Disclaimer: Post contains sponsored links. #LetsGarden #Monrovia
You know it’s summer when flowers and gardening take over the blog. Like this post, making a log planter for flowers.
Back in March I found and shared this photo on Facebook. I loved the idea and wanted Jason to help me make one.
The response from every-one was overwhelming, and I was asked to share photos if I ever made one. Well it took several months but I now have a log planter in my back yard!
I found a log that was about a foot in diameter and 45″ long. We stripped all the bark off and then Jason set to hollowing out the center. Due to memory card problems on my camera at the time, I lost the first photos I took.
Yes, I laid on the ground taking photos of my hubby showing off his skills with the ax! How about them wood chips?
I didn’t watch the whole time, but I know that he used a chainsaw to make the defining cuts for the sides and edges and then used the ax to hollow it out. If you look at the photo below, you can also see where he used the chainsaw to cut smaller sections in the area to be hollowed out.
Ivy leaf geraniums were on sale, so I bought them to fill the log with.
Ready to plant:
And planted!
I love how my log planter turned out! And now that our patio is all finished it just looks amazing out there. So, who wants to come for a cookout this summer? Hopefully we will have at least one….
If you are wondering what plants would be good for your log planter, visit Monrovia.com and enter your zip-code. This will pull up the plants that grow best in your area with all of the info on each plant’s needs.
FAQ about Making a Log Planter:
Q. How long will it last?
A. This is the 3rd summer I’ve had it and the underside is beginning to show a little rot, but still very solid and I expect to get another 3 years at least out of it.
Q. Does the log hold water?
A. Not very well. We have to water it every other day in the summer.
Q. What tree makes the best log planter?
A. The harder your wood, the longer it will last. However, hard wood is difficult to cut. We used Maple which isn’t as soft as pine nor hard as oak. It seems about perfect for this.
Great job! I’ll have to get someone to make me one!
I made one for my mom 2 years ago an the frist year all flowers died so we thought it was the dirt so we took out old an put new soil an they all died again. Is there somthing im supose to put in or on inside of the log first???
Did you by chance use a walnut log? Walnut is often toxic to plants.
Otherwise be sure to water daily as the log will suck the moisture away from the plants.
Soil temperature is very important in many plants. In direct sunlight in summer, above ground planters of all varieties can cause plants to die. Watering consistently does help to cool, as evaporation is a natural cooler. You can also line the log with plastic to help the vessel hold water. Good Luck.
Love that log planter! And, I would love to “drop by” (all the way from Canada) for a cookout with you guys! By the way, I got the thank you card in the mail from you, this past week, for placing my order for my Lilla Rose barrette! That was so sweet of you! And the barrette is so INCREDIBLY comfortable!!! I have to say, I see treating myself to another barrette in the near future…
I knew you would love Lilla Rose 🙂 And how fun would it be if you did “drop in” 😉 I’ve been able to meet a few other bloggers in person, and it is so much fun!
Cool! Way to go Jason! That looks so cute! I’ve got some ideas for using logs to decorate this fall !!!
I can’t wait to see it!
ok that looks amazing! Enjoy!
OO and I voted for you today at the Fence my friend!
Thank you so much! 🙂
Wow!! I love this idea!! So cute!!
Pinned it! Thanks for sharing this with us at One Sharendipity Place this weekend!!
Krys @thet2women.com and http://www.worshipingwhilewaiting.blogspot
That’s cute. I like it.
beautiful! this looks like a project my sons should whip up for their mother 🙂
I’m sure they would enjoy doing it!
Too cute! I can’t wait to try it next year. Thank you so much!
thats a very unique idea. Will be keeping this in mind since i’ve been gardening some this summer.
You definitely should make one!
That is so cool and how sweet that your husband made it for you! Thanks for linking up at NanaHood.com I really appreciate it and hope you will come back!
@NanaHoodYears
Teresa
He is a sweetheart for sure! And I added your party to my party page, so I will be back 🙂
Now to find a log. I’ve got a willing husband and he has an ax. And since I love to lay in the grass, I wouldn’t mind a bit getting down there to snap some photos of my hunk in action! Thanks so much for the photo tutorial…I’ll let you know if I manage to get one made! Thanks for linking up also!
“Of your hunk in action”! That’s exactly how I felt 🙂
And yes, if you make one, let me know, I’d love to see it!
We made a planter out of an extra large log. We drilled 3 holes on the inside just large enough to hold 6 inch pots. We left the bark on. We painted it inside and out with several coats a clear wood safe sealer. Then we placed the plastic pots with flowers in the holes. We’ve had it for several years now. This year my husband made me a planter in the shape of a tractor out of a log. Next he’s going to make me a train to put around the tree in the front yard.
I just love this planter Kendra! Hubby did a great job on it! I know you already saw that I featured this on my blog today, so I’m just stopping by to pin it and say thanks again for sharing!
LOVE, love, love the planter! I’m going to have to encourage My Better Half to clean one out for me! Thanks for linking it up to Think Tank Thursday. I have featured it today. http://www.saving4six.com/2013/07/welcome-to-think-tank-thursday-40.html
Oh how fun! I love being featured 🙂
I just love this idea, it turned out so nice for your patio!
This is such a great idea! I love natural wood elements and the geraniums were the perfect choice to fill your log planter. Hmmm, the next time I see a stump on someone’s curb I need to snatch it up! 🙂 I do a little round up of great projects on Fridays..hope you don’t mind if I include yours tomorrow!
I’m thrilled to have you share it!
And keep your eyes peeled, it really wasn’t hard at all to find one.
My neighbor just cut down a tree and I’m going to try to make one. I love yours.
