Whether it’s a piano that can’t be tuned or a bed that your family’s outgrown, chances are high you’re holding onto old furniture. Throwing out them would be a waste, and you may have trouble finding the time and transportation you need to donate them.
If you’re in this situation, you may want to consider another option: re-use that detuned piano or too-tiny bed as a quirky planter- you’ll clear out much-needed living space, while adding a unique touch to your garden decorations.
Planters and vases are often one-dimensional: able to be filled, and that’s about it. Furniture offers a tiered and multi-dimensional approach to gardening: your plants could overflow the top of the piano, the railings of your old bed, or the shelves under a grill.
Almost any old piece of furniture can be repurposed to give your plants a home. Here are a few ideas to help you de-clutter your home and re-imagine your garden:
• Open the top of an old, damaged piano and fill it with flowers. Properly displayed, with quirky accompaniments like a leaning rose trellis or old chairs, this could be your garden’s centerpiece.
• You could also install a water reservoir for an easy-to-make fountain that flows water over the piano’s keys onto your flowers.
• Make a “flower bed” by using your bed frame and headboard as the borders for a garden plot.
• Or instead of flowers, plant hardy grass over an old bed frame, and make a place to lay down and enjoy your garden.
• A deep bathtub can provide more planting space in a small garden. As a bonus, this planter is equipped with its own drain for easy maintenance.
• Old sinks also have their own drains, and are made from durable materials, making for great planters. Try decorating the rim with stones, and filling the basins with flowers.
• Though it takes a unique sense of humor to appreciate this, an old toilet is another potential planter that comes with its own drain.
• An old grill can also make for a great planter. Many grills are made with multiple layers and shelves allowing for multi-dimensional planting displays. You could also hold gardening tools and decorations in that space.
• If you have an old chair that’s worn out its cushion, remove the bottom and replace with a pot for another great way to display plants.
• An old dresser can offer another unique look, with its drawers open to different lengths to show colorful, carefully placed layers of plants.
• For an even more bohemian look, take your old upholstered furniture outside. The look of worn fabric will provide a fascinating contrast to a display of plants piled on or around the furniture.
• Cinderblocks can be stacked to create seating areas that double as planters.
• Consider ways of planting vertically too, by using the frame of an old screen door as a climbing trellis. Just add chicken wire and plants, and you’re all set.
So if it’s spring-cleaning time for your home and garden- if you’re ready to recycle some old furnishings into some new ideas for your garden- you may want to consider these suggestions!