Upcycling garden ideas turn things that would otherwise sit in a shed into planters, seating and garden features worth having. An old wheelbarrow with a puncture, a stack of pallets, or a drawer with no chest can all become exactly that.
Here are some DIY ideas that transform what’s already in the shed, before anything goes in a skip.
Why bother upcycling in the garden – Guide by Glasgow’s garden clearance experts
Upcycling ideas for the garden don’t need a big budget or specialist tools. These DIY projects use whatever’s already sitting in a gardener’s shed, a coat of paint, and an afternoon.
Landfill diversion is part of the case too. We divert over 85% of what we collect away from landfill, and upcycling does the same job before an item ever reaches us.
A planter made from an old wheelbarrow never needs collecting at all.
A pallet bench or a wheelbarrow planter takes an afternoon with tools you likely already own, not a shopping trip to the garden centre.
1. Turn an old wheelbarrow into a garden planter
Drill a few drainage holes into a wheelbarrow with a cracked tray or a flat tyre, then fill it with compost. The result is a planter with height and movement that a flat bed can’t match.
Trailing plants work best here, since they spill over the sides and soften the metal.
Paint the old wheelbarrow a bold, colourful shade first to personalise it, and it doubles as an upcycled garden feature rather than just a planter.
2. Build garden furniture from pallets
Wooden pallets turn into garden seating with very little effort. Stack two or three, sand the rough edges, and add a cushion, and you’ve got a low bench in an afternoon.
Pallets also make a decent rustic garden wall or vertical planter when stood on end and packed with soil pockets. Check the pallet’s stamp first. Heat-treated (HT) pallets are safe to reuse.
Chemically treated ones aren’t worth the risk in a space growing food.
3. Repurpose tyres as planters or a garden path
Upcycle an old tyre by laying it flat and filling it with soil. It makes a sturdy, weatherproof planter that won’t crack in a Scottish winter the way terracotta does.
Stack two or three and you get a raised bed with real depth for root vegetables.
Sliced in half and buried edge-up, tyres also work as an informal garden path border. Paint them first if bare rubber isn’t the look you’re after.
Drill a few extra drainage holes low down on the sidewall before planting anything.
Rubber holds water longer than terracotta or plastic, and root rot sets in fast if the water has nowhere to go.
4. Turn watering cans and teapots into hanging planters
Hang a watering can with a rusted-through base somewhere the leak won’t matter, and fill it with trailing lobelia or a small herb like chive.
It makes a striking planter that never needed repairing in the first place.
Chipped teapots work the same way on a smaller scale. Group two or three together for a display that costs nothing beyond what’s already at the back of the cupboard.
A teapot without a working lid is still perfectly good for this, since the plant covers the gap anyway.
5. Upcycle a colander into a basket planter
A colander’s drainage holes are already built in, so there’s no drilling required. Loop some rope or wire through a few of the holes, then fill it with compost.
Hang it wherever a shop-bought hanging basket would normally go.
It costs nothing next to buying new baskets every year, and it holds up better than the flimsy plastic ones garden centres sell.
6. Turn an old drawer into a mini planter
Salad leaves, a row of herbs, or succulents all do well in the shallow space a single upcycled drawer gives you.
Line the base with weed membrane before adding soil so the wood doesn’t rot through in a season.
Stack a few drawers of different sizes on a potting bench or against a wall. They turn into a tiered planter that takes up almost no floor space.
7. Turn bottles and jars into garden lighting
Empty, repurposed wine bottles pushed neck-down into a border make an unusual, low-cost edging that catches the light.
Glass jars with a tea light inside do a similar job strung along a fence or wall for evening dinners outdoors.
Neither project needs tools beyond a trowel.
8. Give an old chair a second life as a plant stand
Remove a broken seat entirely and the frame underneath still holds weight.
Drop a potted plant through the gap for an instant stand with real presence, built from a chair that was otherwise done for.
A chair-turned-plant-stand works particularly well in a small garden, where a single striking piece does more than several smaller pots scattered around.
A coat of outdoor paint on the frame first stops it looking like exactly what it used to be.
9. Turn an old ladder into a plant stand
Lean a wooden stepladder against a wall and rest a plant on each step.
Even one too wobbly to trust with your own weight holds a row of pots without any trouble.
A folding ladder works even better, since both sides can carry pots and the whole thing stands freely without needing a wall behind it.
10. Mount old guttering as a wall herb planter
Offcuts of guttering left over from a roofing job make a neat, narrow herb garden. Cap both ends and screw the length to a fence or wall.
Drill a few drainage holes along the base first so the roots don’t sit in water.
Three or four lengths stacked at different heights turn a bare wall or fence into a working herb garden. None of it eats into your border space.
11. Turn broken crockery into upcycled mosaic edging
A decorative garden border is a good home for chipped plates and mugs that are otherwise headed for the bin.
Smash them carefully inside a towel, then press the pieces into wet mortar along the edge of a path or bed.
This project takes longer than drilling a few holes in a wheelbarrow.
But it turns pieces too broken for even a charity shop into a mosaic border with a shape and colour no shop-bought edging matches.
Where to find things worth upcycling
Charity shops are the obvious first stop for household items like chipped teapots, old drawers, and odd chairs, usually for a couple of pounds each.
Facebook Marketplace and local Freegle or Freecycle groups are worth checking too, since old wheelbarrows, pallets and drawers turn up on there for free.
Your own shed is often the best source of all.
Old garden tools, a spare drawer, even a vintage tool you’d forgotten about, are all worth reclaiming first, and none of it costs a penny.
When something’s past saving, get in touch with Junk-It
A rotted pallet, a rusted-through drum, or a broken greenhouse frame usually costs more time to save than it gives back.
Sorting what’s worth reclaiming from what isn’t before you start saves a wasted weekend on a project that was never going to hold together. It also leaves you with a clear pile to deal with afterwards.
Our garden clearances in Glasgow and Edinburgh take away whatever’s left once you’ve picked out the pieces worth keeping. We recycle or donate as much of it as we possibly can of your garden waste.
Get a free, no-obligation quote today, and we’ll clear the rest while you get on with the fun part.
