DIY Picket Fence Planter

It’s true.  Almost anything can be used to make a creative planter for the garden.  All it takes is a few, simple, every day objects that you have lying around the house and your imagination to create an interesting, one-of-a-kind container.

This weekend, Matt and I designed and constructed a simple, rustic, picket fence planter that is unique, creative, and I absolutely love!

My inspiration came from these reclaimed wood barrel planters at Pottery Barn.

We started with a simple, utilitarian, black, plastic, 5-gallon pot — the kind almost everyone has lying around their house, somewhere (if you don’t, you can probably pick one up, cheap, at a local garden center).

For the wood planks, we enlisted some old, picket fencing  (I always knew I’d find some way to use that old, beat up fence!)

We measured and marked all of the fence pieces to our desired height…

Next, Matt cut them all down to size…

Then, he attached all of the fence pieces to the plastic pot by drilling a hole through the plank and pot, then fastening the picket fencing to the pot using screws and bolts…

(this is the inside of the pot)

Finally, I attached rope to the outside of the fencing, both to hold the fence pieces in place and for a decorative touch.

This is how the finished planter turned out…

…every bit as good as the Pottery Barn planter, I think (and for a fraction of a fraction of the cost!)

I was so impressed by how it turned out that I had Matt make me a second one, built around a 3-gallon pot.

How’s that for inspiration going to work?

Now, all I have to decide is what to plant in it.

Any suggestions?

What do you have lying around the house that is just waiting for some inspiration so that it can be turned into something unique and wonderful?