There are many things you can recycle into a small single plant holder, but not many things you can use to make a larger garden planter which is capable of holding multiple plants. In this post, I pick ten things most of us should be able to make ourselves with things most of us will find in our own recycling bins or maybe in our recycling stash. These large planters can be a centrepiece of your garden or just a corner display with a large impressive plant in them. Whatever you do with them I am sure they will look amazing…
Glass Bottles
While it would be best to keep all the bottles the same colour I suppose you could always mix it up a bit and alternate them to give this planter a touch of colour. This is not a planter you will be able to move easily so you will sadly have to build it in the exact spot you want it to remain.
Plastic Bottles
You don’t have to drink loads of fizzy pop to get all these bottles, you could always ask your friends and family to keep them back for you as well. The best way to make one of these large planters is to make sure the lids are on the bottles so the bottle keeps its shape and to place them in a small ring of cement to hold them in place.
Large Cable Reel
The secret to turning these large wooden cable reels into a planter is to flatten the wheel at the bottom. That way you can work on it without it rolling away, but can still move it once you remove the plastic planter trays from the middle. I love the look of these as they always remind me of the wild west for some reason.
Tractor Tyre
It doesn’t have to be from a tractor, it could be from any large construction truck or any heavy plant vehicle. Yes, they are expensive to buy as new, but you can always ask local farmers if they have any old ones laying around. They will often be more than happy for you to take it home as it will save them a trip to the recycling station.
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BathTub
There are many ways to turn a bathtub into a planter, but this cow one was the best I could find. Just remember to fill the bath up to about 80% with rubble or something else to make sure the plants are visible about the rim. If you don’t want people to know it is a bathtub you could always use hanging plants that will cover it over.
Plastic Piping
This large and long planter it more genius than you might think. You can not only make the stand legs with the bits you cut off from the top, but the open sides of the pipe also double up as drainage! I get the feeling this one is painted to make it stand out a bit, but a plain black piece of large pipe would do just as well.
Suitcase
This is one that will divide people as some will love it and many others will hate it. I feel as a general rule the older the suitcase the better this looks. Just imagine a larger rustic style garden with many recycled things turned into planters and this will sudden fit into that environment.
Tree Trunk
You will have to do a lot of cutting out to make one of these, but they really grab the eye that is for sure as I hardly noticed the stunning mountain background! Just consider the hardness of the tree trunk you are trying to use for one of these as some woods are softer than others (therefore easier to dig out to make this).
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Liquid Cages
Any factory that produces palated liquids will use these, or you can always buy them online. The main cage is used to hold the plastic container together when it is full, but once removed you can turn them into wonderful planters. I get the feeling that this one is placed on wheels to make it easier to move. It is also worth mentioning that they have only used the top half of this liquid cage to make it a little lighter to move around.
Cinder Blocks
We have seen many ways to make a cinderblock planter before, but never to this scale. This large wall piece is the perfect modern style planter, it looks clean, can be made from unused bricks from any building site and it is the perfect height for someone with a bad back. They say sometimes the simplest ideas are the best ones and that is very true with this one.