Check Out These Pages, Too!

"Possibility and promise greet me each day as I walk out into my garden. My vigor is renewed when I breathe in the earthiness and feel the dirt between my fingers. My garden is a peaceful spot to refresh my soul." Meems






Welcome to my Central Florida Garden Blog where we garden combining Florida natives, Florida-Friendly plants, and tropicals.

Monday, April 7, 2014

Upcycled Wooden Pallet Garden Art


This winter one of the visions I've been holding in my mind for my garden became reality. I carved out a space for an outdoor fire pit/ seating area. I'll catch you up about how that came to be at another time. Today it's about the garden art I made to complement the space.
The steel fire pit was delivered on this pallet. I tried so hard to get rid of the pallet. Twice. Chance would have it that the two times I thought I had arranged for someone to haul it off, they left it behind. That's when I decided to put it to use. My first idea was to fill it with dirt and plant a vertical garden. For some odd reason this pallet has slats too wide (to plant) on one side and too close on the other.

I'm working on trying to think outside of my comfort zone for the garden. Generally, I like to keep things natural, but I'm also trying to add a few whimsical pieces occasionally that blend well with my garden style. 

That's how it dawned on me to paint it.

First I washed it/scrubbed it lightly and let it dry in the sun. I didn't bother with sanding. I wanted the rough look to remain.

Then I painted the front, back and sides with Rust-Oleum primer paint 'Espresso' that I already had on hand. 

I used a fairly dry 2" flat brush and swiped some blue strokes across the front slats to shabby it up a little. (I forgot to get a photo of that step).


Next came the fun part. I painted part of a simple sunflower in one corner. Again, I used acrylic craft paints I had on hand.  When it was dry I sprayed a coat of Rust-Oleum Clear Protective Finish over the entire front. I have no idea if that will help it last a little longer. It couldn't hurt right?
To secure it upright I *hung* it on two 4' rebar stakes anchored into the ground and fastened to the back side with cable wires. This should keep it from getting rocked by wind or animals that decide to crawl on it. Uh-hem ... that's you pesky squirrels!
I was hoping the pallet would hide my wood/trash pile back there behind it. Not from this angle. LOL

The next day I happened upon these tin pots at Home Depot while looking for something else. They had metal brackets available that fit around them for hanging. YES! I'm going to get a glimmer of a vertical garden after all.

Paint is my friend! I love paint. Paint will change your world in a matter of minutes or even seconds sometimes. Rust-Oleum 'Paprika'. It's not too red. It's not too orange. It's just what I wanted!


I potted up some very low maintenance plants (Donkey's ears succulent, Peperomia, and a fern) that I won't have to worry with watering every other day. There you have it... a mini vertical garden is born.


The new garden art addition happily married into the seating area at the back of the garden. Cheap art too! What about you? Do you have a piece of wood or fence or pallet you could upcycle into garden art? I didn't know I did either. Next time I think I won't be so quick to want to throw away. :-)

***************************
Come hang out with me and other gardening friends at Hoe and Shovel on Facebook... here's the link:
*** Hoe and Shovel on Facebook  **

15 comments:

  1. Beautiful! I've been collecting ideas for using pallets on my Pinterest board, but most of them are utilitarian purposes--making a compost bin, a mini-raised bed, etc. Your art, though, is so creative, and the red pots really are eye-catching!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is better than a verticle garden. Beautiful painting. When you get tired of it you can always burn it in the fire pit. That will get rid of it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a fun idea and you did a great job! Such a great use for pallets.

    Happy Gardening ~ FlowerLady

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love it! It adds such a touch of cozy warmth to your already lovely garden. Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Absolutely love this! Not sure I have the talent to paint the sunflower (sad, but true) . . . but I think I might just have to give this a try.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hello Rose, So nice to hear from you. The thing about pallets is that I don't think their life-span is too long. There's nothing really to preserve the wood ... so we'll see how long it lasts in the weather.

    Lisa,
    I like your idea... no waste.

    Lorraine,
    I'm really happy with it in that spot. I'm glad you like it.

    Daisy,
    It was just what the fire pit needed as a finishing touch I think. Thanks.

    Elizabeth,
    It doesn't have to be a sunflower. Anything really... whatever speaks to you... it's worth a try just for the fun. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Beautiful and oh so resourceful! Love what you did!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Love, love, love the painted pallet and the added pots! Quite clever and talented of you :-) You've added painted art to the living art of your garden :-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow - what an artist you are. And visionary to use the pallet when it refused to leave you. I love the idea and the art and the pots just complete it. I think you’ve reached your goal of adding whimsical art to your garden. I want one!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank you Lime, Toni and Diane... it really was a fun, easy project once I got the vision in my head. The pots were a lucky find while I was looking for something else down the container aisle... it all worked out for the good. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh I just love it Meems! What a great idea. It looks so good in your setting area around the fir epit.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great idea ~ looking through the photos makes me think the pallet would look nice as a garden table top also, maybe with plexiglass on top. I'm going to try it. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great idea ~ makes me think that the pallet would also look good as a garden table top with plexiglass on top. Nice artwork too. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a great idea! It turned out to be a very nice focal point. It is probably a great conversation piece too. Thanks for the idea!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Aren't you clever? Make sure to put your project on Pinterest for all to see!

    ReplyDelete

Have a blessed day,
Meems


September 2010

Back Garden: October 2010

Louise Philippe: Antique Rose

Tropical Pathway