Create a birdcage planter for your patio…

You have seen them,…rusty, dusty birdcages, pushed to the back of a thrift shop shelf.  Next time, snap one up!  Spray paint it, or not, depending on the finish, then fill it with fresh flowers!

Nancy Whitkanack’s cage ‘perches’ in a tree.  A morning glory winds through it!

Racquel Stair’s cage hangs from a bracket attached with screws to a tree

Racquel Stair “Thrift store decorative birdcage turned into pretty hanging planter with just a coat of black spray paint, a coconut liner and a Verbena plant. It was a shiny brass color before. I like this much better. Don’t you?”

The Red Picket Fence

Lynne from The Red Picket Fence says, “Here is a birdcage that I put together. I mixed all sorts of sedum.  The bird cage is not solid at the bottom. You can kind of see on the bottom right side the tray that is supposed to come out for cleaning. And yes, they lie down and come back year after year here in NE Wisconsin. And if things don’t have drainage….I usually drill holes in it.”

From Yeya’s Antiques & Oddities. Couldn’t you just see this with a clematis vine twining up

Tips:

After you find a cage, remove any feeders or water cups.
Check to see if the cage has a top that lifts off.  Some do, and it’s MUCH easier to plant.
If you find  a base for your cage like a metal plant stand or metal table, remove the bottom tray so water will flow through.
Line the bottom with landscape fabric or coco-fiber basket liner to hold the soil.
If you hang your cage, drill a few holes in the tray if it’s water tight.

Priscilla Lepine’s plants will grow right through the ‘bars.’

Priscilla Lepine says, “I found this pink birdcage at a Sally Ann in Vancouver about 4 years ago, and it has been my favourite planter since. I put moss around the bottom, added dirt and made the whole thing into a planter. I love it!”

Finding birdcages for the garden

We find birdcages at the most reasonable price at thrift shops.  Even at yard sales, sellers are clued in that they can ask more and more for these popular garden treasures.

Choose a color to spray paint your cage,…unless….it has a wonderful rusty patina.

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Cindy Barnes ivy laden birdcage

Cindy Barnes filled the bottom of her rusty rustic cage with moss, soil and an ivy.

Nell Howard Stelzer’s bright bird cage

Nell Stelzer “This is my small planted birdcage, with red million bells in a mosaic clay pot.”

Barbara Stanley’s mini birdcage matches the arbor in her fairy garden

Barbara Stanley  “This is my miniature birdcage that’s in one of my fairy gardens. This garden is in an old hospital nursery crib.” (See the crib rail in the background?)

Sue Langley’s fairy garden

“My birdcage holds a fairy garden.  This cage was a fountain originally and I found it at a thrift shop for $10, presumably because it didn’t work!  I love it!” ~~ Sue

How to display a garden birdcage

• Hang from a tree, fence or post with a bracket
• Set on a wall or grouping of stones
• Set the cage on an old metal table or plant stand
• Set the cage on a stack of bricks or blocks; arrange with other container plants
• Hang from a shepherd’s hook in the center of a flower bed
• Use as a hanging trellis to support a vine

Becky Norris shows what to put inside!

Becky Norris “My old birdcage from the flea market, a little paint, planter from the auction and a plant from the local greenhouse. Priceless…”

Jeanie Merritt’s cage serves as a trellis for a blooming mandevilla vine

Jeanie Merritt “A salvaged birdcage,…and a beautiful mandevilla makes a terrific combination!”  See Jeanie’s cagey plant hanger for how to.

Jeanne Sammons found this cage at a friend’s garden

Jeanne Sammons  “Anybody use birdcages in their gardens?! This picture I took in my friend’s garden a few yrs back and have always loved it!”

In your birdcage, display:

• A plant
• A fairy garden
• A bird!

Di-Ellen Davenport “The more, the merrier!”