20 Creative Garden Containers

Lunch Box

Turn old wine crates into DIY vegetable container gardens. Line the containers with landscape fabric or black plastic with drainage holes to help retain soil and moisture.In the back container, pretty 'Starfire' marigold blooms over an 'Ozark Beauty' strawberry patch. In the container at front, 'Romeo' and 'Babette' carrots grow behind 'Kestrel Baby' beets.

Case Goods

Give a flea-market find—an old beverage bottle case—new life as the home for tall, silvery ghost plants (Graptopetalum paraguayense) and burro's tail (Sedum morganianum).

DIY Street-Sign Window Box

Pair a vintage street sign with a salvaged container for a window box brimming with charm. See our step-by-step instructions for this project.

Ladder Planters

Wooden ladder planters (with zinc troughs) like this one from A&B Home provide an easy way to achieve vertical gardening in small spaces such as patios. These troughs hold varieties that can handle partial shade: pink and white wax begonias, 'Wasabi' coleus, Pentas 'Butterfly Deep Rose' and 'Pink Crystals' ruby grass.

Colander Container

A vintage colander makes a great container garden—it already comes with drainage holes! This one includes parsley and polka dot plant.

Aged Pots

Plain terra-cotta garden containers gain weathered-over-time style with easy DIY techniques. Create a speckled effect, chipped charm or tough texture, then seal with a clear coat.

Frame Your Succulents

Framed boxes serve as shelving for a selection of potted succulents. The painted frames are mounted on backless 4-inch-deep boxes.

Bountiful Birdbath

A colorful arrangement blooms from this weathered concrete birdbath. 'Pink Champagne' rubygrass bursts like a fountain; 'Blushing Emily' chrysanthemums and Tiny Toes coleus offer pops of red. Green kale, yellow-green Golden Globes loosestrife and bronze 'Dolce Crème Brulee' coral bells round out the mix.

Cool Container

An old cooler holds flowering tobacco, star flower, hedgerow crane's-bill, Helichrysum and blue daze.

Cooker Gardens

The homeowners at this Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, garden love unusual displays and containers. Here, impatiens in slow-cooker liners hang from a rope pulley.

Barrel of Foliage

A sturdy half wine barrel anchors deep purple plumes of fountain grass and bright orange Tropicanna cannas blooms. Tiny flowers from firebush (Hamelia patens), lantanas and zinnias bloom in the foreground.

Bucket List

Petunias and periwinkle spill out of an old bucket. Wire the handle to a fence for an easy above-the-ground container garden.

Bike Basket

Create an unusual garden container from an old bicycle. Use the bike's existing basket (or attach one) for flowers. Line the basket with moss, and fill with dirt. Make sure to allow for drainage. If your bike is in a shady area, fill with flowers such as colorful impatiens and let ferns and ivy dangle over the side.

Metal Appeal

These vintage compotes' mottled colors complement the dusty hues of succulents. In the container at left, we paired the ruffle-leaved Mexican hens (Echeveria shaviana) with ghost plants (Graptopetalum paraguayense). On the right, a collection of hens-and-chicks (Sempervivum spp.) circles the fanned leaves of a Cotyledon spp.

Garden on Wheels

Plant a rainbow of annuals in a wagon for a portable garden. Be sure to drill a hole in the bottom of the wagon to provides drainage.

We used these annuals for a bright color mix: Horned violet (Viola cornuta 'Sorbet Plum Velvet'), French dwarf marigold (Tagetes 'Bonanza Orange'), Lobelia erinus 'Riviera Midnight Blue', variegated Swedish ivy (Plectranthus coleoides 'Variegatus'), sunflower (Helianthus annuus 'Big Smile'), floss flower (Ageratum houstonianum 'Blue Danube') and Petunia milliflora 'Fantasy Red'.

Woodland Container

Early spring flowers—multihued pansies planted in a hollowed-out tree stump—enhance the charm of a wooded yard.

Handyman Garden

Recycle a handsome toolbox into a planter. Drill holes for drainage and fill with soil and flowers.

Floral Delivery

Bring new life to an old vegetable carton with flowers. This portable garden brightens any patio or porch. Fill with sunny yellow blossoms and a pop of pink flowers.

Jar Bouquet

Transform a traditional flour jar into a handsome garden. Delicate flowers from a purple-blue petunia and 'Sungal' aster spill over the rim. 'Shenandoah' switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), donkeytail spurge (Euphorbia myrsinites) and tricolor sage add texture.

Cream of the Crop

Pack lovely seasonal hues into a repurposed antique cream separator. The earthy colors of the antique container complement the flowers: red cockscomb celosia, yellow pansies, orange 'Peter Pan Mix' zinnias and 'Deep Orange' pansies. Fill in with greenery, such as blue fescue (Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue'), 'Pink Pewter' lamium and rosemary.

Just the Right Size

An old drawer is a perfect fit for this miniature container garden and its tiny birdhouse and birdbath, garden chairs, watering can and pretty arch.

Plants in this garden include thyme spilling out of the front left corner, 'Chocolate Chip' ajuga behind the thyme and variegated boxwood in the back left corner. Wire vine forms the arch in the middle, and a dwarf Chamaecyparis makes an evergreen mound in the back right corner.