Cute DIY Projects for Your Garden
Updated on July 7, 2017
If you ask us, the best kind of DIY or crafting project is the kind that relates in some way to one of your other hobbies. Making yourself something so useful that it enables you to enjoy another thing you love is one of the most satisfying feelings we can think of! Now that summer is here, we’ve become obsessed with our garden again, cultivating the plants and transforming the space into a comfortable place to sit and enjoy a good book, a friend’s company, or a refreshing cocktail on a warm evening after a long day at work. There are plenty of little details and features you can add to your garden that are store bought but there’s just something about making things yourself that lets you enjoy them with a little more ease.
If you’re on the same page as us, check out these 15 awesome DIY projects that will help you make your garden space the best it can possibly be!
1. Circling tree bench
Have you worked with wood before just enough to feel quite handy and open to a new challenge? Have you been looking for creative ways to make some nice seating space in your yard but you have to take that stunning big, old tree in the middle into consideration? Then we think you might enjoy this circular bench idea from This Old House that’s built right around the tree trunk so it becomes part of the décor but remains healthy and thriving.
2. Wooden air conditioner gate
Air conditioning is a wonderful thing in the summer but the machine that sits outside your house to keep things cool isn’t always the most slightly thing in the world. If you’re the kind of person who takes great care with the appearance and aesthetic of your garden space and would prefer not to have a big grey machine sitting in the middle wrecking the look, Better Homes & Garden has a simple DIY way to mask it so it looks a little more cottage-like! Check out how they made this latticed box from wooden gate pieces.
3. DIY bird bath planter
Do you have limited space for additional decorative pieces in your garden but you’re having trouble choosing between an extra cute planter for your favourite flowers or a lovely little bird bath so you can watch pretty feathered friends enjoy themselves on a sunny day? Well, thanks this tutorial from Mami Talks, you don’t have to choose between the two! This tiered design has levels for both at once.
4. Rain water plant watering system
Do you live in a place where it rains a lot in the spring but occasionally ends up with draught warnings in the summer? Are you always concerned for your plants on the hottest days but you still want to conserve water as best you can? Then building yourself something like this rain water plant water system by Family Handy Man is the perfect project for you. It’ll let you stock up on natural water specifically for the plants that you can save as long as you need without feeling guilty for keeping them hydrated from your home’s real water supply in the case of a heat warning. It might look a little bit complicated to make but for the number of benefits it’ll provide you, it’s actually surprisingly easy!
5. Painted colour blocked garden bench
Perhaps you’re interested in making yourself some seating that’s easy to build and you’re not concerned about how simple looking the finished product is but you’re concerned about colour? Our garden is very bright so we often choose accessories and details based on how much fun the colour options are. The great thing about customizing your own pieces, however, is that you get to choose the colours yourself! Check out how Kiki’s List made this super bright, totally fun looking colour blocking bench by painting each top slat of a wooden bench a different colour.
6. Outdoor candle chandelier
There are few things we love quite as much as candles flickering ever so lightly in the breeze on a warm summer’s night. Sure, you could just place tea lights on your patio side table, but why not get a little more creative? We love the way Sunset used a basket and some gems to customize a hanging “chandelier” that’s perfect for resting candles in mason jars inside of for a nice glow in the evening.
7. DIY stone tile pathway
Does your garden have a few distinct sections that you love wandering to and from but you live in a place that rains quite often so you don’t like traipsing across the often wet grass, partially because it dirties your shoes and partially because it’s not good for your lawn? In that case, allotting part of the yard to serve as a path between the areas you walk to and from most is a great idea! It sounds like a hefty project, and it will certainly take you a small time investment, but Outdoor Theme shows you how to make a path from stone tiles and rocks in just a few steps.
8. Mini recycled window greenhouse
Perhaps you’re a big upcycling enthusiast and you’ve been looking for a project that repurposes bigger things, like leftover pieces from your last home renovation? Well, if it’s windows and their casings that you have in your garage waiting to be used, My Honey’s Place has the perfect project for you. They guide you step by step through the process of creating a miniature greenhouse set up using the windows as the opening top. The window will let heat and sunlight in without exposing your summer plants to the elements.
9. DIY wooden garden swing
Are you still looking to flex your woodworking muscles and create yourself a lovely seating area in your garden using those skills but your tree, while sturdy and full of awesome branches, isn’t really situated so that a bench can be built all the way around the trunk? In that case, take advantage of those great branches instead by building a lovely wooden swing! Sunset shows you how it’s done.
10. DIY pallet garden table
Speaking of projects that help you upcycle, are you as obsessed with palette DIY as we are? We know it’s been trending for a while now, but there are just so many things you can make both inside and outside the house. We’re huge fans of this wooden outdoor table made from recycled palette wood because, in addition to having a particular rustic aesthetic, it features an actual little garden of its own right down the centre. See how you can make your own on Today’s Nest!
11. Pallet wood garden walkway
Do you love the idea of making yourself garden features from palette wood but you’re just not sure you have the space for a whole table anywhere in the yard? Were you intrigued by the idea of making your own garden path but you just don’t think the stone idea quite suits your style and how you’d like your garden to look? Then maybe you’d prefer a wooden palette path instead! Funky Junk Interiors shows you how to use the wooden slats detached from the top of the palette to make a cute walkway from one part of the garden to another.
12. Wooden pallet garden tool organizer
Just in case you’re still in love with the idea of making something from wooden palettes but you’re still just not quite settled on one idea, here’s yet another for your consideration! Every avid gardener needs a place to store their maintenance tools but it’s always best if you can keep them easily accessible at the same time as you get them up and out of the way. A palette is a surprisingly simple way to do that! Our Little Acre shows you how to give it a fresh coat of paint and hang it on the wall.
13. Wooden planting templates
Have you been trying to start your own vegetable garden for a while but you’ve read about what can happen if you plant things too close together at the outset? Then help yourself out and get the perfect spacing every time by making yourself these awesome planting templates just like Vegetable Garden did. Stamp them in your freshly laid soil or flower bed before you reach for the seeds.
14. Seashore wind chimes
Wind chimes are amazing décor and super fun DIY projects so they’re really the ultimate thing to make this summer. There are so many different amazing designs of DIY wind chimes that we could honestly write an entire post about just those, but for now we’ll just show you these fantastic seaside ones because it’s summer. Check out how Poindextr made these chimes from a pretty combination of beads and seashells.
15. Steel edge garden bed in rocks
Are you making yourself a new garden path and you’ll have lots of little stones left over so you’ve been thinking of making yourself some kind of new flower bed as well? If you’re into the idea of a modern aesthetic for your yard, you might like the way Landscaping Network used steel bars to outline nice, even squares of earth for plants to grow among the stones, giving the whole thing a look that’s reminiscent of a modern zen garden.
Do you know someone with a beautifully thriving garden who also loves crafting and DIY? Help them combine their two loves by sharing this awesome list with them!