Awesome! Mine is still going strong. It’s starting to split a bit on the ends, but we’re on it’s 4th year and it’s full of flowers again 🙂
Ooh, I love how this came out! What a great idea! Thank you for sharing at our Pinteresting Party.
Speaking from experience I can tell you that wood in contact with the ground will draw termites.
I love this! Have to get one made.
Thanks for sharing how to make the log planter. Love your website – nice to see a Christian one!!
Great Idea, make a log cross and fill it with flowers for the cemetery!
We have a tree stump in our back yard. It’s about 5′ tall and takes two people to reach around it. I think I will try this on that tree stump. Maybe a “bowl” in the top and a couple of rings around it. We really miss our great big shade tree. But this would be something pretty to do with what’s left. Thank you for the great idea!
Oh, a tree stump would make the neatest planter ever!!!
I love these log planters! Very pretty. I would love to try it. Do you think a “strong” women could do the ax portion. I indeed have a “hunk” ….same one for over 30 yrs. but I fear his health would not be up to it. Would it be difficult for myself? Thank you for your answer.
I consider myself a girl-whimp, but I could’ve done it if I had too. However, it will depend on the wood you are using as well. Ours was really soft, but some of those harder trees wouldn’t be easy to do.
So yes, I’m sure a “strong woman” could handle it. I could’ve done it, but I wouldn’t have done the chainsaw part, I’ve always been a bit scared of them after my dad nearly took off his knee.
didnt read every post. Did you put holes for drainage? Would they be necessary?
No, we didn’t need to. The wood grain naturally wicks the moisture to the ends of the log. We had to water every other day during the dry season.
I really like the look of the planter. Did you do anything to prevent the log from rotting?
Sadly no. However this is our 3rd year with it and from what I’ve seen so far it’s still pretty nice.
You ought to raise it up on bricks/rocks so it’s not sitting in the dirt, but ‘on’ it. Then just cover the bricks with mulch and/or surround the planter with flowers at its base.
I could… honestly though, I rolled it over to attack morning glory vines that were growing under it, and it still looked amazing! I’m guessing we get several more years out of the log as a planter. Knowing how I am with changing things up, I wouldn’t be half surprised if we get rid of it long before it’s rotted away.
I love the planter. I am going to share a tip I got last fall. I love geraniums but they are a bit costly every spring. Someone on one of the blogs – I’m sorry I don’t remember which one – said to pull up my geraniums, knock the dirt off them and hang them in a cool dark space – I used the basement. She also said to spritz them with water every so often but she did not always do that and neither did I. Anyway I kept forgetting to plant the roots (I’m an old lady) but I finally remembered about 2 weeks ago. I cannot believe it but they are green and growing leaves. No blooms yet but I have faith. This saved me a lot of money.
Awesome idea! We don’t have an ideal dark space but I’m keeping it in mind for when we do.
I’ve seen that on pinterest too, and love it!
I can’t use an ax, but if I ever get a log, I’ll find a way to chip it out. Thanks for sharing at Talk of the Town!
Your log planter looks fabulous.
gail
i absolutely love this idea. i saw something like this in mexico and i took a picture to remember. not only do i love this look here, but you’ve reminded me of a wonderful vacation.
thanks!
b
I think I got the jest of how to do this….. too, too many ads took up most of page. Good luck
First off… I love the idea, and I think I’m going to make a few up at the. Outage this summer. These aren’t as hard as most (maybe all) of these readers are thinking though. Jason didn’t use the axe to hollow the tree. He used a chainsaw. In one of the pictures with the flowers you can see the corner cut out and know it’s not an axe that cuts wood like that.. secondly you left the chainsaw oil out in the table behind him… third back to the cuts… inside the hollow tree are straight line cuts where you possible used the axe after cutting the 10″ chunks… use a chainsaw… it’s not as romantic as these staged pictures, but the planters will be made WAY easier and u can probably make 3 in the time it would take with an axe… sorry I had to help these people out.
I don’t want my comment posted… I just didn’t read a whole lot in your blog about the chainsaw… it wasn’t meant as anything more than a suggestion… I Re-read it andwhen I moved some things my first comment that said all this was missed…
What a cute idea! So rustic! Love it! Thank you for sharing on Merry Monday! Have a great week!
Kim
Love this! Would love to try this myself but um.. eh.. maybe I get my husband to do it. Thank you for sharing this with us at Funtastic Friday link party.
Haha!!! yeah, I definitely suggest that you con him into the dirty work 😉
This is so awesome!
Any suggestions on how to avoid termites?
We haven’t had an issue with them. Perhaps the trick is in what type of wood you use. And before you ask 🙂 I don’t know what ours is. Jason just found a log that looked the right size and brought it home. It’s looking pretty rough now but still holds plants quite well!
After I originally left a comment I appear to have clicked the
-Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on whenever a comment is added
I get four emails with the same comment. There has to be a way you
can remove me from that service? Thanks!
I’m not sure I can. You should be able to unsubscribe directly from the email notification.
did you seal the inside with a wood sealer? I saw that on another sight… but wondered if ut would cause harm to the plants, and / or anything else. We live in the deep south (Alabama) and the summers here are HOT. Also, Did you drill drainage holes ? It is amazing and I HAVE to make some of these!!!!! Thank you for sharing Janet
We didn’t use a sealer because you are right, it would be very hard on plants. And there was no need for drainage holes because the natural wood grain wicked the water away really fast. In the heat of summer we had to water daily.
Thanks for posting at Funtastic Friday . I’m going to share with my peeps on FB and pin to my driftwood and garden board.
How wonderful that I came across this today- I’ve been looking for things to repurpose into a planter for my front porch area, and I just happen to have a perfectly sized log in my backyard!!! Thanks for this lovely tutorial.
Hello, Kendra
This is the best project you have done beautifully, I want to add it in our DIY list, Thanks!