Today I am here with a really fun project for spring. I am going to show you how to plant a birdcage! I love to plant pots and planters and I look for fun unique planters all year long. This birdcage is just from Michael’s so it was an easy find, but you can use old buckets, watering cans, old coal buckets, or just about anything that will hold dirt! You just have be sure there are holes in the bottom for the drainage. So rusted out buckets are great! :)
All of the plants that I used in this planter are perennials, so they are really okay for me to put this outside, here in Utah! If you are using annuals, you will want to keep your planter indoors until the weather is warm all of the time, unless of course, you already live where it is warm!
To create a beautiful pot or planter, you will need at least 3 different plants. You will need “thrillers”, “fillers’, and “spillers”.
They are pretty self explanatory: 1. The spillers are the plants that will spill over the edge of the pot and grow down. I used the Creeping Phlox .
2. The fillers are the middle height plants in your pot. You can have several different varieties and colors depending on the size of your pot or planter, but you will want them to be close to the same height. I used English Daisies in white and pink.
3. The thrillers are your tall grasses or centerpiece of the planter, in this case the Candytuft.
1. Start with a birdcage, or pot. If you need to line the bottom with a coco liner, you will do that first. If you have a pot, make sure there are holes in the bottom for the water to drain out of.
2. Pick your plants “spillers, fillers and thrillers.”
3. Start around the outside edge and space your spillers. (It is always good to work in odd numbers) I used 3 creeping phlox around the outside of the birdcage. Carefully pull some of the long runners through the wires in the birdcage so that they will “spill” around the outside. Then add your “fillers”. I used 3 English Daisies. Space them between the “spillers”
4. Last add your “Thriller” to the middle. I used one candy tuft for my thriller.
5. Water thoroughly and sit back and enjoy!
Fill in all around your pots with good potting soil and pack it down, or water it good and add more dirt if you need to, to keep it full.
My candy tuft is not quite blooming yet, but when it does it will make a beautiful “thriller” with it’s small white blossoms!
So now you know how to add a little bit of color to your spring!
Are you ready to start planting and beautifying your neck of the woods?
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I love this, what a great idea.
I just bought some items for my sisters for their birthdays but now I’m thinking I will move those to Christmas so that I can give them flowers for their birthday.
Thank you so much for this idea.
What a fun idea for a birthday present! I would love to receive that. Thanks for sharing your idea with us. Have a happy day.
This is so cute!
Thanks again for joining the Link Up this week!
What a lovely idea! I have a decorative birdcage that was used at our wedding, sitting on my porch right now. I would love to do this to it, but my birdcage only has a little latch door on one side. (The whole top does not lift off like yours.) Any tips on how to get all the flowers inside? Also, would you suggest drilling holes in the bottom of the birdcage (mine is solid metal) for drainage?
Yes, you will need to drill holes in the bottom for drainage. As far as getting the flowers in you will just need to very carefully wiggle them through the small opening, being careful not to break any of the plants. Good luck! What a fun way to remember your wedding day!
Yes drill holes. Place the husk, or fabric liner in the cage through the door filling with potting soil then slice the fabric outside the cage and insert small plants in the holes as desired. Or again using small plants go through the door filling back to front wit plants. You can also add seeds like babys breath or asylum to the outside circle edge, and forget-me-nots, and one red flower that grows tall in the center of your garden and hang it
Love the idea. I just read on Pinterest to add a diaper before adding the soil to help retain moisture.
Bev, I have not heard of that idea…but it sounds like it might work. Let me know if you try it!
What a fantastic idea. I will need to get a cage that has either a decent sized side door or one in which the top comes off. I wonder if the same can be done for those large outdoor candle holders? I have yet to be able to source the right size of candle that will fit in the decorative holders.
Lickety, Thank you for taking the time to write your comment. Planting an outdoor candle holder would be cute to do! I use just about anything that can hold dirt to plant! I love original planters. Good luck with your planting, whatever you decide to use!
If I understood your instructions, you kept all plants in their original pots? Wouldn’t that cause them to become rootbound?
Kathy, No you need to plant your plants in the potting soil in the lined birdcage. They would get root bound if you left them in the original containers. Hope this helps.
Thank you for this post. I have a birdcage I have tried to grow things in. It is too small and the door does not allow for pots to go through, just about to resort to cutting out the bottom, then I saw your post, my problem solved. Why did I not think of this 🤸🏽♂️. I am one happy camper. Going on holiday for a little time will do this as soon as I get home and will post a picture. Thank you once again.🤩
Larain, Thank you for taking the time to write your comment. Good luck with your planting project!
Where did you buy or find this great! birdcage Thanks!
Tad, At a yard sale a few years back. Sorry I can’t give you any references as to where to buy one!
Can you share a link to Michael’s please. I’m in Australia and would like to get this identical cage.
Kelly, Here is a link to Michaels’s, https://www.michaels.com/
but I bought that cage 6 years ago, so I do not know if they will still have it. Good luck!
Omg… I literraly spray painted an old 🐦 cage that was rusting in my backyard… I needed some ideas as to what to do with it and then came alone you…wow…how amazing! Where im from? We like to say things like: “Girl you did that!”…
Shina, Ha Ha! Thank you for your kind comment. I love that you have already spray painted your birdcage! Good luck with your planting!
I love this! I tried it with a bird cage I have and it would always get so dried out so fast. Not sure what I can do to help with that.
Britt, Can you build up a wall of moss around the bottom inside to hold the dirt in, so the dirt can be a little bit deeper?
Looking forward to your projects.