A collection of 10 beautiful container garden ideas that you’re sure to love! Popular planters for versatility, space, lovely to make any setting a garden!
Well, folks, I have a right-hand crush injury. So, I am incredibly thankful to my friend, Michelle, for putting together this awesome guest post for me. Do be sure to stop by her lovely blog, Our Crafty Mom.
10 Beautiful Container Garden Ideas
Get creative and turn any space into a garden!
Hi! I’m Michelle from Our Crafty Mom and I’m happy to be guest posting at Life With Lorelai today. With Spring in full swing and Summer on its way, I put together a collection of 10 beautiful container garden ideas that I am sure you will just love! One reason I think container gardens are so popular is they are so versatile. You don’t need to have a huge space for container gardens and they look lovely in all kinds of settings. Let’s take a look at these gorgeous ideas from some of your favorite home and garden bloggers.
So many different options, but all beautiful! I hope you enjoyed this post and I look forward to visiting with you at Our Crafty Mom. Have a great day!
Thanks again, Michelle, for this beautiful roundup of container garden ideas! Be sure to see more from Our Crafty Mom on her social media: Facebook/ Twitter/ Pinterest/ Hometalk/ Instagram
This time of year is full of entertaining opportunities, and it is lovely to spend those last moments before the winter freeze outdoors. Debbie Lewis is here to share 5 Essentials for Outdoor Fall Events.
5 Essentials
For Outdoor Fall Events
When the weather starts to take on a cool edge and the days begin to grow shorter, you might think you’re doomed to be cooped up indoors for the next several months. However, you can still enjoy being outside. All you need to do is create an outdoor space where you and your guests can be comfortable even during the fall and winter months. Here are some essentials that you’ll need:
A Fireplace
Image via Flickr by Jarsin Trevino
Yes, you could tell your guests to wear lots of layers, but that isn’t nearly as comfortable or relaxing as sitting by a fire. Contact local experts who can help you design an outdoor fireplace that complements your home’s décor and will serve as a cozy place where you can sit and swap stories while you snack on smores.
Another option is to buy a metal fireplace from your local home improvement store, but that lacks the class and longevity of a permanent stone fireplace that you and your guests will be able to enjoy for years to come.
Adequate Lighting
When you host fall and winter outdoor events, the last thing you want is to have to send your guests home when the sun sets. Make sure you have adequate lighting so no one trips and gets hurt. You can have a floodlight attached to your house, but that may not be enough. Think about installing small solar-powered lights along walkways outside your home.
Search the internet for creative ideas on how to light your home’s exterior. You can also use candles in mason jars to add an extra touch of elegance, or you could string up icicle lights for a lovely holiday party. The possibilities are endless!
A Patio
Image via Flickr by Mr_Wahlee
When the weather is dry, it might be no problem to have guests relaxing in your grassy yard. During fall and winter, however, the grass will often be wet and muddy. When temperatures take a plunge, your yard could even become slippery to the point of being dangerous. A paved patio provides a safe walking surface. If necessary, you can place rubber mats on it to make it even safer.
An Outdoor Kitchen
Image via Flickr by Roger Mommaerts
Your outdoor kitchen doesn’t need to be elaborate, but it does need to have some basics. It could be as simple as a grill, a bin to keep drinks in, and a storage place for outdoor cooking supplies. You should also have a place where you can keep carafes of hot drinks, such as coffee and cocoa, so your guests can help themselves to something warm and tasty whenever they want.
Overhead Covering
Image via Flickr by Bellafaye Garden
If you live in an area where rain is common in fall and winter, you’ll have to prepare for that liquid sunshine when you’re planning your outdoor event. You can buy some sturdy patio umbrellas, or you could build an awning or a gazebo that will provide shelter from drizzles and raindrops.
Sometimes it is nice to stay indoors during fall and winter. However, you and your guests can still get outside and enjoy the fresh autumn air.
Keep gardening through the autumn and winter months with potted plants. get ideas for colorful and festive ways to make your deck a garden to enjoy. Find out how from our regular contributor, Megan Wild.
