The DIY Gothic Planter You Can Make With Things You Already Own

When it comes to cute, gothic home aesthetics, there are a few staple pieces that everyone should have — for example, every goth home needs a DIY coffin shelf to display your witchy books. Dark colors, unique textures, and fun thrift store antiques also play a big role. But, if you're looking to completely transform your yard into a hauntingly beautiful oasis with goth garden ideas, then this stunning black plant stand is perfect. 

Ideal for both indoor and outdoor use, this plant stand can be crafted with materials you probably already own such as an old umbrella stand, a couple of bowls, some wooden dowels, and an old wooden rolling pin. Of course, you will also need a can or two of your favorite black spray paint to tie it all together. With these supplies (and a few others) in hand, you will soon have a stunning, handmade planter to put your moodiest foliage on full display.

Start by placing the base of an old patio umbrella onto your work area. Then, remove the handles from your wooden rolling pin and slide the pin inside, where the umbrella pole would normally sit. Ideally, the rolling pin will stick out from the umbrella base about an inch or so. Alternatively, if you have an old, tall pillar candle holder laying around you could use that as the base of your planter instead of the umbrella holder and rolling pin — just be sure to remove the candle spike with pliers first. Otherwise, grab three wooden craft rounds — one small, one medium, and one large like this pack of Woodpeckers Unfinished Circle Wood Panels for Painting and glue them to the rolling pin from smallest to largest. On top of the wood panels, use a strong adhesive like E6000 to attach a decorative plate and a metal salad bowl, right side up. Now the base of your project is complete.

For the next portion of the DIY, you will be creating a circular wooden cage using two wreath frames and some dowels. To save time, you can use this opportunity to upcycle an old bird cage to add instant charm to your garden planter. If you don't have an old bird cage lying around, add some wood glue to each of the small holes on one wreath frame and insert the dowels, place the second wreath frame on top using the same technique. Next, glue either your birdcage or DIY wood cage on top of the salad bowl using E6000. 

If you used a birdcage in the previous steps, your DIY is complete. If you used the wooden dowels, you will need to craft a lid for your planter. For this, place a salad bowl (the same size as the one you used for the base) upside down on your workstation. Then, glue a plate upside down on the base of the bowl followed by a wooden craft round and a decorative cabinet knob. When the glue is dry, spray paint the lid black. To save time and glue, you could choose to use an old cake cover as the lid for your planter. This Carlisle FoodService Products Cake Cover Round, for example, would be a great fit. Just keep in mind the cake cover will need to be the same size as the wooden cage you created.

Once all of your glue and paint is dry, it's time to pick out plants. There is a solid selection of black plants you can grow indoors during the fall that will really help bring those gothic vibes to life. Even if you don't have much of a green thumb, faux plants will look just as nice inside your DIY planter.