Are you looking for some DIY garden ideas to spruce up your outdoor space? Taking up DIY at home is a great way to relive stress, reduce anxiety, and take a break from being connected to technology.
It's also a creative way to pass time and transform your space on a budget, but best of all, it's hugely satisfying. The garden experts at Cuprinol have shared some easy DIY garden ideas that we can't wait to try ourselves. There's a bug hotel that's a great way to help wildlife thrive in your garden, a living garden table with a dedicated space to grow herbs, a genius outdoor floor lamp, a clever garden coat hook, and a bowl-sized fairy garden to entertain the kids (and adults too).
You'll need some materials to get started like paint, nails, paint brushes, roller trays and plant pots. Some items you're likely to already have in your garden such as dried grass, twigs and compost, and household items like bin bags, masking tape and scissors. We've listed all the materials below so you're fully prepared.
Ready to get creative and learn some new skills in the process? If you give any of these a try we'd love to see the results!
What you’ll need
- 1 x 5L 5-Year Ducksback Silver Copse™
- 1 x rough sawn wood pallet
- 1 x hand saw
- 3 x flat head nails
- Sandpaper/ flexible sanding pad
- 2 x 2" paint brush
- Collection of straw, pine cones, hessian, jute, natural dried grasses, cut bamboo etc.
- Fine mesh chicken wire
- 8-10 metal pins
- Wire clippers
- Fixing bracket, drill and screws
Step 1:
Saw off the end of the pallet using a hand saw.
Step 2:
Lever off one of the planks from the discarded pallet and nail to the back of the cut section, creating an open fronted box with 2 long slots.
Step 3:
Lightly sand the pallet then paint with 2 coats of Cuprinol 5 Year Ducksback in your favourite colour. Make sure you dust off after sanding with a clean brush. Allow to dry.
Step 4:
Once dry fill each slot with natural materials.
Step 5:
Cut a length of chicken wire to cover the open front and hammer in small staples to keep in place. Trim to size. Fix bracket to the back, hang off a fence and wait for the bugs to set up home in their new bug hotel.
What you’ll need:
- 1 x 1L Cuprinol Garden Shades in your chosen colour
- 1 x large, unpainted, wooden garden table
- Masking tape
- 1 x small roller
- 1 x small roller tray
- 1 x paint brush for dusting
- Sandpaper/flexible sanding pad
- 1 x treated but unpainted window box the same width as the table (2 if you wish to have one at each of the table)
- 3 x fixing brackets & screws per window box
- 1 x screwdriver
- Collection of fresh herbs for planting
Step 1:
Mask off a strip down the centre of the garden table.
Step 2:
Paint in the central strip with a small paint roller and tray, and a tin of your favourite colour.
Step 3:
Sand off any rough edges and paint the outside and top edge of your wooden window box in the corresponding colour.
Step 4:
Attach brackets at equal distance apart onto one side of the window box.
Step 5:
Screw the window box to the underside of the table.
Step 6:
Add plants/herbs/flowers and enjoy your living garden table.
What you’ll need:
- 1 x 1L Cuprinol Garden Shades in your choice of colour
- 1 x 2" paint brush
- 1 x terracotta pot (wide and shallow)
- A collection of moss, pebbles and twigs foraged from your garden
- 1 x garden trowel
- 1 x small bag of compost
- Gravel
- A collection of fairy and animal mini figurines
Step 1:
Paint the outside and 2/3 of the inside of the terracotta pot in your favourite colour. Do a second coat and allow to dry.
Step 2:
While it dries, forage for moss, pebble and twigs from your garden. Try looking in gutters or on roof tiles in reach.
Step 3:
Line the bottom of the bowl with gravel and then add a layer of compost and press down firmly. Sprinkle with water.
Step 4:
Decorate your garden with fairy dwellings. Magical!
What you’ll need:
- 1 x 1L of your chosen Cuprinol Garden Shades colour
- 1 x 2" paint brush
- 1 x natural branch
- 1 x flexible sanding pad
- 1 x old leather belt
- 1 x leather punch
- 1 x pencil
- 1 x pair of sharp scissors
- 2 x mirror screws
- 1 x screwdriver
- 5 x hanging hooks
- Tape measure
Step 1:
Remove any loose bark and dirt from the branch with a sanding pad. Brush off dust.
Step 2:
Paint the branch lightly in your chosen colour for a natural look. Allow to dry.
Step 3:
Loop over an old leather belt (approx. 30cm length) and punch 2 small holes. Repeat for a second loop.
Step 4:
Mark and cut an old leather belt to create each loop, make sure the holes you’ve punched are approx. 2cm from the end of each cut.
Step 5:
Measure and mark where to hang the branch on the shed wall and use mirror screws to fix the leather supports in place.
Step 6:
Add hooks and hang everything from coats to your garden tools.
