Creating Stylish Outdoor Accents from Garden Supplies
As an avid gardener, every spring I start my seedlings by sorting through the old nursery pots stored in my shed. Last year, I bought a few apple trees and kept the large 7-gallon pots they came in. When I began preparing for this year’s planting, I found myself wondering what to do with these pots. It wasn’t long before I stumbled upon a DIY idea that transformed them into stylish outdoor accents.
This project takes the concept of gabion baskets—an ancient landscaping technique—and applies it to planters. Gabions are essentially wire mesh structures filled with rocks or other materials. They’re commonly used in retaining walls but can also be repurposed for fire pits, benches, and even garden planters. For me, this idea solved multiple problems: I needed large planters but couldn’t afford them, and I had leftover rocks from a septic installation along with a stack of old nursery pots.
Gathering Materials for the DIY Project
Collecting materials for a DIY gabion basket planter
The planters I wanted to cover were 15 inches in diameter and 11-¾ inches tall. To create a gabion basket around them, I needed two metal mesh cylinders. The space between them would be filled with stones, with the old nursery pot tucked inside. The rocks I had were river rocks, which are ideal for this type of project due to their interlocking shapes and drainage properties.
These rocks ranged from 1 to 2 inches in size and came in a rainbow of colors. Since I focus on drought-tolerant landscaping, I’ve used some of them to cover parts of my yard. I filled my wheelbarrow halfway and washed the rocks to remove any dirt or debris.
For the mesh, I chose 1-inch chicken wire, as it’s sturdy enough to hold the rocks without sagging. Chicken wire is also great for other DIY projects, and I had a small amount left over from another task. I purchased a 36-inch-by-50-foot roll of poultry mesh for about $40 after tax, which cost roughly $0.26 per square foot or $3.75 total for this project. If you need to buy rocks, expect to spend around $5 to $15 per bag.
I gathered gloves, wire cutters, and a tape measure to help with the assembly.
Assembling and Filling the Gabion Basket Planters
Assembling and filling the gabion basket planters
For the inner circle, which was 15 inches in diameter, I calculated the circumference at just over 47 inches. I added a 4-inch overlap and cut a piece of chicken wire at 51 inches. Since the wire I purchased was 36 inches wide, I cut it in half, giving me two 18-inch wide pieces perfect for covering the 11-¾-inch pot height.
For the outer circle, I needed a 19-inch diameter to allow for a two-inch gap filled with rocks. This gave a circumference of about 60 inches, so I cut a piece of wire 64 inches long to include extra overlap. Working with the pot upside down, I bent the smaller cylinder around the container, ensuring the finished edge would be at the top. I extended the edge about 1 inch past the pot’s rim so the rocks would hide the nursery pot rim once the basket was full.
At the bottom of the container, I snipped and folded the ends of the wire inward to hide any sharp edges. To add the outer circle, I formed the cylinder shape and slid it over the inner one. I repeated the same process to extend the top edge and fold the ends in at the bottom, securing everything by bending the wire ends in. Then, I turned everything over and started filling the basket with rocks.
Final Results and Considerations
The final result was rustic and easily repeatable
Filling the planter went quickly, and the entire project took about 45 minutes once I had all the supplies ready. One downside of this DIY is that these gabion-style planters aren’t easily portable. I anticipated they would be heavy, and since I used almost all the washed rocks from my wheelbarrow, they definitely were. I planned ahead by building the planter in place because I wasn’t sure how I would move it once complete.
If I were to make one again, I would use hardware cloth instead of chicken wire, as it is stiffer and less likely to sag. Chicken wire bends and sags under weight, so even though I pulled up as I filled the basket, the weight pulled it down, and it didn’t end up as tall as I wanted. I might also build a wood frame for a rectangular gabion-style planter next time.
The final look resembles a mound of rocks rather than a traditional planter, but the natural aesthetic is still better than an old plastic pot. After filling it with potting mix, I transplanted some snapdragons that overwintered well in my USDA zone 6b garden. I also included some ‘Royal Carpet’ sweet alyssum started indoors in March. The flowers will soon burst into bloom, and this could become one of the standout features of my garden.
