Don't Toss An Old Log When You Can Transform It Into A Beautiful Plant Stand

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It's ideal to have gorgeous, healthy trees around your yard, so some gardeners consider dead trees an eyesore. While old logs are often viewed as nothing more than kindling, think twice before burning the wood in your home fireplace. In reality, they're life-givers in a garden. Some people cleverly repurpose logs into outdoor features — everything from benches to birdhouses. They can also be adorned with plants that will work in a vertical garden, allowing them to grow, in a way, once again. In just a few simple steps, you can DIY an old log into a plant stand. Set it in your backyard patio, shady garden bed, or any outdoor spot that needs a touch of charm.

Time spent around plants can help lower stress and anxiety and boost creativity. By going vertical, this DIY offers even small-space gardeners a way to surround themselves with even more healthy greenery. For this project, you'll need one old log — unless you're feeling ambitious. Some people create multiple log planters, standing upright in a semi-circle. Try to look for a log that has a hollow or large crack in the trunk that you can nestle your plants into. If you or your neighbors haven't cut down a tree recently, search for driftwood sellers on Etsy or peruse the bargain bins of lumber suppliers. These 17-inch tall Kingcraft Unfinished Birch Logs might work in a pinch. You'll also need a roll of garden twine or thin, pliable wire and some Mosser Lee Spanish Moss.

First, decide where you want your new plant stand to go. Stand your log vertically in your chosen spot. If it's wobbly, you might have to dig a deep hole for it to nestle within, even going so far as to secure it in place with quick-dry cement as you would a fence post. Then, loop lengths of twine or wire around the log, leaving enough space to fit a small plastic plant pot. They secure your plants so they won't fall off the trunk. Place your plants inside the loops, wrapping them with more twine or wire if they need it. Ideally, use plants that will trail or fan out to hide the plastic planters and that will thrive in the light and moisture of your chosen spot. Then, cover any exposed soil and pots with the Spanish moss.

@maytees_garden

From a log to a wow 🌿✨ that's Garden Art with style." #EcoChic #GardenArt #Nature #UrbanJungle #PlantDecor

♬ Você Mudou – Saymon Cleiton & jhonatan Rodrigues

If you're looking to add whimsy to your backyard, upgrade your old log plant stand into a fairy garden. These miniature gardens are perfect for containers, but there's no reason the style can't be adapted for larger settings. Attach these Dollar Tree mini fairy houses for a touch of magic, or incorporate adornments like gems, pebbles, acorns, trinkets, and fairy world figurines. Who knows, maybe it'll encourage a forest sprite to stop by? Alternatively, push decorative plant stakes, fun garden signage, or even garden lighting into the potted plants, the wire holding them to the log, or the wood itself for unique character.