DIY Flower Pots - The Ultimate List (2024)

A collection of ideas on how to diy flower pots

In this post, I collected the best DIY flower pots for plants, including terracotta, concrete, plastic, and unusual planter ideas. Creating homemade planters is effortless. With a few supplies, paints, ropes, glue, you can transform them into stylish home decor objects.

Spring is around the corner, and every year I get an urge to plant flowers and to create or buy fun pots and planters for them. Many fantastic DIY ideas are circulating on the web, so I had to collect and organize them. What I love about them is that they’re inexpensive and easy to customize.

Most of these ideas are suitable for indoor and outdoor use.

How to DIY flower pots?

You can make DIY planters with two methods:

1. Transform and customize a store-bought, a thrift store pot, or other objects

Most of us already have plastic, terracotta, clay, or ceramic planters at home. Whit time a lot of them became worn out and ugly.

With some paint and decorative elements, you can give them a second chance to shine.

These upcycle ideas are inexpensive, with high-class results.

2. Design and create unique planters

If you want to experiment, try, and cast your own concrete planters. You can also use air-dry clay, polymer clay, or other materials to sculpt small planters for your favorite succulents.

So here is my list of beautiful flower pots, I hope you will find inspiration and try one or more of them.

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1. Terracotta Pot Makeovers

I want to split terracotta planter revamps into two groups: whole and broken pots.

  • intact pots

Multiple methods exist to personalize whole planters. You can paint, stamp, add texture, add mosaic, wrap-around with rope, decoupage it with paper or fabric, distress and age them for a French look, or add patina.

– Painted and stamped pots

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– Planters covered in sand, rope, mosaic, rocks

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– Paper and fabric decoupaged pots

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– Distressed, aged and with patina

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– Other fun terracotta pot ideas

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  • broken planters

Never throw out a shattered clay pot. Indeed! I encourage you to break them because you can create fabulous fairy gardens and succulent gardens.

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I’ve found some useful tips on how to break a terracotta pot from Blue Fox Farm.

2. DIY Concrete Planters

My favorite way to create flower pots is by pouring cement or covering objects in concrete. They are unique, and you can further personalize them before or after they are dried.

For creating concrete planters, you will need molds. You can either use plastic containers around your home, buy silicone molds, or create your own shapes.

Do you want to give it a try? Made by Barb has an excellent tutorial on how to make silicone molds.

Here are a couple of awesome cement pot ideas for inspiration:

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Not sure about making your own molds, I got you covered, I have a list of stunning silicone molds for concrete.

3. Upcycled Tin Can Pots

Tin cans are those types of kitchen trash you don’t want to throw out. You can easily upcycle them to many home decor objects, flower pots, utensils or pencil holder, wind chime, wine bottle rack, lamp or lanterns, and others.

To transform them into pretty planters, you can: paint, decoupage, or cover them with.

Cool painted tin can pot ideas:

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Beautiful decoupaged tin can planters:

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You can also cover your tin cans with: moss, rocks, wood sticks, burlap, rope, cork sheets, lace, felt, any other material.

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4. Plastic Planter Transformations

Plastic flower pots are cheap, but not really charming. We have many of them in our home, and I can’t wait to replace them with something more sophisticated.

Until then, I’ve found some impressive ideas to beautify them with paint or covering them.

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After refinishing them, no one would ever believe you that these are made of plastic.

5. Succulent Flower Pots

Succulent planters are trending these years. I really like succulents, because they are cute and colorful, easy to care for, and you can incorporate them in every room, including your office.

One of my favorites is the hanging and vertical succulent planters. They look stunning planted individually in small pots but in large arrangements as well.

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6. Creative Pots for Plants

Now, this is where the fun begins. Technically you can use anything as a planter if the object has a hole, or you can cut a hole in it to fill with dirt.

So you may ask? What can I use as flower pots? Here are some of my favorites:

  • teapot,
  • strainer,
  • shoes,
  • plastic toys,
  • dolls (they are a bit creepy if you ask me, but the trolls version is cute),
  • birdcage,
  • watering cans,
  • teacups,
  • books,
  • rain boots,
  • chair,
  • wheelbarrow,
  • old phones,
  • jeans,
  • ripped balls,
  • drawers,
  • chests or boxes,
  • old mailboxes,
  • guitar,
  • vintage cupping spoon,
  • hat,
  • baskets,
  • lanterns,
  • pitchers,
  • tire,
  • etc.

These are my favorites:

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7. Clay planters

Another method to make flower planters is using clay. You can use air-dry clay, paper mache, or polymer clay. I really like this technique because you can create fun shaped and colorful pots, like fruits, animals, faces, etc.

How to make the flower pots?

1. wrap a container or a pot with clay,

2. sculpt a unique shape,

3. add clay embellishments.

I love this DIY terrazzo planter. They look high-class, easy to make and to customize to your needs.

A couple of fun ideas for inspiration:

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My favorite method is using polymer clay because after baking becomes waterproof. And also, you don’t have to paint it and seal it when you’re done.

These DIY succulent clay planters are adorable. Also, you don’t need any special skills to make them.

8. DIY Outdoor planters

Large outdoor flower pots can be expensive, but you can easily upcycle stuff around your home to turn them into fabulous outdoor decor for your porch or garden. These are my favorites:

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You can also use driftwood, large wood logs, buckets, pallet, barrel, etc. or build one out of wood or cast with concrete.

