Check out the colour added to my garden by turning old rubber rain boots into flower planters!
In an effort to declutter (an impossible goal for me I’m affraid). We found some rubber boots that we no longer needed. Three pairs of wellies we don’t use because the kids outgrew them or we just realized even in the rain we have other footwear options we would rather wear. The patterns on two pairs were really cute and the third pair was a classic old black pair. Why not turn them into something fun!
For this project you will need:
- old boots
- rocks
- sand/dirt mixture
- soil
- flowers (real or artificial)
- drill or screw driver
- spray paint (optional)
Don’t buy new boots for this project. If you don’t have any to upcycle go to the thrift store and look for a pair. They make rain boots in adorable colours and patterns, especially the children’s sizes. Even plain toddler yellow rain boots would look fantastic in the garden. I wish I had saved the girls smallest sizes. They were so adorable and small!
Before you get started, use a wet rag and wipe them clean…especially if you are spray painting them.
If you need to spray paint the boot, of course, do that next. Outdoors on a drop cloth or plastic. Don’t wait to start this project on the hottest day of the year. Our temperature yesterday was rising past 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit) and the spray paint would not dry! I have never had that happen before…and I have been spray painting things for years!
To get the bottom edge and toe of the boot put your hand right inside and turn it upside down for the second coat of spray paint. Allow to dry completely.
I painted one red and one turquoise. It doesn’t take much spray paint so you can use a colour in a leftover can from another project.
To prepare the boot for some drainage first remove any insoles and then put 3 or 4 holes in the bottom with a drill or screw driver.
The next step is to put a few rocks in the bottom. This will help excess water drain away from the roots and to make it bottom heavy. If you happen to have sand or a mixture of soil and sand add a few inches of that over the rocks.
Then add the soil on top leaving several inches from the top of the boot.
Next add some flowers. I chose petunias because they are so easy to care for and they will fill out the container nicely.
Place the flowers in the top of boot and add soil in any spaces around the plants.
Thoroughly water! Every time you water it, have a look to see if the soil settled. You might need to add more soil. These are unusually tall planters.
Once every other week, add a bit of fertilizer.
Get a whisk or small broom and clean up the boots.
These would look great anywhere in the garden or next to a fence or on the front porch. Wherever you need some colour. I have a bare patch in a garden that looks like it needs a bit of colour.
By dinner time, my daughter looked out the window and said, “what are all those rainboots doing in the garden?” Tee hee hee!
I love to add colour to the garden. Have a look at some of the other posts I have shared to show more ideas for colourful summer projects.
Add Twinkle to Your Patio with a String of Solar Lights
$20 Solar Twinkle Light Project – No Tools Needed
Usually by this time of the summer I have had enough of the heat and let the weeds take over and the vegetable garden dry up. But this year has been different! This year I have been adding colour to the backyard patio. I have painted the old picnic table and parts of the fence turquoise, the white Muskoka chairs are now red, an old bike is now yellow with plants attached and the entire patio a multi color design.
This is what it looked like as the final bit of winter melted away. So dismal! In the summer our garden is lush and private but everything is bare naked in the winter. Grey and bleak….
We have a lattice privacy fence around the patio area that needed a bit of repair and some paint touch ups battered by the winter. This is the going to be the support for the 2×2 pieces of lumber.
Below is a pic of the other half of the patio and garage area after I finished painting the patio.
Have a look at the painted patio blog post from July.
So the next logical step for this backyard makeover is to add some twinkle lights. Being the frugal person that I am-I must brag that I did this project for $20!
First stop – the hardware store….
You will need:
- 2×2 lumber (3 for $2.70 each)
- string of solar power lights (sale $9.99)
- left over deck stain or spray paint (it costs $6.99 usually but I had this left over from the patio project)
- zip ties (dollar store)
- cup hooks (dollar store)
Step 1 Spray Paint The Boards
The great news is we use the full pieces so no power tools are needed. Just choose a paint color and get started.
I wanted to make a splash of color so I chose to use my bright orange. I could have used a dark green or left over deck stain or fence paint if I was feeling subtle. But I wasn’t….
Spray the 3 2×2 boards on two sides then allow to dry before flipping them over and doing the other two sides.
Step 2 Add The Hooks
I used mug hooks because you simply screw it into the wood. The hook is twisted into the wood a few inches from the top.
Step 3 Tie The Supports To The Fence
Securing the 2×2 to the fence was easy with zip ties. When we are putting everything away before the snow comes these zip ties will be cut off and my orange light supports will be put away in the garage.
The dollar store or hardware stores have these for super cheep I used the 14 inch zip ties.
If you don’t have a handy fence or deck to secure the wood to, you can find others who have put them in cement in a bucket to create a portable pole. Some use 2×2’s or 2×4’s and even 4×4’s.
Check out this link to a tutorial using barrels and concrete and then turning it into a planter. Its great if you have no walls, deck or fence to secure it to. https://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/outdoors/patios-and-decks/how-to-make-planter-posts-for-string-lights
Step 4 Adding The Lights
It’s August, so now is the perfect time to find clearance solar powered lights. Lets give a shout out to solar lights! What a wonderful invention this solar power is. No extension cords to plug it in. No batteries. Just leave the little solar panel out facing the sky.
Turn the light on so it has a chance to charge up with solar energy before sunset. F means flashing, S means static so the lights will be still.
Wrap the solar light cord around the 2×2 support. At the top wrap it around the hook a few times. Next drape it over to the next support. We simply wrapped it around that hook and over to the third hook. Finally wrap it down the third pole and its done.
Next to the bird houses you can see the solar power part. I need to think of how to put it more out of sight since it does need the sunlight to charge it for after the sun sets.
As the sun begins to set, I can see they are lighting up perfectly. Twinkle lights are such a simple pleasure!
Now I feel like calling some friends to come over for a root beer float and having a little party under the lights!
