Brighten up your garden with these pretty DIY planters

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Alexandra works in the marketing department, and in 2014, bought her first house, which turned out to be somewhat of a ‘project’.
Since then, the whole house has needed renovating, which has helped her gain a knowledge of basic DIY, decorating and making the best of a small space.

By Alexandra Giles

Transform unwanted household items into pretty planters for your patio
Charity shops, flea markets, eBay and your loft and cellar are ideal places to look
Unusual items add surprise round every corner in your garden
Create the perfect view with cleverly placed planters

When it comes to creating an interesting garden, there are hundreds of different directions that you could go in. You could opt for the traditional cottage garden style; full of colourful, pretty meadow flowers, growing in abundance and in no particular order. Or, at the other extreme, you may prefer a more manicured, structured style, featuring rigid lines and artfully positioned plants.

The beauty of designing a garden is that there are no hard or fast rules, and it really is down to a matter of taste. And even better still, if you don’t like it, simply dig it up and start again!

Start at the pinning boards

If you are looking to create something completely unique, Pinterest is absolutely full of tried and tested garden ideas. One of the biggest trends that appears across the boards is to use unusual household objects for planters. This can be anything from toilets to teapots, even old filing cabinets can get a new lease of life when filled with a cascade of tumbling nasturtiums.

teapot-plantpot

One man’s junk is another man’s treasure

Whilst the idea of using household objects is great, it can be difficult to know where to start. Take a trip down to your local vintage shop or have a browse around a flea market, they are generally packed with all sorts of weird and wonderful objects. You may fall in love with something that would be a bit out of place inside your home, but could make a really unusual and quirky feature on a patio.

The trick is to look for objects with an area that can contain enough soil to house the type of plant that you want. Remember that a plant will only grow as big as its roots will spread, so if the roots are contained in a small pot, it will stunt the plants’ ability to grow. You will also need to drill a few holes into the bottom of the container to allow for drainage, or if there is a hole already (such as a plughole in a sink), it is a good idea to lay some broken stones over the hole. This will still leave room for excess water to escape, but at a gentle trickle rather than it all just flooding straight out.

wellington-boot-planter

Work with your surroundings

A striking way to display unusual planters is to create a feature wall with several of the same or similar items lined up together. Empty metal food tins (labels removed) can make very cheap and effective pots for herbs. Plant a different herb in each tin and you have your very own bespoke herb garden. They can look particularly striking when they are lined up on a brick wall or on a shelf made from an old railway sleeper. You could go one step further and hang each tin on some string and suspend the tins in a line against a wall. The galvanised steel against raw brick can create an amazing contemporary look and will fit in beautifully into any garden, no matter what the overall style, or alternatively, paint the tin cans for a funky finish!.

tin-can-planter

Organising chaos

Random objects tend to look best when they are displayed in a considered way, such as a teapot planter on the corner of every step, or a row of old baskets and handbags containing colourful flowers hanging at regular intervals along a fence. For a more fun, quirky style, a row of different coloured and sized Wellington boots can make quite an impact in a garden when filled with bright tumbling flowers. Hiding features like this within well-established areas of gardens can make for an unexpected, cheerful surprise, and is a great way to bring a splash of colour to a particularly green patch.

When inside and outside collide

When creating a garden, don’t forget to consider the kitchen window appeal. How will it look from inside? Also, if your home features large bi-folding doors, think about how the outside and inside will meet. If your interior is modern and minimal, you don’t want to create a garden that looks messy and cluttered, so definitely stick with the rule of less is more. Approach your outside space in the same way that you would treat the inside; just as a bit of shabby chic can give a minimal room a funky twist, overkill will just be plain old shabby. And don’t forget, when recycling household objects, there is a very fine line between a creating a stylish, quirky garden and creating a garden that is verging on a junk-yard! tyre-planter