Experiment with other embellishments

  • glass pebbles
  • sticky flatback rhinestones
  • flatback sticky pearls
  • crochet, knit
  • macrame
  • buttons

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Conclusion about DIY planters

I really like these ideas because they are effortless, fun, and budget-friendly. You can revamp old and weathered plastic, clay, terracotta, etc. pots around your home or from the thrift store.

You can decorate any space in your home, from the kid’s room to the bathroom, that will match in style, color, and texture.

Related articles:

  • Best Concrete Silicone Molds for Pots

Which flower pot is your favorite? Do you have unusual planters around your home or in your garden?

Leave a comment.

The best DIY flower pots

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DIY Flower Pots - The Ultimate List (2024)

FAQs

What do you put in the bottom of a planter for drainage? ›

One of the best things to put at the bottom of a planter for drainage is broken pieces of pot. You can use any unwanted plant pots or chipped crockery for this – simply smash them up into small to medium-sized pieces. Adding a layer of broken pieces of pot like this will prevent compost loss out of the drainage holes.

What is the cheapest way to make a container garden? ›

Food-grade buckets, grower's pots, and plastic dishpans are all good to use as cheap gardening containers for growing plants. Just remember to add drainage holes. Containers can often be found at yard sales, thrift stores, and other secondhand vendors.

Can you put plastic bottles in the bottom of a planter? ›

Make sure bottles are tightly capped, so inside them is only air and the weight of the soil won't make them collapse. Empty water bottles make big pots weigh less, save on soil, prevent soggy roots, and are easy to remove when emptying the pot. Simply hose them off before returning them to your recycling bin.

What do you fill the bottom of a large planter with? ›

Try these eco-friendly lightweight planter filler options made from everyday household items.
  1. Plastic water and soda bottles.
  2. Unused nursery pots.
  3. Non-dissolvable packing peanuts.
  4. Old pool noodles.
  5. Clean foam take-out containers.
  6. Styrofoam packing materials.
  7. Aluminum soda cans.
  8. Pine Cones.

Are you supposed to put rocks in the bottom of a planter? ›

Bottom Line on Rocks

You shouldn't put rocks at the bottom of a planter. If your pot doesn't feature a drainage hole, you can drill one, use the two-pot method, or add a layer of activated charcoal to the bottom.

Is it okay to put Styrofoam in the bottom of a planter? ›

However, because landfills are overfilled with non-biodegradable products, many Styrofoam packing products are now made to dissolve in time. It is not recommended to use Styrofoam peanuts for potted plants now, because they may break down in water and soil, leaving you with sunken-in containers.

What to put in the bottom of a planter without drainage holes? ›

“If your planter doesn't have holes, you can keep the plant in its grow or nursery pot and place it inside the planter you would like to use,” he says. You can also place gravel or pebbles in the bottom of the decorative pot and place the functional pot with drainage on top of that layer.

Can I put cardboard in the bottom of my planter? ›

The answer is yes. You can line the bottom of your raised garden bed with cardboard and newspaper to block out weeds or act as a barrier against rhizomatous, weedy or invasive plants. While some may opt for landscape fabric, cardboard is a more cost-effective option.

What to put in the bottom of a planter to make it lighter? ›

Options for Lightweight Pot Fillers
  1. Recycle Plastics. Plastic Water/Soda Bottles. ...
  2. Reuse Packing Materials. ...
  3. Unused Plastic Pots Turned Upside Down.
  4. Recycled Crushed Cans.
  5. Natural Materials. ...
  6. Recycled Cardboard, Newspaper (Also for short-term use only.)

How do you make a false bottom in a large planter? ›

Waste Paper and Cardboard

Put those old newspapers and Amazon delivery boxes to good use and fill the bottom of your large planter with a mix of them crushed down. Again, these materials will break down over time, so they're best suited for those repotting regularly.

What do you put in the bottom of a garden planter? ›

Soil is the foundation of your garden, and you want it to be healthy so you can set your plants up for success! We recommend buying high-quality, nutrient-rich soil in bulk. Or, you can make a soil mix with equal parts topsoil, organic materials (leaves, composted manure, ground bark), and coarse sand.

What to put in pots instead of plants? ›

What to Put in Planters Besides Plants
  1. Aesthetic Appeal. Beyond their role as plant hosts, planters can be artful displays in their own right. ...
  2. Decorative Items. ...
  3. Functional Fillers. ...
  4. Gravel and Rocks. ...
  5. Foam Peanuts. ...
  6. Herbs and Edibles. ...
  7. Basil, Mint, and Rosemary. ...
  8. Ornamental Grasses.
Sep 19, 2023

What do you add to soil for drainage in pots? ›

You can also boost a potted plant's airflow and water drainage by adding different materials and aggregates to the potting soil. Materials like perlite, coarse sand, clay aggregates, vermiculite, and compost can all improve the structure of your plants' soil and prevent them from becoming too impacted.

How do you make a planter well drain? ›

Amend Your Potting Mix

Potting mixes usually contain ingredients like coarse sand, vermiculite, and perlite, which help facilitate drainage for potted plants. However, if you'd like to boost the drainage potential of bagged soils, you can mix more of these amendments into your potting mix.

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