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Creating Wood Planters
Are you having trouble finding that perfect planter to hang beneath a window on your house? One that is the perfect size, shape and colour? A quick solution is to make your own wood planter. Wood planters are simple to make and require only a few basic materials.
The materials required are:
- 5 pieces of wood cut to size;
- Nails;
- Hammer;
- White paint;
- Paintbrush;
- Heavy duty plastic;
- Crushed rock;
- Soil; and
- Seeds or flowers from a nursery.
The first step is to build the wood planter. Go to your local hardware store where they will have scrap pieces of lumber that can be cut to the size you desire. You will need two long pieces of lumber for the length of the planter, two short pieces of lumber for the width of the planter and one long piece of lumber for the bottom of the planter. Nail the pieces of lumber together. Paint the outside of the wood planter. I recommend white paint, as it will compliment most houses and really shows off the flowers in the planter.
Once the wood planter is built, it is a good idea to position it in place before it is filled with soil and flowers. The best solution is to have brackets that will hold the wood planter in place, but will still allow you to take the planter down in order to plant flowers, repaint the planter or to place the planter in storage. Brackets come in all different colours, shape and sizes. The choice is yours and will depend upon the final look that you are going for. If you prefer to not see the brackets, then choose thin brackets that are the same colour as the house. The other option is to choose ornamental brackets that add elegance and character to your planter. If you choose this option, it is important that the brackets match the decor of the outside of your house. For example, if you have a wrought iron railing than you could use wrought iron brackets that match the colour and style of the railing.
Now comes the fun part – filling your new wood planter! Start by lining the planter with heavy duty plastic. The plastic will keep water away from the wood. Once you have done that, fill the bottom of the planter with a layer of crushed rock. Then fill the planter with soil, leaving about three inches from the top. You are now ready to plant some seed or flowers from your local nursery. Finally, place the wood planter in front of your window, on the brackets that you installed earlier. Enjoy!
