I have a slight obsession with flowers this time of year. The minute the stores open up their garden section I am beyond giddy with excitement. Not only do I enjoy overfilling our flower beds and gardens; but any little nook and cranny I can stick a container pot, I do! I have gone through my fair share of pots; plastic ones that I spray painted and have chipped, terra cotta that have aged nicely but cracked, and large decorative fiberglass pots that are simply too expensive. The best pots I have found to date, that I can and have relied on for the past few years, are these handmade patio paver planters; Quick and easy to put together, very durable and sturdy, and for $6.00 a pot a great deal by far. Along with the combination of Patio paints the sky is the limit for coordinating these to match your outdoor decor.
Patio Paver PlantersMaterials Needed:
Five 12X12 Patio Pavers {per pot}
Weatherproof Construction Adhesive {for outdoor use}
DecoArt Patio Paint
I purchased the patio pavers in the Lawn and Garden section of Home Depot. They are very inexpensive; only a dollar or so a piece. You will need five pavers per pot.
Lay out four pavers to form a perfect square. You can see in the photo above that each end overlaps.
Once you have your form, tilt one tile back and apply the construction adhesive on the overlapping lip and firmly press back into place. The construction adhesive can be found along with caulks and sealants in the painting section. {you will need a caulk gun to apply} Move to the opposite side and repeat the adhesive process. All corners should now be adhered.
Now you are ready to attached the bottom. Squirt the construction adhesive in a small bead-like pattern around the inner lip of the entire planter. This will help with water drainage for your planter.
Firmly press the last paver in place, making sure it is centered on the bottom, and let dry for 24 to 48 hours without moving.
To decorate I used DecoArt patio paint. This specially formulated acrylic paint is permanent and weather resistant which makes it the perfect choice for outdoor decor. It does not peel or crack and can be used on concrete wood and terra cotta just to name a few. It is available in 63 different colors too! As much as I adore color, I used two neutral shades as I like a more natural look outdoors.I covered one pot in Natural Tan Grout {DCP39} and the other in Rich Espresso {DCP401}.
The Rich Espresso is a gorgeous metallic with just the right bit of shimmer in the summer sun.
Once the paint cured, I flipped over the pots and filled with a few of my favorite greens.
These are quite heavy so make sure you move them to where you would like to keep them before you start planting.
I like to choose plants that will last all season and make a lovely appearance year after year.
I planted Hosta, Plum Pudding Heuchera, and Ipomoea in one planter and a Fern in the other.
I love the look of various shades of green and the deep purple of the Plum Pudding.
I’m still trying to figure out if I have anymore spaces left so I can make more of these cuties!
Indoor Sensory Playroom
Mini Appetizer Party Table
Wooden Chalkboard Postcards
Spagetti & Meatball Pasta Cups
Backyard Jeep Rock Garden
Our DIY Party Deck
wow – thats great. a wonderful idea. i like ist!!!
many greetings from austria
margit
Thank you Margit
Thank you so much . I am going to do this.
Thank you for sharing such a brilliant (and inexpensive) idea. I definitely think that I can put a few of these to work for me.
Thanks Mel – I seem to add more to my collection each year whether I need them or not
This is such a wonderful idea! Patio containers are so expensive! Love your floral arrangements too!
Thank you Gail!
This is one of my favorite projects. I saw this on here about a year ago and made them. People always comment on how nice they look. I painted mine black and have one on either side of our entry. My favorite look for them has been taking a large Boston fern and just sitting it right in there. They have a Christmas tree in winter, right now just have arborvitae, and are waiting for warm weather to have the ferns!
This is one of the best ideas! Thanks again for sharing it. Love it.
Also, the site looks great!
Kate
Thank you Kate. I love the look of ferns in them. Great idea to just change out the pot with the seasons – love it!
Stephanie those are gorgeous! What a clever idea! So just to be sure…the little bead glue pattern lets enough drainage out? I really want to try one of these.
Hi Danni – Thanks. Yes – just ‘bead’ the adhesive instead of making it a solid straight string. I still have these exact pots – which I made at least three years ago. I have had everything in them including hostas, ferns, mixed annuals and even ornamental grasses – and have not had any problems with any of them.
Just be sure to place them where you want them before you fill them – they do become quite heavy.
Those are supper cute! I was wondering how well the plants survive in concrete? Did you have to use a water/paint seal on the inside of the box? Just curious
Hi Tyah. I have only painted the outside and rims of the planters – the inside I have left as is and have not had any problems with any plants I have planted {annuals or perennials – ferns, hostas, ornamental grasses, or mixed annuals}.
What a great idea, I love it. I never thought about doing anything like that. I am as bad as you are about plants,, etc.
Thanks fo sharing this post. Have a wonderful day.
Mary
I was just thinking of making some of these!! Thank you for the tutorial! They turned out great!
What a great idea!!! I love sturdy planters because I always seem to be moving them around, so its nice when they are durable and able to last a few summers!! Thanks for the tutorial!!
So glad you reposted the paver planters. I was looking for it 2 weeks ago. I knew I’d seen it on your website but I couldn’t find it. Thank you for helping me realize I wasn’t crazy!! LOVE your website!!!
Thanks so much Shelley. So sorry about that – my mistake.
These look great! Didn’t realize you could glue those pavers together!! Great idea – thanks for reposting – because I never saw it the first time.
This is just a fantastic idea! Low cost, useful, easy and looks great. I’ll pass this website around to my friends who, like me, love flowers, plants and veggies. I’m also one who gets all excited about the new plants coming into the stores and I cannot wait to get there and pick ‘em out.
Thank you for sharing, this is truly great,
Kathryn
My son and I went to the local big box store and we picked up everything we needed in one stop. I think I was most impressed with the incredibly solid they were, quite a dramatic statement when
complete. And my 12 year old had as much fun picking out the pavers, as he did taking risks with his flower colors. Altogether a great and cheap project, that we did together.