The Dollar Tree Trellis Hack That'll Encourage More Birds To Flock To Your Yard

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Other than bins of bird seed, few things call our feathered friends to the yard quite like a bird bath will. Unfortunately, given that some bird baths cost nearly $200 at the local home and garden store, you'll be out a pretty penny if you want to make your backyard a bonafide birdie stomping ground. That is, unless you know about this hack, which gives you a chance to reuse that old tomato cage in your garage. You'll top the tomato trellis with a pot trolley from the Dollar Tree – an act which allows you to make a DIY bird bath from these two unlikely pieces. A cute garden statue, a little water, and a potted plant are basically all you need to complete the project.

As far as the supplies for this DIY bird bath are concerned, you'll need a large pot and some potting soil. You'll also need a potted plant of your choice whose pot is smaller in circumference than the large pot. Five to 10 hand-sized rocks, the pot trolley, a round tomato cage, and the garden statue that'll fit into the pot trolley are the other items you'll need to complete this project. Whipping the raw materials into shape requires heavy-duty wire cutters, gardening gloves, and a small hand shovel.

Creating the proper foundation for this DIY sets the stage for a solid end product. As such, it's important that the big pot is filled with about one-third to one-half with dirt. Once the potted plant is nestled on top of the dirt and the rocks are set around its sides to keep it in place, you should have a solid base for the potted plant. If you don't do this, you run the risk of the piece toppling over once you place the tomato trellis, the pot trolley, and the statue in the plant, something that could happen if the base below it is wobbly.

Additionally, keep in mind that the tomato cage goes into the potted plant and the pot trolley goes on top of that. The statue serves as a weight that keeps the pot trolley in position. Avoid a garden statue that's made of light-weight plastic. Find one made of stone or at least, a heavier plastic, to ensure that all the top pieces stay in place, even if the wind kicks up a bit.

Finally, when it comes to choosing the right garden statue for the piece, keep your garden's theme in mind. If your garden decor consists of frogs and other aquatic animals, don't bring in a statue that aligns with a different decorative theme. In other words, while a statue of the goddess Artemis may be cool, it also may not fit the theme (nor the size) of your bird bath.

The potted plant in this piece plays a decorative role – mostly – in the set-up. However, it's not the only way to add ornamentation to the piece. Other items, including another garden statue, can be used on the bottom instead of the potted plant. In this scenario, the second statue or another one of your DIY garden ornaments is placed into the big pot and the tomato trellis is placed on top of that. The remainder of the tasks proceed as originally intended, meaning the pot trolley goes on top of the cage and the garden statue on top of that.

Another way to go would be to swap out the garden statue in the pot trolley for an alternative like the AMZtime Solar Water Fountain. It goes into the pot trolley after you pour the water into it. You may have to add a few stones to the bottom of the trolley to keep it weighted down. These will replace the garden statue as a weight.

Finally, since the bird bath isn't hooked to the garden hose, you'll need to check it often – perhaps daily in the summertime – to keep it filled with water. One easy way to ensure that you have a ready supply of water nearby is to fill a portable camping shower bag with water and hang it on a fence or tree trunk close to the fountain. Whenever you're ready to add more water, give pot trolley a couple of squirts from the outdoor shower.