6 great ideas for recycling and decorating plastic plant pots

Plastic pots for plants are almost always used to display plants at the point of sale. Usually, once the plant has been brought home, it is transplanted and the original plastic pots are, more often than not, just thrown away.

This happens because, of course, plastic is not a material suitable for many types of plants. But it also happens because plastic pots are not considered nice to look at. There are, however, some creative ways to recycle these containers and make them something useful.

Below, are some ideas you can consider:

The first way to embellish plastic pots is to paint them in a color that goes well with the surrounding environment and perhaps by changing their shape too. For example, gluing one to the base of another is an interesting technique for making a sort of hourglass pot which - especially in the garden - can look really nice.

Covering plastic pots with different kinds of materials may seem obvious, but it gives great results. One of the materials that best lends itself to this type of project is burlap. With its rough and natural look, burlap wrapping can be very attractive.

Tutorial via serendipitychild.blogspot.com

Another very clever idea is to cover/wrap a plastic pot with cord or string (and securing with hot glue). The result will be rather rustic and natural and, therefore, is very suitable for the garden.

Tutorial via thewonderforest.com

And there is even a technique designed specifically for creating faux stone vases. After scuffing them with sandpaper to remove the shiny surface layer, you can paint them by following a few steps and using specialist materials, as illustrated in the tutorial given in the blog "The wonder forest".

For a slightly more practical way of recycling, then, you can use discarded plastic pots as pre-dug holes in your flowerbeds.

While an extremely original, creative idea is to make a lantern in the shape of a lighthouse: perfect for a scenic and characterful garden.

Which of these ideas would you like to try out?