Turn an old car tire into a free, frost-proof planter
Like walking up to a manor! With old car tires, you can shape striking planters that hardly resemble tires at all. You’ll need one tire per planter, a jigsaw, and plenty of muscle. Remember: these baroque-style bowls are only for ornamental plants.
1. Choose tires with the metal rim still attached—the rim becomes the pedestal of your bowl-shaped planter. Sketch the pattern you want along the top edge and base of the bowl—rounded, scalloped like a gingerbread cookie, or even fringed. Cut along your design with a jigsaw.
2. Now put those muscles to work! A steel-belted tire is very stiff and takes brute force to flip the cut rubber inside out over the rim. Once the rubber pops inside out, your planter is essentially done.
3. A tire planter already has drainage holes. Line the bottom with a layer of newspaper before filling with potting soil.
4. There’s ample soil space for a lush planting. Grow only ornamentals—it’s best not to plant edibles in old tires. For autumn bowls, choose cold-hardy plants. One bowl fits an arborvitae around 1 m tall (3 ft 3 in), surrounded by a generous ring of heather.
5. Set the light-trimmed planters by your door or gate to greet visitors.
