Fencepost Planter

Recycle those old fence posts into a unique rustic container for garden plants

Old farmsteads and homesteads are the perfect place to find timeworn fence posts, among other things. This is great for you, as most often the owner doesn't care if you salvage decrepit pieces of the past. Always ask permission, though.

Many times old fence posts rot from the top; if there is a place for the weather to get in, that’s where it starts.

Eventually, there will be a hole or depression in the very top of the post, and then is pretty much game over, out comes the fence post, and a new one is installed.

Some of these old fence posts are cedar, or other long lived wood, so the rest of the post is still sound and unrotted.

Once they’re out of the ground, they’re fair game for me to make into a unique rustic planter. You may also find something similar when salvaging old barnboards or timbers.

I turn these into fencepost planters. Cut at about 30cm (1') from the top. Make sure you keep the shallow depression where it's rotted out to plant into.

They are big enough for a few Sedum and Sempervivum, who relish the dry conditions.

A fencepost planter filled with Sempervivum trailing over the sides will be gorgeous even though it's more ephemeral than permanent.

This old fencepost planter still has the marks where the barbed wire was attached, giving it an authenticity that is impossible to fake.

Knots, scars and weathering all add to the patina. In a rustic garden, these unique fencepost planters will be a focal point

Cluster them together in a group with other rustic containers such as driftwood planters, and hypertufa containers like pinch pots. Surround them with interesting rocks collected at the beach.