Broken or cracked bird bath?
There’s no reason not to continue using it..in your garden! When you think about it,…broken or leaky bird baths, and fountains, too, are merely pedestals to raise your garden to another level. As you can see, Flea market Gardeners have held on to these so called broken pieces and upcycled them into something spectacular. Here are some brilliant examples and a little about how to repurpose your old fountain or bird bath.
Bobbi Doll– “It’s been a great year for my sedum”
Barb Rosen “Our succulent birdbath”
How to repurpose a birdbath:
Barb Rosen, of Our Fairfield Home & Garden, tells how she repurposed her birdbath. “I used the leaky concrete birdbath left behind by the former owners of our home. Then I made a mix of roughly 2 parts compost to 1 part sand and mixed it well. A bucket full of this mix was smoothed into the basin. Small rocks and stones were added for support and drainage. I tried to build it up in the middle so there would be some height and the plants would cascade.
Now the fun part: adding the plants! The tall Senecio took its spot on the top and the rest I tucked in and around the rocks, with some of the longer sedums draped a bit over the side to add interest. A trip down the street to my neighbor’s yard yielded some more good “filler” sedums and the rest I dug up from our front flower bed.”
I salvaged this broken solar fountain before a fairy garden workshop and it was sold immediately afterward!
The fountain already had a woodsy look and was a loss to the nursery at $70. retail. Our cost was $30. and it sold for $35.! It was a surprise to all of us as we meant it just fro example. You can do this with any solar fountain, or any fountain and turn it into a garden. This one has creeping thyme and tiny grass and violas. ~~ Sue Langley
Diana L. Duggan says, “Rock My World created this bird bath. Its made from a large lamp base and the bath is a glazed ceramic serving dish. Its adhered to a painted cement stepping stone..the birds and bees perch on the rocks…”
Janet Hill says, “Old bird baths make interesting planters”
Sue Gerdes’s birdbath and birdcage combo
Sue Gerdes says, ” Birdbath and bird cage with some Yellow Bells. I had to change this plant I had one in here that was not happy happy happy. It had a root rot or something…. you can do tea lights during parties!”
Pat Jackson’s vivid colors really make this fairy garden pop!
Pat Jackson tells us, “My fairy garden grown in a discarded fountain. It includes a homemade wire arbour and toadstools made from sticks and acorn caps.”
Ann Elias’s spiffed bird bath
Ann Elias says, “This was my mother-in-laws birdbath. It is very old and no longer holds water. I found just the right size dish. Now just have to wait for the birds to find it. It is hot today…I am sure some will enjoy cooling off in it.”
Before and After: recycling an old cracked fountain
Jenny Alexander broken fountain
Jenny Alexander shows us the process. Before – an old broken fountain…
Now she’s planted it with tiny, carefully chosen plants.
Jenny Alexander’s completed fairy garden
“My fairy garden is finished. This is the old fountain I showed you, but now the fairies have arrived,” Jenny exclaims! “The pink is alyssum. The tall is baby blue eyes. Some sedum and creeping thyme ..all annuals.”
