5-Minute DIY Fall Planter
This container garden is so simple to assemble and—bonus!—it will last all fall!
This DIY is a little behind-the-scenes secret of how designers put together gorgeous containers in just a few minutes. The trick to this little garden is that we don’t actually plant the plants! We use mulch as a base and just stuff and shove each potted plant inside! All the plant material can be found at Home Depot, including the mulch and bags. I found the pumpkins at my local grocery store, and you can grab a basket at any home goods store. Let’s get to work!
What you will need:
· 1 large 18” square wicker basket
· 1 heavy-duty large black trash bag
· Half of a 2-cubic-foot bag of pine bark mini nugget mulch
· 1 miscanthus grass plant in a 1-gallon pot
· 1 maidenhair vine in a 1-gallon hanging basket
· 3-gallon yellow cone flower
· Small real pumpkins
· Dried sponge mushrooms on stems
· 2 large real pumpkins (flat or squished shape ones work best)
Steps:
1. Start by choosing a large wicker basket. It doesn’t have to be a super nice one, I use this one for all sorts of gardens because the bottom can often get dirty with plant material.
2. Poke a couple of holes in a heavy-duty trash bag, and line the basket. This keeps all the mulch together, and when you are ready to reuse the basket for something else, it makes clean up super-easy!
3. Fill the lined basket halfway with mulch. I use mulch rather than dirt because it is so lightweight!
4. Here’s my secret to these planters: I leave the plants in their pots! That is what makes this project so simple.
5. Plant the flowers and grass in the different corners of the basket. (A round basket works too!)
6. My triangle theory comes into play here. Every container should have something tall, something thick, and something trailing. Here, the tall is the miscanthus grass, the thick is the yellow cone flower, and the trailing is the maidenhair vine.
7. Next add a couple of small pumpkins to fill in the empty spaces.
8. Tuck the trash bag in around the plants so it is no longer visible.
9. Add the sponge mushrooms sporadically around the plants.
10. Put your basket garden on your porch and add the large pumpkins on the ground next to it.
Viola! It’s no joke when I say this fall décor takes just minutes to create! Water the plants often enough to where your soil in the pots stays moist to the touch. If you have favorite fall perennials, substitute them for the cone flowers. I always use perennials in my fall décor because they have a dual purpose. If you plant them in your yard after using in the container, they will have a second life come spring!
Photos Courtesy of Gunner Robinson Photography
@shotsfromgun