Indoor plant art. Urban and guerilla gardening. Upcycling plant containers. Moss graffiti, seed bombs and more… These 10 great DIY garden ideas approach greenery as life and art.

1. DIY Garden Ideas – Vertical Herb Garden

Photo: Eco Village International Network

Turning a shoe organizer into a vertical herb garden is a clever idea. A great use of upcycling, it has the added benefit of conserving space in small gardens. Either add drain holes, or – even better, especially in times of drought – put them up about an inch and put a bit of gravel at the bottom. You won’t have to water your DIY vertical herb garden as often. Try it with old gutters, too.

2. DIY Garden Ideas – Living Green Moss Graffiti

Photo and moss graffiti recipe: Yababoon

Make like UK artist Anna Garforth. Create street art or liven up a garden wall with living, breathing moss graffiti. Crumble living moss into a blender full of 700ml water and 2 tbsp water-retention gel. Add 120ml buttermilk. Pulse your blend until a green gel forms. That’s your moss eco-graffiti paint. Apply it to wood or concrete, mist weekly for nourishment and… watch the walls grow.

3. DIY Garden Ideas – DIY Cut Glass Bottle Vases

Photo: Duitang

While it’s much easier to make vases with plastic bottles, glass is just… nicer. And we love the water uptake on these vases. While you can cut glass at home using cheap (and safe) dedicated equipment, did you know you can also cut glass using cheap household products – namely, yarn and acetone (nail polish remover)? Have a look for yourself:

4. DIY Garden Ideas – Seed Bomb

Photo: Greenaid

Seed bombs are a guerilla gardening technique. Comprised of seeds rolled into a ball of (usually) clay, manure and fertiliser, a seed bomb can be planted in tricky-to-reach places and left to it. A pre-rolled seed bomb can be applied to a public area quickly and cleanly, with a minimum of fuss, so the guerilla gardener can make a speedy getaway. Plant seeds not, er… No. Wait. That doesn’t work. Just plant seed bombs, yo.

5. DIY Garden Ideas – Used Containers

Photo: Squidoo

The classic used container is, of course, an upcycled enamel bath, sink or toilet. But they’re not always on-hand. Emptied European olive oil cans make lovely DIY plant containers. And when they’ve died a final death, there’s always your old hiking boots…

6. DIY Garden Ideas – Mason Jar Wall Plant

Photo: Simply Albany

Stick to succulents when you make a mason jar wall plant. They can handle all sorts of indoor light conditions, won’t grow beyond their jar too quickly, and won’t need to be watered often. This poor succulent pictured is going to die because its owner gave it far too much overly rich fertilizer.

7. DIY Garden Ideas – Compact Veggie Garden

Photo and frame tutorial: Boys Life

You can make this compact vegetable garden from scratch, and plant as you harvest to ensure a small space ends up being very productive. Utterly charming and useful. Harvest often – pluck your veggies when they’re small and tender, and plant another batch straight away.

8. DIY Garden Ideas – Regrow Green Onions In Water

Photo: Reckless Abandon

Do you like to cook with green onions / scallions? Keep the little white ends after you’ve chopped up the green bits. Submerge the white ends in a glass of water and leave in a sunny place. In a matter of days, your green onions will grow back! Wonderful. Amazing. Thrifty. Why not try it with leeks as well to see if it works?

9. DIY Garden Ideas – DIY Bottle Terrarium

Photo: Slug and Squirrel

Though not easy, a terrarium is worth the love and effort applied. Turn found bottles and jars into humble yet extraordinary living sculptures, filled with (small) plants and moss living in mini ecosystems of earth, sand and stone. This steampunk terrarium just goes to show: You can create a world inside a bottle.

10. DIY Garden Ideas – Guerilla Gardening

Photo: Ecosalon

As our guerilla gardening guide will show, there are a host of techniques and approaches involved, not just seed bombs. Go beyond the boundaries of your room, windowsill, flat, garden. Take a look at your terrain. How could it be improved? Is that something you could do?

Gardening is growth, change, life, art. We hope these DIY garden ideas, whether you’re into upcycled garden art or moon gardens, will help you to change the world one green living thing at a time…

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