Gardener Transforms Glass Blocks Into An Incredibly Easy-To-Build Garden Bench

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When you need more style or storage for your plants there are numerous ways you can achieve your goal. You can add more garden beds to the perimeter of your property or you can invest in additional decorative planters. Another more accessible option, however, is to build your own garden bench that can serve as a home for your potted plants. If you're of the DIY persuasion, you can do exactly this with little more than some lumber planks, glass blocks, and construction adhesive.

Inspiration for this project comes courtesy of Home Network, in which one gardener quickly — and virtually effortlessly — created a charming, chunky garden bench for their plants. You'll start with a piece of lumber, roughly 2-by-8 feet, which will cut into even lengths for the shelf pieces. You can make each plank roughly 2 ½ feet to 4 feet long. After cutting the wood to the desired lengths, grab a tube of construction adhesive and apply thick, even lines to either end of the wooden beams before placing the glass blocks on top to cure. Repeat this step to create the second wooden surface of the bench before the final two glass blocks are affixed to the bottom of the bench to serve as its legs.

Once completed, the load up the bench with gardening essentials, like a watering can and a small basket with some tools. Alternatively, it is easy to imagine this bench decked out with tiny potted plants like succulents, burro's tails, or even a potted array of herbs. Individuals who want a little more space can craft an 8-foot-long garden bench for an affordable price, using this same method.

While this charming bench idea is cute as-is, there are many ways to optimize it for your personal needs. Since this garden bench is meant to be positioned outdoors, using lumber that is well-suited to moisture is a good call. If you're looking for an affordable option, pressure-treated pine will get the job done, but for something with a little more resilience, opt for redwood or cedar which offers natural resistance to moisture damage and deters pests.

Once you've improved upon the bench's design a little, it's time to have some fun personalizing it. An easy way to add some unique flair to it is by painting the wooden beams. You can paint them both the same color or do a two-toned bench in your favorites as a way to keep your garden colorful even when your plants aren't blooming. Painting the beam in a solid neutral color and adding a stenciled motif along the surface or edges of the bench is yet another option worth exploring. 

While the creator in the inspiration video used plain, clear glass blocks for the spacers and legs of her garden bench, you can also get creative by opting for a colored glass block instead, like these Seves Glass Block Blue Wave options. The size of some of the glass blocks also varies, which gives you the opportunity to create a miniature version of the same garden bench. For a more utilitarian-looking option, you can even use concrete blocks to make your easy-to-build garden bench.