Turn An Empty Ice Cream Tub Into A Stunning Wall Planter

After discovering the many ways and places you can garden, even without a backyard, there's no going back to doing it just outside. Think containers on balconies and plant shelves as portable mini gardens, arranged flower pots on windowsills, and troughs on top of fences. For us, a wall-mounted garden, in particular, is one of our favorite options. It saves on space and gives a visually appealing display of your favorite plants. And you don't have to spend a fortune on a spectacular store-bought wall planter; just make a DIY version with something as simple as an empty ice cream tub.

Going with inspiration from @kala_e_khaas on Instagram, a square-shaped ice cream box can make a wall planter that truly pops. This DIY planter is without drainage holes; therefore, it's ideal for hydroponic plants, such as lucky bamboo, Chinese money plant, peace lily, or heartleaf philodendron. They'll be housed in small plastic bottles inside the tub.

For this project, you're going to need the ice cream tub, B-7000 glue, one or two small bottles, and jute twine. You also want to get supplies for decorating. If you're going to follow the creator's brick design, grab a can of black spray paint, white cement, white gel adhesive like Fevicol, orange and black acrylic paint, and a template, like the GSS Designs Brick Stencil. Then get a few embellishments to add some flair to the planter, like realistic bird figurines.

Start this project with a clean, dry ice cream tub. Using a craft knife, cut out a rectangular opening on one side of the container. Then remove the lid and smear some glue along its internal edges before replacing it. If you don't have an ice cream tub, enlist the services of an old plastic food storage container or use this chance to give a takeout container new life. Preferably, use a rectangular or square container.

To make the base for the brick design, first spray-paint the entire tub black. Make the faux brick panel by mixing your white powder filler with orange paint to form a thick paste that you'll spread on the tub's lid over the brick stencil. Alternatively, go for a simple look by only painting the planter one color all through, or try this baking soda painting technique for a textured-matte look to mimic an aged-stone finish.

The next step is to create a hanger. Make small holes on either side of the box opening, then thread twine through and knot it, leaving a loop. Finally, get two tiny plastic bottles (or cut one into two halves) and fill them halfway with water. These will be the actual pots that hold the plants, which you'll place inside the ice cream tub. And voila! Your DIY wall planter is ready for use. You can now embellish the top front edge by gluing the little figurines. Or get other adornments like decorative stones, seashells, or even faux flowers.