A Gorgeous DIY Adds Visual Interest To Your Small Garden Planters

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Something's missing on your porch, but you're not sure what it is. Your plants are well-tended, you've painted the door in a glossy hue, and the details down to the doormat are on-point. So what's the space lacking, keeping it from being an eye-catching front porch? A tall, columnar planter or two might be just what your space is calling for. But an outdoor accessory like this could set you back hundreds of dollars or more. Instead, make your own statuesque planters out of bamboo sheeting, two small plastic pots, and little more.

Rolled into a cylinder, a cut of bamboo sheeting attached sturdily to two plastic flower pots gives you an elevated planter in no time. A product like this roll of QHAIYYBF Bamboo Fencing, and with 16 feet of material to work with, you'll have enough to whip up a phalanx of planters in a range of heights. Pick up a pair of matching plastic pots with edges that curve out into a lip. For floor-based planters, it's probably a good plan to source pots with a 12-inch diameter or more for the sake of balance.

We were inspired by a DIY planter idea you can steal from TikTok, but while the results are gorgeous, it needed a weighted base to keep it from toppling at the first hint of a breeze. A piece of wood or a tray and a bag of sand are a good option for keeping the planter vertical. Grab a tube of silicone adhesive to hold the lot together. You'll also need a circular saw, a tape measure, and some sandpaper.

Cut or source a piece of wood that's slightly wider than the mouth of the pots. A square is okay, but a circle is better. Don't have a jigsaw on hand and really want a circle? A round bamboo tray like this YANGQIHOME Bamboo Serving Platter will lend a professional look to your project. Plus, the raised edge of the tray can be helpful for catching drips if you decide to use your planter indoors. (Bamboo is somewhat water resistant, but it's smart to give the tray a coat of water-protective varnish before assembling your planter.)

Unroll the bamboo sheeting; measuring perpendicular to the bamboo rods, mark slightly more than the circumference of the pots for a margin in case of mistakes. Cut the piece away from the roll with shears. If you're not content with the height of the sheet as-is, measure and mark the amount you'd like to remove, and cut it off with your circular saw; save the scrap for a tabletop version! Roll the piece into a cylinder. After you've checked that the openings match the pots' diameters, twist several pieces of wire — spaced regularly over the height of the cylinder — through the slats to hold the shape together.

Put together your weighted base before moving forward with your build, since you won't be able to add the weight after you've assembled all of the components. Grab one upcycled resealable plastic baggie or more (depending on the size of your pot). Fill the bag(s) with sand, and close the seal securely. If you're repurposing used bags, double them up in case of holes. Set one pot on its base, and fill the interior with bags of sand. Edge the pot with a generous amount of silicone glue, center the wood base on top of it, and let the glue dry and cure for at least 24 hours before moving on.

Once you're confident with the strength of the glue's bond, it's time to bring together all of the planter's parts. Since you'll be gluing the bamboo sheet cylinder to the inside edge of the pots' lips, rough up those surfaces with sandpaper to help the glue adhere. Flip your sandbag-laden pot over, and fill the groove of the pot lip with ample silicone glue. Slide the bamboo form over the pot, and settle the edges into the glue. Add glue to the empty pot in the same way, and set it inside the other end of the bamboo cylinder. Let the glue cure for 24 hours.

After the glue has cured, you can fill your upper pot with soil and plants. However, if the rustic look of bamboo isn't really your thing, a coating of weather-proof paint in your color of choice will make the planter uniquely yours while also protecting it from the elements.