Skip to main content

5 garden upcycling ideas: Creative ways to reuse household items for plant accessories

Tips on how to recycle home items into planters, saucers, and more

Whether you're an indoor or outdoor gardener, having a plant hobby means investing in decent plant accessories. While certain things may require you to make that inevitable trip to a big-box home improvement store, you can actually get creative with recycling home goods for your plants.

If you're interested in learning how to repurpose mundane items into helpful plant tools, we've got the details ahead! From takeout containers as planters to wreath forms as trellises, we'll help you cut back on spending while making cool houseplant pieces. These garden upcycling ideas are a win-win situation for you and the planet.

Difficulty

Moderate

Duration

30 minutes

What You Need

  • Wire cutter

  • Hot glue gun

  • Houseplants

  • Gardening gloves

  • Drill tool

  • Potting soil

Person repotting a plant
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Turning takeout containers into planters

One thing we don't love about the typical nursery planter is that it tends to be opaque, so you can't detect any root issues unless you pull your plant out of its container. If you're interested in seeing your roots grow over time, placing it in a clear container can help you discern any root or pest problems before they occur. Plus, a clear container allows you to see if your soil is thoroughly watered.

If you've ever gotten takeout of soup or curry, chances are you have reusable takeout containers lying around. For the purposes of this project, any clear plastic container that's deep enough to be a planter will do — even old ones of hummus or yogurt! All you need to do is make drainage holes. You can use a hot nail to make your holes, but a hot glue gun will allow you to exert the most control.

Step 1: Thoroughly clean your container with soap and water, scrubbing it to remove any residual grease or food.

Step 2: Make drainage holes by heating up the tip of a hot glue gun and pressing it to the bottom of the container. The holes should be about a quarter-inch big.

Step 3: Repeat the step above two or three times for more drainage holes. Space the holes as you see fit, but try not to make them too close to one another.

Step 4: Carefully remove your plant from its original pot and place it in the new planter.

Step 5: Place the repotted plant in a cachepot. You can also use the container lid as a saucer to hold water.

Dishes on a shelf
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Using bowls and dishes as saucers

Given that every container plant you have needs a drainage hole to avoid root rot, you might find yourself in need of a saucer to avoid cleaning up water or spilled soil.

Most of the saucers out there aren't great for conveying personal style, especially plain terracotta saucers or flimsy plastic ones. You can definitely add personality to your plant space by using various dishes and bowls as saucers. If you're worried about spilling, a bowl will keep water contained and is even helpful for bottom watering. Just keep in mind whether it'll look too bulky in your space.

Step 1: Measure the diameter of the bottom of your planter that needs a saucer.

Step 2: Find a dish or bowl that's about 1 or 2 inches wider than your planter. Look at your own houseware inventory or visit a thrift store for unique pieces.

Step 3: Place your planter on your bowl or plate — it's really that simple!

Yellow boots, metal garden tools, green gloves, and a metal watering can in a flower bed next to a wooden garden path
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Repurposing old shoes into planters

When it's time to retire your old shoes, why not turn them into charming garden planters? If you have cute gardening clogs or stylish rain boots, they can easily make for unique landscape decorations. As long as you have an opening or openings in your shoes, you'll be able to create an arrangement of plants.

When it comes to the plants that go inside your shoes, consider succulents and leafy herbs, as these have relatively shallow roots. Here's how you can get started with a shoe planter.

Step 1: Clean out your shoes with soap (or even bleach) and water, especially if they're well-traveled footwear.

Step 2: Drill the bottom of your shoes to create drainage holes. You can also use a layer of gravel or coir to protect the interior or improve drainage.

Step 3: Add your potting mix of choice, as well as your plants. Remember to give your plants root space to grow to avoid overcrowding plants.

Hand holding wreath form
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Making trellises out of wreath forms

By the end of the holiday season, you may have wire wreath forms lying around, whether they're traditional circles or festive snowmen — they're usually in craft stores and dollar stores around Christmastime.

Of course, these aren't just handy for fake pine garlands and flowers. You can actually use them for real foliage that's in need of some support. Great contenders for a trellis wreath form include trailing plants such as hoyas, pothos, or philodendrons.

Step 1: Shape your wreath form as desired so that it fits into your planter. You may need to use a wire cutter, so be careful.

