Trash to Treasure: How To Create This Whimsical Garden Planter

Do you love thrifting as much as I do? I especially love thrifting with my buddy Veronica!!! Every few weeks we set aside a day and make the rounds to our favorite thrift stores. There are scores of inexpensive treasures to be found!

When thrifting, it’s important to keep an open mind. Almost everything can either be cleaned up, painted and repurposed. Mugs, teacups and tiny ceramic bowls make wonderful planters for succulents. Baskets can be updated with spray paint to match your decor. Silver cream and sugar pitchers can easily be polished and used to hold toiletries like Q-tips or cotton balls. Small silver bowls can be picked up for a song and used to hold your jewelry.

Just a word of warning, don’t get overly ambitious. Make sure you have the time and skills needed to transform the piece you are getting, otherwise it will just end up in a closet collecting dust, taking up valuable space in your home.

When I spied this old rusted out watering can I knew I could easily turn it into a whimsical planter for the garden. The only skills required for this project are the ability to use a drill ✔️ and the ability to plant a couple of plants ✔️

This watering can has seen better days. The rusted bottom makes it unusable as a watering can but perfect as a fun whimsical planter

Drill a few drainage holes in the bottom and fill with soil.

I chose a variegated vinca minor as the main plant for its trailing habit. It has a lovely delicate look but it’s a tough as nails plant that produces lovely purple flowers all summer long.

I was hoping to score a String of pearls succulent (Senecio rowleyanus) but came up empty handed after visiting several local nurseries. Succulents thrive on little water and can withstand the harshest temperatures. It would be the perfect plant placed in the spout of the watering can.

Since I couldn’t find what I was looking for, I started to look around my garden to see if I had any plants that I could use instead.

I have a ton of spider plants in various planters sprinkled around the yard. Maybe I could make it work?

I removed a baby from one of the numerous plants in my garden.

I chose one with a vigorous root system but it had to be small enough to fit in the spout opening.

I made sure there was soil in the spout and then I gently placed the pup in the spout.

Ok, you have to admit that it is so stinking cute!

Give the plants a good drink of water and place in a shaded spot for a few days until plants acclimate.

Then sit back and enjoy your new creation!

Did You Make This?

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