Potted Plants
Keep Your Deck Colorful and Festive
Just because the autumn weather has set in doesn’t mean you have to put away your gardening tools until next year. In fact, there are actually loads of ideas to keep your deck looking bright and festive throughout the winter. With colorful, creative and decorative planters and the right choice of greenery, it can even be an activity for the whole family to enjoy.
Setting the Stage for Your Perfect Garden
Before you run out and buy out all the potted plants at your local greenhouse, make sure you’ve prepared your deck space properly. This can entail making sure the decking is properly sealed and prepared to handle multiple planters that will be watered periodically. Without adequately sealing, the constant watering of greenery on your deck can trap moisture in the wood and eventually cause the wood to rot.
To cut down on water use and make your garden more sustainable over the winter months, consider incorporating rain barrels or a rain garden to catch water runoff. This will be especially helpful during months when the snow melts and the spring thaw begins. You can also do research on which native plants in your area require less watering and can withstand heartier temperatures.
Now that you’ve prepped your space and have your plant ideas in mind, here are five easy and fun ideas to make your deck space vibrant and colorful for the autumn into the winter.
Personalize Your Planter
Make it a family affair and repurpose an old cardboard letter to fill with your favorite plants in the shape of your family’s last name. Each member of the family can pick out their favorite addition to the planter, making it perfectly unique to your garden deck.
Choose Bold Colors
One of the best things about fall plants is you have a great variety of succulents that have deep, rich colors of wines, greens and golds. Check this great list of thrillers, fillers and spillers so you have the best variety to put into your planter. They are sure to be eye-catching.
Recycle Materials to Create a Unique Look
You can really make a statement and give new life to different materials by getting a little creative with your planter choices. For example, an old red wagon is great for succulents and will give your deck a fun conversation piece — and maybe a new purpose for old toys no longer in service.
Get a Little Rustic With Reclaimed Wood
Reclaimed wood is such a versatile material and is another way to breathe new life into used materials. You can build your own reclaimed wood planter, or even put together a great little end table to display your recently potted bright chrysanthemums and deep Heucherella sweet tea. Make it fun for the kids too and add in a painting activity for the boards. You can personalize them each or just use solid colors — it’ll be a fun decision to make together.
Utilize All Your Space
Even if you have a small deck space to work with, you can still find ways to have a great garden and utilize your available space. Grow bags are a great way to do this. They are a vertical way to grow anything from herbs to flowers and can add a homey look to any deck, especially in an urban setting.
Whether you’ve got a large or small space to work with, there are great options out there to make your deck garden unique and colorful. You can also do so while keeping the environment in mind with sustainable watering systems and responsible plant choice. And finally, it’s also an activity that can be fun for the whole family.
Make your summer nights beautiful by creating your own outdoor ambiance with this Solar Lamp DIY project.
Solar Lamp DIY
Add Some Style to Your Outdoor Living
I have been wanting to make a solar lamp for our backyard patio area for a long time. So, I kept an eye out for the perfect base to accomplish my goal. Luke and I stumbled upon a tall candlestick with a concrete base that we thought would work perfectly.
Gather What You Need:
Since this lamp is tall and will be outside (where you may get a breeze), we needed a heavy base to support the lamp. We found our base on clearance at one of our favorite craft and hobby stores. You could also find a heavy candlestick or lamp base at a thrift store or garage sale.
We picked up a hanging plant basket, a solar yard lamp, and a long screw with a washer to complete our project needs list. Choose a yard lamp and planter basket that fit the proportions of your base stand. We already had a can of black spray paint, some fine-to-medium sandpaper, and a couple pieces of scrap wood. You will also need zip ties, a pair of vice grips, saw, miter box, and a drill.
The first step in our project was to assess our components and come up with a plan that would work the best to provide stability and durability. Make sure you measure everything, so you can be sure to have the proper length screw(s), etc. for your project. Having a solid plan helps the work go together faster.
Get Started with the Fitting Process:
We removed the glass candle holder (I used that for something else later). As you can see in the first photo, our glass candleholder sat down inside a metal dish attached to our stand. A second metal piece inside the glass allowed for a screw to hold the glass to the stand. This second piece turned over and fit perfectly over the first piece. We made a wood block to fill the space to give strength and stability to support our yard lamp and planter basket. We marked it with an “X” to find the center for drilling a hole for the screw.