Step 2: Place your trellis wreath form into the soil in your planter. You may need to get creative with excess wire or stake poles to stabilize your wreath.

Step 3: Wrap the leaves of your trailing plant around the form.

Candle jar
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Make propagation vessels with old candle jars

If you've got a ton of old glass candle jars lying around, they'll make great plant supplies, especially if you use them as propagation stations or even planters for LECA-grown plants. In fact, many candles also have beautiful labels that give your green collection more personality!

Although ready-made propagation vessels tend to look like high-end accessories, they're also generally small and expensive. The trickiest part with repurposing old candle jars is cleaning them out (especially if you don't have a wax melter handy), but we'll give you tips ahead.

Step 1: To reuse your jar, add boiling water to the wax and pull it out after loosening it from the glass. Alternatively, you can pop it in the freezer overnight and pry out the wax with a butter knife.

Step 2: Remove any residual wax from the glass. With warm water and soap, clean the jar's interior with a bottle brush, toothbrush, or Scrub Daddy sponge.

Step 3: To use the jar as a propagation station, fill it with clean water and add in a stem cutting.

Step 4: If you're using the jar as a planter, you need to carefully drill a hole in it to give it drainage. To protect yourself, wear thick gloves, safety goggles, and a mask.

Before throwing anything out or sending it to a secondhand shop, consider whether you can give it a little more life as a plant accessory. Of course, repurposing home goods into gardening items doesn't need to be strictly functional and utilitarian. You can get creative with making your repurposed items look as beautiful as possible by getting crafty with how you decorate or arrange them. Remember to have fun as you're saving money and reducing waste!

Editors' Recommendations

Stacey Nguyen
Stacey's work has appeared on sites such as POPSUGAR, HelloGiggles, Buzzfeed, The Balance, TripSavvy, and more. When she's…
Looking for a garden planning app? These 8 will simplify your growing season schedule
Apps that will help your vegetable garden thrive
Apps on a phone

With the arrival of the growing season, you may have big plans for your garden in the coming months. However, you may not know how to make your dream home garden a reality. If that's the case, then a garden planning app may be the solution. There are a multitude of apps available covering topics that range from what to plant to how to lay out a garden.

The best part? Many have low upfront costs, while most are outright free. You may encounter a few that require a subscription fee, but we promise that the convenience and help that they provide are worth the cost. With just a swipe on a touchscreen, you can have a garden planning app guide to help beautify and organize your space.

Read more
No more crouching down: How to build a raised garden bed with legs for easy gardening
Building a raised garden bed is easier than you might think
Several raised garden beds with legs, full of soil and small plants

Raised garden beds offer a wide range of benefits to you and your plants, including protection from some pests, easier access, and space conservation. Gardening kits and pre-made beds can be a big help in getting your raised garden bed set up, but if you want a unique shape or size, or just prefer a more hands-on approach to gardening, then you might be interested in learning how to build your own. Here is everything you need to know about how to build a raised garden bed with legs.

What to consider before you begin
Before you begin building your raised garden bed with legs, there are a few things to consider. Weigh the pros and cons of raised garden beds to determine if this is the right gardening style for you. Raised garden beds are easier to access without kneeling and crouching, but they also dry out faster, meaning they require more frequent watering. Additionally, although building your own raised garden bed with legs is not difficult, it does still require an investment of time, energy, and resources.

Read more
14 incredible morning shade plants that will thrive in your shady garden
These flowers and vegetables will love morning shade and afternoon sun
A black walnut tree in the afternoon sun

When planting a garden, your landscape and ideas may not always line up with what's best for the plants. There are tons of beautiful flowers that need full sun, which can be frustrating if your garden is shady. The good news is that there are just as many stunning flowers that enjoy the shade! Not all plants are alike, and while they all want sunlight, they don't all want the same amount or the same kind. If your garden has morning shade and afternoon sun, then these are the 14 morning shade plants you should know about.

What kind of light is morning shade?
There are five categories of sunlight that gardeners fit all plants into. There's full sun, partial sun, partial shade, dappled sun, and full shade. Each type has a long list of plants that love that kind of environment. Morning shade with afternoon sunlight would qualify as partial shade, but it is a specific type.
Many plants prefer the less harsh light of morning light and then want to be shaded during the hottest part of the day in the afternoon. There are, however, many plants that love being shaded in the morning while soaking up those bright rays in the afternoon heat.

Read more