Breathe New Life Into A Broken Birdbath And Turn It Into A Stunning Yard Feature
Whether your birdbath was left outside all winter and broke or you discovered some cracks in the basin while cleaning, there is still hope to repurpose your decorative bath. Unless the entire bowl of the bath is in pieces, you should be able to use it to create a succulent garden on your patio or in your yard. Rather than throwing away your gorgeous birdbath over a few cracks, you can transform it into an adorable planter. Besides succulents, you can also add decorations to your birdbath planter.
Before you start planting, you'll want to consider where you will place your DIY planter, if more drainage is needed, and what type of plants you'll be adding to your garden. While some succulents may love tons of direct sunlight, others might prefer partial shade. You'll want to ensure that whatever succulents you choose have similar growing conditions. Additionally, if you live in an area that has colder winter weather, consider planting succulents that can survive outside in those conditions. Otherwise, you may place a container inside your birdbath planter to bring your succulents indoors during bad weather.
Turning a broken birdbath into a succulent planter
First, you'll want to ensure that your birdbath is clean and ready to house plants. Birdbaths that have cracks in them are perfect for this project, as there's already drainage for your plants. If it's one rather small crack or you're worried water will still sit in the bottom of the basin, use a drill to make a hole or two in the bath. Do this very carefully to avoid totally breaking your birdbath. With a small amount of water in the bottom of the bath, begin drilling slowly from an angle and then continue straight until you have your drainage hole.
Now, you'll have to decide if your birdbath will need to be moved around or if your plants will need to be relocated in winter. Your birdbath planter could be really heavy and difficult to relocate once filled with plants. If you'd like to be able to pull your plants into the shade on particularly hot days or onto your porch during heavy rain, you'll want your succulents to be sitting in another container. Find a small, plastic container that can sit inside your birdbath without sticking up over the edge and drill some holes in the bottom. This can be placed directly into your birdbath planter. Now, your birdbath can turn into a stunning succulent garden.
Using succulents to give your broken birdbath new life
Now that your birdbath is prepped, it's time to start turning it into a gorgeous succulent garden for your yard. Add potting soil with good drainage to your birdbath, such as cacti mix, or sand can be added if necessary. You'll want to fill the soil almost to the top and may consider forming it into a small mound. This can help to prop up your plants to show them off and will also prevent excess rainwater from pooling in your planter.
Finally, you can start adding your succulents to your birdbath planter. Be sure the plants you choose have compatible growing conditions. Sedum and sempervivums are common options for outdoor succulent gardens. Additionally, if you live in an area that has colder winter weather, you may consider planting succulents that can hold up better outdoors during this season, such as sedums, orostachys, or opuntias. You might choose to entirely fill up the planter for an oasis aesthetic, or you might space your plants out a bit for a different look. If there's extra room, add more soil to ensure you're covering the roots of your succulents. Place pebbles or another decorative covering on top of the soil. You might also want to add larger rocks, small garden statues, or other decorations to make your planter unique. This project can be a perfect way to make the most of a small backyard, or it could accent a larger outdoor space.