*This is a sponsored post on behalf of Lowe’s.
Every month as a Lowes Creative Blogger, we are challenged to create something within a very broad theme. This month the theme was Outdoor Décor. I have a very long retaining wall in my backyard that is just down the steps from my raised deck. I shared my recent Deck Update here if you are interested.
The wall is pretty ugly and I felt like it detracted from some of the prettier areas of our backyard. I wanted to find a way to make it into a nice focal point rather than an eye sore. I also wanted to be able to add some color to the wall. So I decided to build a DIY Flower Planter out of Redwood.
We picked up some 10 foot lengths of Redwood from Lowes. We wanted ours to be about 8 feet long (to fit on top of the wall) and about 5 feet wide. I wanted it to have a slight angle so that the top was wider than the bottom. So we cut the sides of the planter so that it was at a 10 degree angle and wider on the top than the bottom as you can see in the photo above.
We created it so that it was two layers tall. We nailed the boards together with a nail gun. We also wanted to have an open base so that the water could drain out of the planter naturally. We used some old wood we had laying around and just cut them into squares to fit into the base of the planter and then nailed them into place. We spaced them apart evenly. (Six total)
Give your stray kids a job to do to keep them entertained. This one loves to play with the vacuum so she had the job of sucking up all of the saw dust!
Then we stained the Redwood this lovely color! It is a nice dark brown with a bit of red tint to it.
After the stain dried completely, we added some corner braces to give the planter some support and to hold the weight of the dirt we would be adding. We also cut some chicken wire netting to place into the bottom of the planter to drain the water but to hold in the rocks and gravel.
We stapled it with a staple gun in several places to hold it securely in place. Then we added a strip of plastic around the edges to keep the water from spilling out of the sides where the two layers of the planter are not joining.
Fill the planter with a thin layer of gravel to cover the bottom completely. Then fill the rest of the planter with some potting soil. Add some plants and you have a custom built DIY Flower Planter.
As Lowe’s bloggers, we actually work 3 months AHEAD of schedule…so…I actually made this at the end of March. So, in Utah, things are still pretty cold and snowy around here at times. The plant selection is pretty sparse and we still can get some cold freezes. So I just filled it with some really hardy spring plants and a few herbs.
I have since transplanted some of the plants in my yard and traded them for some different ones that are summer hardy. I will share the updated planter here in a later post when I share some other updates we have made to this area!
See the big, ugly wall? Well…stay tuned…we have plans for that too!
For more great ideas, you’ll love browsing through:
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Creative Ideas Website – This is one of my favorite DIY Magazines, and it’s free!
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Creative Ideas App– Download for quick inspiration.
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Lowe’s Creative Ideas Pinterest Boards
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Lowe’s Home Improvement on Instagram
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Lowe’s Home Improvement on Facebook
*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. Lowe’s provided me with a gift card to showcase a project this month as part of their Lowe’s Creative Ideas Bloggers team. However all opinions and statements are mine.
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TidyMom says
LOVE your planter Amy!! Can’t wait to see what else you have planned for that wall!
Ken Meyerdirk says
I believe I would check the 5′ wide thing Amy
Kari Richards says
Adorable planter! You make it look easy. Ps: I think there is a typo, it says the planter is five feet wide… I’m guessing that is inches?
Emily says
Love this!
Ananasa says
Yes, you do make it look easy, but we must admit it looks a lot more gratifying to make after your post and fill it up with your favorite flowers as opposed to just buying one! We thank you for your inspiration with this post!
http://www.ananasa.com- Home For Handmade
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