden.
If you’ve done your spring cleaning, you might have crafting materials ready to roll—you just might not yet realize they’re craft-ready. Upcycling—using discarded products to create something with a new use and value—is an environmentally-friendly, fun way to clear your clutter and make something new all at once.
Try one of these upcycled planters to bring fresh, colorful energy into your growing space this year.
Teapot Planter
True story—I recently managed to ruin a tea kettle by wandering away from it before it boiled on the stovetop. The lid was not salvageable, but the cheery red kettle was just too happy-looking to toss. So I’ve got plans to “upcycle” it into a planter I can set out in my garden. I will line the bottom of the pot with stones because I don’t have a drill bit that can make drainage holes through the metal. Then I’ll pack potting soil into the planter and tuck in a “spiller” plant that will trail over the side as it grows. I can place the kettle among other plantings in a large pot, or I can run some twine through the spout to hang it from a hook-topped stake in the garden.
Colander Planter
Another upcycled garden idea has built-in drainage holes—a colander. This kitchen mainstay can head outside and bring a bright splash of color as a hanging planter. Start by lining your colander with sheet moss to prevent soil from running out the holes. Fill the center of the colander with potting soil and plant vines or simple flowers like pansies. Country Living magazine suggests an easy way to hang your colander planter: wrap twine to cover each handle, leaving a long tail on either end. Secure the twine with glue so it is solidly adhered to the handles. Gather the four tails together into a single knot and hang from a hook or garden stake.
Rainboot Planter
Classic rubber rain boots are deep, stable, portable and appealingly colorful. So when you graduate to a new pair of Wellies, why not give your old ones new purpose by planting flowers in them? For drainage, make some holes in the bottom of each boot. A mallet and big nail can do here, or you can use a drill bit. Line the bottom of the boot with gravel, then top with rich potting soil and add your plants. Bonus: many rainboots have loops at their tops to ease them onto your feet, which can be used to hang your planters onto fence posts or garden stakes.
Decorated Flower Pots
Even regular old flower pots can become summer crafts with a few homemade touches. Clay pots can wake up your patio when decorated with dots painted in cheerful colors, or rainbow stripes or inspiring words like “Love,” “Grow” or “Peace.” You can hot glue a wide ribbon around the middle of your planter, or tie a sweet bow around the middle made of garden twine.
What summer crafts brighten your garden?
