This is a good idea for a garden bird bath: turn it into a beautiful planter for your yard. You can plant directly in the bowl, or insert containers.
For more galleries, also see these pictures of flower container ideas.
Cracked Bird Baths Provide Good Drainage
Concrete bird baths are notorious for cracking. This porous material takes in moisture and busts open when temperatures change. They’re also rarely designed to be safe for the birds, but they do make great planters. I’ve gathered a bunch of ideas for you here.
If you see a nice, old bird bath at a yard sale, be sure to snatch it up! If it’s cracked, the seller is often thankful to get rid of them.
Depending on your climate, you may have to put the bird bath away in storage during the cold months to prevent winter damage. Good planting choices include succulents and annuals. You could also create miniature or fairy gardens with tiny plantings or insert a water-tight container and add a small circulating fountain and water garden.
1. Bird Baths With Annual Flowers
This is a perfect example of a bird bath that would not work well for the birds. Most birds cannot swim and need a secure place to stand while splashing water onto themselves for bathing. While too hard for birds to navigate, this deep bowl works perfectly as an planter for annual flowers.
Sedums and other shallow-rooted annuals are perfect for this birdbath (above).
2. Bird Bath Water Garden
Water plants (water hyacinth for this one) and a gazing ball turn this bird bath into a container garden pond. This post has instructions for making your own garden pond including everything you need to know about pumps, plants, and pond fish.
You might want to add a little solar-powered recirculating pump to keep the water clear.
3. Broken Bird Bath Bowl Planter
Some bird baths crack along the sides of the bowl, others break off from their stands. Make lemonade from lemons and use the bowl as a succulent planter.
4. Leaky Bird Bath Planter
This is one of the most beautiful bird bath planters I have ever seen. Barb of Our Fairfield Home and Garden converted this leaky old bird bath into a work of art. See her blog post here for specific details on the plants used.
5. Bird Bath Rock Garden
A few succulents, rocks, and decorative snail fill this bird bath planter. If you want something you can keep out year round, leave out the plants or just add them in small pots that you can remove before winter.
6. Bird Bath Fairy Garden
Here’s another creative by Barb of Our Fairfield Home & Garden. She found the bird bath in the garbage and brought it home for a makeover. See her post here for details on how she did it.
7. Bird Bath On A Pedestal
This one is not planted but it offers a good idea: prop a bird bath up to the height that works in your garden bed. Then plant it with something eye-popping to create a focal point.
8. Miniature Rock Garden
Lynne of Sensible Gardening & Living created this miniature garden when her concrete bird bath developed a crack that could not be repaired. Visit Lynne here to read the details.
9. Hypertufa Bird Bath
I’m not sure of the story behind this one (I saw it on a garden tour) but it looks like the bowl was made from hypertufa and set on an old pedestal. Perhaps it was always intended to become a planter as it’s way too deep for birds. Set in the middle of the ornamental grasses, it makes a great art piece.
10. Gazing Ball Planter
Plants such as thyme (warm, dry conditions) work well in these planters.
11. For The Roses
Sometimes no plants are needed. This bird bath looks fine just as it is. Tuck it under a tree (or climbing rose) to keep it from filling with rain.
12. Words In A Bird Bath
The words on stones just don’t add an artful touch: they also keep the water shallow which is much safer for the birds.
13. Succulents and Stones
Stephanie of Garden Therapy gave her entire backyard a makeover, taking her time to create a beautiful outdoor living space. Come see how this bird bath planter fits in.
14. Level Up
~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛
More Cool Garden Planters & Containers
Diane Ells says
May 5, 2017 at 11:04 pmMy birdbath has no cracks so can i still use for plants?
Melissa J. Will says
May 6, 2017 at 12:17 pmI would use a container with drainage holes that fits the size of the bird bath, and sit it on some stones to allow room for water to pool.
lyn may says
September 25, 2016 at 3:20 amI have an old bird bath. It doesn’t have any cracks but water doesn’t stay in it long. Would it be okay to plant in? The plants wont drown?
Melissa J. Will says
September 25, 2016 at 12:04 pmHi Lyn, It depends entirely on the types of plants and their preferences. I find it’s easiest just to insert pots with good drainage when unsure, plus this makes it easier to change things as desired.
Pam Bennett says
July 3, 2015 at 1:09 amI live in a nursing home in Melbourne, Australia, and have a tiny strip of garden outside my window. I have container’s on the fence -between me and
McDonalds car park, and their customers often see me in the garden and comment. A birdbath full of annuals would be great in the middle of my small strip. Thanks for the idea.
Melissa J. Will says
July 3, 2015 at 11:50 pmVery nice, Pam! Sounds like you’re making the most of things. Best wishes!
CYNYHIA says
February 4, 2015 at 1:05 pmI have a old concrete bird bath! Now I know what I can do with it! Wonderful idea. Thankyou for sharing
[email protected] Cultivated Nest says
June 24, 2014 at 10:43 amWhat great ideas! I do have a birdbath with a crack in it. I have a small concrete statue sitting in it but I’d love to do something with succulents.
Donna says
April 2, 2014 at 3:30 pmI got plants to make a birdbath into a planter. How do I prepare it for planting in? What soil do I use. Reg bedding plants!
Thank you, Donna
Melissa J. Will says
April 4, 2014 at 10:51 amHi Donna, Use growing medium for containers suitable for whatever type of plants you selected. If your bird bath is really cracked, you might want to insert something to prevent soil loss or too much drainage.
sandra moore says
March 17, 2014 at 5:44 pmbroken bird bath as a planter. how do you drill holes for drainage?
Melissa J. Will says
March 17, 2014 at 5:58 pmMost concrete bird baths crack in the bowls so the drainage is already there when you plant them.
PAm says
March 2, 2014 at 9:43 pmEve,
I live in central Illinois and I really want to make a ‘birdbath planter’ with succulents. You have similar growing zone….and the succulents don’t don’t die in your unheated shed? Wow! I’m impressed.
Eve says
February 27, 2014 at 8:29 pmI have succulents in mine. I just put it in the shed over the winter, bring it out in the spring, water it and it takes right off growing and blooming. I live in Michigan.
Melissa J. Will says
February 27, 2014 at 9:03 pmHi Eve, Good to know. I think those who neglect to shelter them during the winter get the big cracks and sad plants.