With summer nearly upon us, it’s time to make your yard feel like an oasis. Between cooking on the grill and swimming in the pool, you’re bound to spend plenty of time in the great outdoors this season. This simple DIY will ensure your yard provides some beautiful scenery for you to take in while you’re at it.
A video tutorial from the Michael Goad YouTube channel shows just how simple it can be to transform a log into a planter for housing flowers, succulents and more. Whether you’re having trees cut and can salvage a log or you have to purchase one from a landscaping supply or craft store, once you get your hands on a log, the DIY fun can begin.
In addition to the log, you’ll need a chainsaw, a wedge and a hammer to hollow out the log. The video below also demonstrates how to cut the tree down — although we don’t necessarily recommend doing that part yourself!
As you can see, you use the chainsaw to create slices in the wood that can be beaten out with a hammer once cut.
Once you’ve got the logs hollowed out, it’s time to add the plants. A video from Leta Bit Of Everything points out that since the area inside of the log isn’t very deep, you’ll want to choose plants that are drought-resistant, as the soil likely won’t maintain moisture for very long:
Once you’ve got the flowers planted, you can use these logs as a border around your yard or deck area — or really anywhere you want to add extra landscaping.
If this DIY seems like it might be too big of an undertaking — considering it requires the use of a chainsaw and all — you’ll be happy to know that this can also be done on a smaller scale. A tutorial from the Arbortech YouTube channel demonstrates how you can create a log planter that will fit on a tabletop, instead.
To complete this version, Arbortech recommends using their Turbo Plane and Turbo Mini wood shaping tools, which are more like electric sanders than chainsaws. Then, you’ll be able to slowly sand away an area that’s perfect for planting cacti for a beautiful display.
See how this smaller scale project is done:
Whether you try this DIY with large logs or ones small enough to fit on a tabletop, using logs as planters is a great way to add something special to your outdoor space.
Who’s ready to use some power tools?
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for other great tips and ideas to make the most out of life.