What you’ll need:
- 2 x 1L cans of Garden Shades in your two favourite colours
- 1 x 2” paint brush
- 1 x dust sheet to keep your paving looking perfect
- 2 x large terracotta pots
- 2 x 1.8m tall, straight logs
- 1 x plastic bucket
- 2 x 5kg bag of quick dry cement
- 1 x trowel
- 1 x pair of rubber gloves
- 2 x bin bags
- Masking tape
- Small collection of stones
- 2 x screw in hooks
- Solar powered festoon lights
Step 1:
Grab a couple of matching terracotta pots, pick up a 1L tin of your favourite Cuprinol Garden Shades colour and apply 2 coats of paint to the outside of the pots.
Step 2:
While the paint is drying mix up a 5kg bag of quick dry cement in an old plastic bucket using a garden hand trowel. Remember to pop on rubber gloves before you begin to protect your hands.
Step 3:
Before you fill the pots with cement, line the inside with a bin bag – this will mean you can reuse the pot at a later stage for another garden project. Pop a log into the centre of each of the pots and fill the surrounding with cement. Prop up the log so it sits straight in the pot while it dries (you can lean it against a work table and use masking tape to hold steady).
Step 4:
Now to paint the logs. First mask off the log 1/3 from the base and lightly paint 2 coats in a complementary Cuprinol Garden Shades Colour. Peel off masking tape when dry.
Step 5:
Once the cement is dry, trim the plastic bag to top of cement and cover the dry cement with a collection of stones.
Step 6:
Screw in a hook at the top of each of the logs.
Step 7:
Position the pots either side of a garden table and hook the solar powered festoon lights on both branches. It’s time to entertain!
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21 best gardening gifts under £35
These easy-to-use seedboms biodegrade into the environment leaving only plants behind. The ultimate stocking filler, each pack contains a mixture of native wildflower seeds.
Make a friend or family member smile with this lovely personalised state plant marker.
Choose two lines of personalised text when you buy a loved one this lovely tin for all of their essential gardening tools – this is a gift that's guaranteed to be used regularly.
Gardening is often tough on the hands, so it's important for regular gardeners to look after their skin. Trust us, this hand cream will go down a treat...
With a potting shed design inside and out, this gorgeous mug from Emma Bridgewater is a brilliant gift for every garden lover.
This stylish gold metal watering can from H&M Home is a must-have for avid gardeners – or even just for those who love their houseplants.
With an extra long leg, ankle support and a tog rating of 2.3 to keep your feet warm and toasty while gardening, these are the perfect accompaniment to welly boots, for gardening fans who still spend plenty of time outdoors in the winter.
Encourage bees into the garden with this affordable bee house. Designed to imitate honeycomb's hexagonal shapes, it's the perfect nesting site.
You can't go far wrong buying a gardening lover a beautiful pot for their favourite flowers and plants, and this large, two-tone option is as stylish as it gets. Plus, it works both indoors and outdoors.
Emma Bridgewater fans will love this shallow tin, perfect for neatly storing tools and accessories.
If your loved one can always be found in the garden, this personalised slate hanging sign can be hung in the said garden, or in the shed or greenhouse.
Gardening lovers are sure to appreciate a practical gardening tool, so why not make them a little more special for them to use by personalising them? In this set, which can accommodate your own inscription, they'll get a weeder, trowel and a cultivator.
For newbie gardeners or those who need a refresh of their knowledge, make sure they have this book to hand – which shares everything from how deep to plant certain bulbs, to when to prune leaves.
This practical canvas kneeler is a must-have for every gardening expert, especially those who struggle with knee pain. Its long handle makes it incredibly practical to hang in a shed or garage after use.
Get personal with your gift ideas and give something printed with your own message. These ceramic planters make excellent presents.
Every gardener needs a practical hand fork. Tidy up flower beds and borders with this three-pronged hand tool from Garden Trading.
Ensure that seeds are stored safely with this storage box. Available in three colours – black, yellow and light grey – each box contains twelve blank card dividers, ideal for keeping track of a year's worth of seeds.
Bring a smile to your friend's face with this peace lily in a gorgeous pot. With dark green foliage and long-lasting white flowers, it's a beautiful way to brighten any room.
Learning new skills is always exciting. This experience gift will give guests the chance to professionally learn how to grow their own chillis at home, and it's currently got a great discount.
Okay, so technically this is a little bit over £35 (only a little) but this gift box will give your gardening friends a step in the right direction to help care for any small garden birds.
This may also be a little over £35, but we couldn't resist including it in this round-up, as it will make for such a lovely gift, and is one of the most affordable garden mirrors out there. Garden mirrors are a brilliant way to create space, and will also allow your green-fingered friends and family members to enjoy their outdoor areas from a variety of different angles, too.
