Upcycled Garden Ideas

With summer in full swing, it’s time to get your garden looking great. Rather than going out and spending a fortune on new furniture and decorations, why not breathe new life into your old belongings by trying your hand at upcycling. 

If you don’t know already, upcycling is the process of taking found or disused items and creating something new and amazing—turning trash into treasure. 

Here are some of our top ideas to transform your outside space without breaking the bank.

Plant chandelier 

This plant chandelier is a great looking addition to any porch or patio. Take an old chandelier with arms that face up and remove all of the wiring, glass bulbs, vases or shades and polish it up. Use hex nuts to create a flat surface within each arm of the chandelier - hex nut sizes are fairly standard so it shouldn’t be too hard to work out which size will fit. Then using Gorilla Glue Epoxy, stick saucers to each of the arms and clamp. Once dry, epoxy the plant pots to the saucers. 

Tip: don’t epoxy the full perimeter of the plant pots as you want water to be able to drain.

Drawer Porch Planters

Use old drawers to create a quaint and quirky planter. Old dresser drawers are relatively easy to come by in a range of different sizes and woods. If you don’t have any at home, you should be able to pick one up fairly cheap. 

Simply glue the legs to all four corners of the drawer with Gorilla Wood Glue. Then place a heavy object on top or clamp in place. Very simple—and practically free.

Ashtray bird bath

Find an old ashtray; glass is ideal. You’ll also need a piece of metal conduit—you may have some pieces around the house, but if not you can pick one up for cheap from any home improvement store. 

There are only two parts to this project: 

All that’s left is to find a nice space in the garden for the birds to gather and insert straight into the ground.

Tyre Garden Planter

Add legs from an old table to a tyre to create a funky and industrial looking flower planter. 

Create a base for the tyre by nailing together 4 equal length wooden planks to form a square frame; it may be a good idea to reinforce with Gorilla Glue Original. Then using the Gorilla Wood Glue, add the legs to the four corners of the wooden square—the sturdier the legs the better. Line the tyre with mesh fabric to create a bottom for the planter that provides drainage. Then set atop the wooden structure. Once you’ve created your planter, just fill with soil and plant your flowers. 

Garden Mushrooms

You’ll need 2 or 3 terra cotta pots, 2 or 3 terracotta drain plates, paint, brushes, spray-on sealer and Gorilla Glue Clear. The plates will become the top of your mushrooms and the overturned pots the bases. 

Paint the pots and plates as desired and spray with the sealer. Next use the clear glue to secure the plates to the stems of your mushrooms. After the glue has set, you just need to find the perfect place to position your new garden ornaments.