One of my neighbors recently sold their house and as the new owner was cleaning out some debris from the yard, I walked over to introduce myself. I noticed he had an old, chipped, worn concrete bird bath in the trash pile, so, of course, I asked if I could have it. He even helped me load it into my hatchback!
Upcycle An Old Bird Bath: How to Convert Your Bird Bath into a Planter
When your bird bath can no longer hold water for the birds to enjoy, it’s time to convert it into a planter!
What Types of Plants to Use
Most bird baths are rather shallow, so it’s a good idea to select plants that can handle some drought conditions. Unless you plan to keep a close eye on your bird bath planter, there’s a strong chance that it will dry out every once and a while. In full sun conditions, succulents are a great choice for bird bath planters. They can tolerate the heat and bright light and will be able to handle a few days here and there of dry soil.
There are so many choices and styles of succulents. I recommend you mix and match colors for some contrast and textures – as the leaves of succulents come in many different shapes. Be sure to read the labels and make sure you are getting succulents that prefer the type of light that your bird bath planter will be receiving.
I decided to go with a purple and pink themed planter with a bit of chartreuse thrown in for contrast. I used the succulent Cotyledon mint frost which has a silvery leaf with a hint of pink at the tips and growing points paired with some pink-flowering moss rose, golden creeping jenny, and purple heart plants — and the moss rose was even on sale!
Create an Arrangement
Due to the height and growth habits of the plants, I carefully placed them where they would create the most visual appeal, creating a nice arrangement. The Cotyledon is directly in the middle of the planter. The purple heart which will spread well and grow fairly tall (up to 10 inches) is in the back, so it can drape over the edge of the bird bath as well as create a background for the mint frost plant. The low-growing moss rose is around the front of the bird bath planter mixed in with the bright yellow-green of the golden creeping jenny. I’m hoping the creeping jenny will cascade down the front of the planter and the moss rose will have lots of blooms to create a lovely color contrast.
