What you’ll need:
- 12 Empty tin cans
- Plants (we love violets for autumn/winter)
- Old paints in as many colours as you have
- Paint brush
- Acrylic varnish spray
- Old pallet
- Saw
- Nails
How to make it:
1. Gather your paints. Any will do (emulsion, chalk paints, spray paints, sample pots)
2. Paint each can a different colour.
3. Spray your cans with an acrylic varnish to seal and waterproof your paint.
4. Saw off the bottom rung of your pallet.
5. Remove a plank from further up the pallet and nail this to the sawn off piece to make a trough.
6. Sand your trough down to smooth out any rough edges.
Fill your planter!
Fill the cans a third of the way up with shingle to provide a drainage layer, add a layer of activated charcoal (also to help with water absorption. Add a thin layer of sand and fill the final third of the can with potting compost and pot your plants.
With their heart-shaped, scalloped leaves Violas make an attractive addition to your autumn garden, with flowers ranging in colour from violet, through various shades of blue, yellow, white, and cream. You could also try colourful pansies for colour pop effect. But most outdoor plants will do. Why not use your planter as a terrace herb garden?
See the Pillar Box Blue blog for more botanical ideas.