Lawn + Garden Projects
DIY Planter Box


BLACK+DECKER B+D Contributor 186 Projects
Decorating a garden is much like decorating a room in your home—it’s nice to have pieces that are adaptable enough that you can move them around occasionally and create a completely new look. After all, most of us can’t buy new furniture every time we get tired of the way our living rooms look. And we can’t build or buy new garden furnishings every time we want to rearrange the garden.
That’s one of the reasons this trio of planter boxes works so well. In addition to being handsome —especially when flowers are bursting out of them—they’re incredibly adaptable. You can follow these plans to build a terrific trio of planter boxes that will go well with each other and will complement most gardens, patios, and decks. Or you can tailor the plans to suit your needs. For instance, you may want three boxes that are exactly the same size. Or you might want to build several more and use them as a border that encloses a patio or frames a terraced area.
Whatever the dimensions of the boxes, the basic construction steps are the same. If you decide to alter the designs, take a little time to figure out the new dimensions and sketch plans. Then devise a new cutting list and do some planning so you can make efficient use of materials. To save cutting time, clamp together parts that are the same size and shape and cut them as a group (called gang cutting).
When your planter boxes have worn out their welcome in one spot, you can easily move them to another, perhaps with a fresh coat of stain and add new plantings. You can even use the taller boxes to showcase outdoor relief sculptures—a kind of alfresco sculpture gallery.
Whether you build only one or all three, these handy cedar planters are small enough to move around your gardens and inside your greenhouse or garden shed.