Take the stem off your solar yard lamp. Measure the stub on the lamp that the stem fits over. Then, decide how tall you want your lamp to be with the planter basket shade on it. Once you have the proper height, measure and cut the stem. We used a saw and miter box.
Now, you want to find a scrap of wood that you can cut (and file if needed) to fit snugly inside the stem. This will add strength to your stem to support the weight of the lamp head and planter basket. You want to cut this wood to a length where your screw will go from the top of the wood and screw into the base of your lamp. This screw is what holds the lamp together. Make sure there is plenty of room for the screw head and lamp stub to fit easily into the stem. Drill a hole all the way through the scrap wood (length-wise). Then, shove the wood scrap inside the stem, it should be tight.
Getting the Lampshade Ready:
A wire hanging planter basket makes a great lampshade for your solar lamp (use the coconut liner for another garden basket). The one problem with the basket is the bottom wire supports. They will cut across the solar panel of the lamp. Those wires need to be removed. A pair of vice grips makes this an easy job. Just a little wiggle and jiggle, and you’re done. Watch this quick video:
How simple is that?
Test Fit:
It is always important to test fit any project. Get the bugs out, and make any tweaks and adjustments that are needed, before you put on the final paint and polish.
Start by making sure your base is ready to add the solar lamp. For us, that meant having the wood block in place inside the metal dish. Then, take the screw, with the washer, and place it through the solar lamp stem. Tighten the screw, attaching it to the base. Notice the wood does not fill the entire stem, so there is room for the screw head and the lamp stub. Place the solar lamp stub into the stem.
Set planter basket upside down on top of the solar lamp, to create a lampshade. Decide where you will need to drill the lamp cap to place zip ties for attaching the lampshade.
Attach the Lampshade:
Since we did not paint the planter basket, we attached the lamp shade to the solar lamp cap. We had a square cap, so we drilled holes on either side of each corner edge, and threaded the zip ties through. We used white for the pictures for you, so they would be easier to see.
Time for Paint:
Rough-up the base and all pieces that need painting with some fine-to-medium sandpaper, so the paint will stick well. Spray in short, even bursts at a distance of about 12 inches. Make sure everything dries thoroughly before assembling the lamp.
You can see that we changed out the white zip ties for black ones for our finished product.
I know you will enjoy this solar lamp as much as we do. It was a fun project to create, and we are getting lots of use out of it. Impress your family and friends!
Another great DIY project just in time for those Spring and Summer nights on the veranda, in the yard, or on the porch swing! Thank you, Michelle James, our Regular Contributor.
Discount Store Vases to Outdoor Lighting
An Easy DIY Project to Enhance Outdoor Living
Hi everyone! I love creating new outdoor lighting for my patio. Last year I created these hanging lights; so this year, I wanted something to go on my patio table. I headed to my favorite discount store and came up with this.
To make these super easy lights you need the following supplies:
Vases from the discount store – you can choose from the shapes and sizes but make sure the solar light will rest on the top of the vase without falling in.
Solar Lights – also from the discount store
Oil based Sharpie Markers
How to Make the Outdoor Lights:
You will need to remove the stake part of the solar light so you have just the light part.
Now you will be decorating your vases using the oil based markers. I wanted to make some dandelions. I know they are weeds and I don’t like them in my yard but I do like them in décor. I have seen some really great pins that involve dandelions.
I started with the green stem. I drew one long stem then on the opposite side of the vase I drew a shorter stem.
Now make the lines to form the “flower” by starting at the top of the stem. Draw lines coming out from the top of the stem all the way around to create a circle of lines.
After you have the lines done, use the tip of the pen and make a “dot” at the end of each line.
Now add more “dots” inside the flower. I added them on lines all of the way around and down to the stem.
Then create some fly away blooms by creating short line with a dot at the end. I had them fly up the vase so it looks like they are taking off into the air. So easy!
Once you have your painting done you will need to cure it in the oven. Place them on a baking sheet and put them into a cold oven. Turn the oven on to 200 degrees. Let them bake for 1 hour then turn off the oven and let it cool. Then remove them. I did all of this in the evening so after I turned off the oven I just left them in until the next morning.
If they need to be washed, they should be carefully hand washed.
