The IKEA Hack That Will Turn Your Planter Into The Base For An Umbrella
Enjoying the outdoors is much more comfortable with the proper sun protection. Having an umbrella over your patio will allow you to stay out and enjoy the fresh air for much longer. However, your patio umbrella doesn't just serve as a way to protect, but it can also be a unique feature of your outdoor space. A DIY IKEA hack turns one of the furniture company's large planters into a base for a patio umbrella while featuring plants on the surface to create a lush green accent.
Valeria Aguiar wrote about the hack on her blog, explaining that she expanded on a different hack to add greenery while enjoying a multi-functional piece of patio decor. The CHILIPEPPAR planter from IKEA that measures 16 ΒΌ inches is a good base for this umbrella DIY as it is plenty wide enough to serve as both a stand for a patio umbrella and hold plants.
By adding a PVC pipe to the center of the planter, Aguiar created a base that's sturdy enough to hold a large patio umbrella. She then used the saucer of the planter to make the part that holds the soil and plants. At the end of this simple DIY, you'll have a bespoke centerpiece for your patio.
How to DIY the umbrella planter
Before starting the actual construction of the project, you'll want to gather the materials. Besides the planter, Valeria Aguiar used a PVC pipe measuring 2 inches in diameter and 3 feet in length and a PVC cap 2 inches in diameter. You'll also need fast-setting Quikrete, Rust-Oleum painters touch, and a saucer that fits the opening of the planter. For tools, you'll only need a drill bit. Of course, you'll then want to gather your patio umbrella and the finishing touch of ground cover.
The PVC pipe Aguiar used was precut and perfectly fit within the planter. Depending on what you choose to plant, you may have to cut down the PVC pipe so that it's hidden within the planter. Mix the Quikrete according to the instructions, place the PVC pipe in the center of the planter, and pour the Quikrete into the planter and around the PVC pipe. You'll want to ensure that the PVC pipe is standing upright before allowing the concrete to set. You can also follow these steps with a 5-gallon bucket and place it inside the planter, as Aguiar shows in a YouTube video.
To prepare the saucer, you'll want to mark a spot in the center where the PVC pipe will go through and use a jigsaw to cut the hole out. At this step, use the Rust-Oleum spray paint to match the saucer to the rest of the planter, or paint the entire planter a different color altogether. Once everything is dry, add the greenery.
Choosing the right ground cover
For this DIY project, Valeria Aguiar used creeping Myrtle, a lush perennial evergreen ground cover that produces little periwinkle flowers. Creeping Myrtle prefers growing in partial shade, which makes it great to grow under a patio umbrella, where it will get some sun but be mostly shaded. More ground covers that will love this shady area include bugle weed, heart-leaf bergenia, Siberian bugloss, and snow on the mountain.
Infuse a little color into your patio by opting for flowers instead of ground cover. Again, you'll want to look for ones that thrive in partial shade, such as sweet woodruff, saxofraga, and blue-eyed grass. As for the planting medium, most standard bags of outdoor soil will work for this DIY. However, it's always a good idea to double-check what kind of soil the specific plant needs to thrive.
Watering should also be a consideration if you're planning to have live plants in the planter base. Consider drilling holes in the bottom of the saucer and sides of the planter to aid in water drainage and prevent the roots from rotting.