While the plants and flowers in your garden certainly add color and personality to the chosen space, when it comes to container gardening, your planter can actually be the star of the show.
Whether you’re indulging in indoor or outdoor gardening, choosing a planter is just another part of the fun! Various shapes, colors and textures can detract or draw attention to themselves so that you have the ability to have the plants, the planter, or both be the focus.
Over the years, artisans in many different realms have turned everything from old cars and boats, to recycled materials such as glass, iron and metal, into decorative planters that can be enjoyed inside and outside on your deck, patio or in your garden area.
Here are our top five picks for cool and unusual garden planters:
Ceramic Wall Planters
A dream of simplicity in both looks and design, this wall planter from West Elm easily hangs on the wall with a single nail. Made of ceramic with a matte white glaze, it’s just perfect for your favorite orchid. Alone or in pairs, these planters are at home in either a more modern or a conventional interior setting.
Tea Cup and Saucer Planter
This adorable terracotta planter from Garden Artisans makes a great gift for yourself or a loved one who enjoys gardening. The cup has a drainage hole and the saucer is glazed. The delightful design would be welcomed indoors or out and can serve as a focal point on a table or in the corner of a deck or patio.
Recycled Sky Planter
In these sky planters from Boskke, the plants hang upside down, perfect for urban dwellers with limited space to garden. A welcome sight inside or out, the uniqueness of these planters is amplified by the use of recycled plastic to craft each piece. Sold with two hanging wires and a float stick to reveal water level.
Coffee cans and spice tins
Both coffee cans and spice tins are easily converted to decorative planters. You can paint or draw on plain cans to give it your own creative stamp. Try metallic colors or textured paints for fun decorative effects. Use patterned wallpaper on the outside of the can. Or, try punching holes around the top of the can to create custom patterns. Use a drill or screwdriver to create one or more drainage holes in the bottom, and you are all set to go! This also works well with old paint cans, which look cute with the handle still attached for a stylish touch.
Wheelbarrows or wagons
If you have a larger space to garden in, a wheelbarrow or wagon each makes for a wonderful focal point with eye-catching flower and plant arrangements inside. You can use new or older items; both are equally good for housing your plants and flowers. With wagons, you’ll need to drill drainage holes that are large enough to let water out. You can measure and cut a piece of window screen to place in the bottom of the wagon to keep soil from getting out through the holes and keep insects out. When it comes to wheelbarrows, the more used they are, the more character your planter has. If handles or boards are missing, all the better, simply let the object rest as it will and fill and plant it accordingly. If needed you can use bricks or larger rocks to help anchor it securely.
As much fun as choosing plants and flowers for gardening is, choosing your planters and/or creating them from items you already have at home might even top the list. Try flea markets or yard sales to find interesting things to turn into garden homes for your plants and flowers. You never know what you might be able to make into your next favorite planter; put your creativity to the test today!
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