Making your own planter is a fantastic gift idea for a loved one. Mother’s day is right around the corner, which is the perfect excuse to create your own planter with the huge range of pots and plants available at Gardening Express. These DIY planters are perfect for any gifting occasion and not just Mother’s day.
First things first, you’ll need a pot. You can pick any pot you like for your planter, one suitable for the size of the gift you want to give and, of course, to the taste of the person receiving your thoughtful planter. For example, terracotta and ceramic pots are fantastic for outside use, but plastic works too!
It’s important to know that if you are creating outdoor planters, like the ones we will be showing in this guide, your pot should have drainage holes to stop the soil from becoming waterlogged.
Next, we want to choose our plants. There are lots of ways you can go about this, like seasonality, colour, height, and flowering period. For our planters, we’re using a larger centrepiece plant for height like this Cordyline and filling in the gaps with smaller bedding plants like Primrose for a beautiful pop of colour. The plants used in this example can be seen below. You’ll want to choose plants that give a contrast of textures and shapes, whilst complimenting each other’s colour.
Fill your pot with the correct compost for the plants you want to use, almost to the rim. Then, dig a hole for your centerpiece plant. Ensure it is deep enough to cover the plant’s roots.
Next, dig smaller, surrounding holes to place in your bedding plants. Once potted, give everything a good water and store your planter in the cool spot until you are ready to give your gift to your loved one.
You have now made your very own outdoor planter! The above instructions can be used for various plant and pot combinations, giving you endless possibilities. Just remember to ensure your pots have drainage holes and that you use the correct compost or soil for the plants you want to use. You can view our full demonstration video below.