DIY Stacked Terracotta Pot Planters

April 9, 2014 by Lily and Frog 1 Comment

Recently I confessed to having a Killer Green Thumb, which means I need to make up for the curse of the Killer Green Thumb in other areas…  I’m doing this with Unique Planter Ideas.

My first attempt at DIY Unique Planter Ideas are stacked terracotta pots…

Lily & Frog Supplies:

• 1 Large terracotta pot
• 2-3 Small terracotta pots
• 1 Short rebar pole for each stack of terracotta pots
• Planting equipment, dirt, and flowers

Lily & Frog DIY Instructions:

Plan how tall you would like the terracotta pot to stack…  In our case, I planned on 2 tall stacks (each with 1 large and 2 small terracotta pots) and 1 small stack (2 small terracotta pots tall).

Plan the location of the planters…  This is because the completed planters will be quite heavy and tall once they are constructed, moving them will be difficult.  In our case I had enough terracotta pots for 3 planters.

Beginning with the largest terracotta pot, place it where you would like the planters to remain all season.  Place in the bottom of the terracotta pot a layer of dirt (Your choice, I use a mixture of potting soil and fertilizer for all my potted flowers).

Place the rebar pole in the large terracotta pot in the location you would like the center of the ‘tower’ to appear.  Add more dirt to the terracotta pot, pressing it firmly around the rebar pole holding it in place.  Fill the terracotta pot to the top.  In our case I wished for a lopsided, off center look; the rebar pole is located along the side of the terracotta pot.  If you would like to center the stacked small terracotta pot, I would suggest placing the rebar pole through the drain hole into the dirt below for stability.

  

Next, take 1 small terracotta pot, threading it through the drain hole in the bottom onto the rebar pole. Adjust the terracotta pot until you achieve your desired look.  As I said, I was interested in a lopsided, off center look; the easiest way for me to accomplish this (and ensure it wouldn’t fall over) was to rest the side of the small terracotta pot on the top edge of the large terracotta pot.  Once the small terracotta pot is in place, add a lot more dirt UNDER the small terracotta pot into the large terracotta pot, packing it into place.  The weight of the stacking terracotta pots will press the dirt down and the stacked terracotta pots could shift if there is not enough dirt in the terracotta pots below it.

Fill the small terracotta pot with dirt.

For a third terracotta pot, repeat the two previous steps.

Now that the terracotta pots are stacked, begin adding flowers.  I have a fondness for flowers which overflow, growing out and down.  I chose vines, pansies, Pete’s Gold Carpet, and Super Bells (super tiny petunias).

I arrange the flowers to create a growth which cascades and overflows out of the terracotta pot.  In my case, each time I stacked my terracotta pots, the rebar pole was sticking out the dirt on the top.  While arranging the flowers, I positioned them in an attempt to hide the rebar pole.

   

These are some of my favorite potted flowers in our gardens…  They add height, character, and color to our normally boring and dull front yard.

SIDE NOTE:  Do you notice in the pictures the other planters…  I use watering cans as planters too!  I LOVE using odd containers as planters!

Have you ever used a planter in your gardens, other than a standard planter?  Send me your ideas, I would LOVE to try something NEW!