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14 Birdbath Planter Ideas for Your Garden

Published on June 7, 2021Last updated October 3, 2021 ♛ By Melissa J. Will

This post contains affiliate links.
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Discover creative ways to repurpose an old birdbath into a charming garden planter. Ideas include planting with annuals or succulents and crafting mini rock and fairy gardens.

For more ideas, also see these pictures of flower container ideas from home gardens.

Succulents growing in an old birdbath.
Succulents growing in an old birdbath

Make a Birdbath Planter

Birdbath turned into a flower planter in the garden.
Birdbath turned into a flower planter in the garden.

Concrete birdbaths are notorious for cracking. The porous material takes in moisture and busts open when temperatures fluctuate. A winter deep freeze and thaw are often the breaking point.

They are also rarely designed to be safe for the birds because the water bowls are often too deep, but they do make great planters.

If you see a nice, old birdbath at a yard sale, snatch it up! If it’s cracked, the seller is often thankful to get rid of it.

Depending on your climate, you may have to put the birdbath away in storage during the cold months to prevent further winter damage.

While they may not have the depth of other garden planters, the shallow bowl is suitable for planting succulents, sedums, strawberries, and an assortment of flowering annuals and vines.

You could also create miniature or fairy gardens with tiny plantings like these ones or insert a water-tight container and add a small circulating fountain and water garden.

I have included tips for making a birdbath planter and photos of ideas below.


Collage of backyard birdbath and bird

Related: How to Make Your Birdbath Safe for Birds


5 Tips for Making a Birdbath Planter

Any birdbath can be made into a garden planter. In fact, many birdbaths are too deep for the birds to safely bathe in (they can drown) and are better used as flower planters or fairy gardens.

Just like any plant container, when making a birdbath planter, you want to consider the location (sun, rain, wind), plant choices, and growing conditions.

If you plan to add a fountain, you will also need access to an outdoor power outlet and a water-tight bowl to insert.

Diagram showing a large bowl with holes in the bottom for use as a birdbath planter.
Use a container with drainage holes in your birdbath

Provide Drainage

If your birdbath already has a crack in the bowl, bonus: you’ve got built-in drainage.

If not, instead of planting directly in the birdbath, consider getting a container with drainage holes that fits in the birdbath bowl and plant directly in that instead.

I found a large round plastic bowl at the thrift store and drilled holes in the bottom.

Line the birdbath bowl with stones and sit the planting container on top so the plant roots don’t get soggy.

Depending on the birdbath material, you may also be able to drill drainage holes directly in the birdbath bowl. But be careful, some will break under pressure.

Using a separate container of the same size is my top recommendation.


Bathtub used as a planter for giant agave plants and old sink holding succulents.

Related: DIY Creative Garden Planters (Upcycled)


Choose the Right Plants

Most popular annuals like petunias, impatiens, vinca, and ornamental sweet potato vine will do fine for a season in a fairly shallow planting area if you keep up with the watering and never let them dry out.


Rooting sweet potato vine cuttings in jars of water.

Related: How to Grow Sweet Potato Vine from Cuttings


Check your local plant nursery for annuals that grow in small containers. These generally have short roots and last for a growing season.

If you are grouping different plants together, choose plants with similar light, soil, and water requirements.

A shallow birdbath planter is also a good place to grow and propagate succulents and cacti over the summer months (for those of us in a cold climate).

You can also grow herbs and vegetables including leafy salad greens that have short roots.

The idea gallery (below) shows lots of different plant ideas.

Use Container Potting Mix

Choose a potting mix suited to what you are planting: a good container mix for flowering annuals, or a cacti mix for succulents.

Provide Adequate Sun

Place your birdbath in a spot that suits the sun needs of the plants. If you cannot keep up with watering on hot days, offer more shade to slow evaporation.


Garden bed with sun charts showing full sun, part sun, and shade.

Related: Full Sun To Shade: How To Assess Light Conditions In Your Garden


Water as Needed

Keep your birdbath planter watered (not too much, not too little).

If your birdbath does not have adequate drainage, check the bowl daily and pour off excess water to avoid water-logging the plant roots.

Gallery of Birdbath Planter Ideas

1Birdbaths With Annual Flowers

Birdbath planted with pink flowers and green foliage with angel statue in background.
Birdbath planted with pink flowers

This is a perfect example of a birdbath 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 a planter for annual flowers.

Concrete birdbath planted with pink petunias.
Birdbath planted with purple petunias

While trailing petunias and vines look really pretty, I also love a compact sedum planter like this next one.

Concrete birdbath planted with sedums.
Concrete birdbath planted with sedums

Another trick is to sit a hanging basket in the birdbath. Once the flowers flow over the edge of the pot, you can’t tell they are not planted in the birdbath bowl.

Birdbath planted with basket of purple-pink flowers.
Blue ceramic bird bath with purple flowers

2Birdbath Water Garden

Water plants (water hyacinth* for this one) and a gazing ball turn this birdbath into a container garden pond.

*a potentially invasive plant: avoid in ponds.

This post has instructions for making your own garden pond including everything you need to know about pumps, plants, and pond fish.

Birdbath water garden with silver gazing ball.
Birdbath pond with gazing ball

Solar Fountain Pump | Amazon

It’s a good idea to have some sort of recirculating pump to help keep the water clean. I have not tried solar pumps so check the reviews carefully before choosing one.

Birdbath with jug water fountain.
Birdbath with jug water fountain

Little water fountain in a fairy garden.

Related: Make a Miniature Fairy Garden Fountain that Really Works


You can also line the birdbath with marbles.

Concrete birdbath lined with marbles.
Concrete birdbath lined with marbles

3Broken Birdbath Bowl Planter

Birdbath planter with sedums and succulents.
Birdbath planter with sedums and succulents

Some birdbaths 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.

Succulents in a birdbath planter.
Succulents in a birdbath planter

4Leaky Birdbath Planter

Birdbath planter
Beautiful birdbath planter | Our Fairfield Home & Garden

This is one of the most beautiful birdbath planters I have ever seen.

Barb of Our Fairfield Home and Garden converted this leaky old birdbath into a work of art. 


5Birdbath Rock Garden

Xeriscape garden in birdbath planter.
Birdbath xeriscape garden

A few succulents, rocks, and decorative snail fill this birdbath 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.


Potted plant arrangement with an assortment of succulents.

Related: 16 Creative Succulent Garden Ideas



6Birdbath Fairy Garden

Birdbath turned into a fairy garden
Birdbath fairy garden | Our Fairfield Home & Garden

Here’s another creative by Barb of Our Fairfield Home & Garden. She found the birdbath in the garbage and brought it home for a makeover. 


Miniature garden plants.

Related: How to Choose Plants for Miniature Gardens



7Birdbath On A Pedestal

Concrete birdbath with bird ornament on pedestal.
Concrete birdbath with ornamental bird

This one is not planted but it offers a good idea: prop a birdbath up to the height that works in your garden bed. Then plant it with something eye-popping to create a focal point.


8Miniature Rock Garden

Fairy garden in birdbath
Fairy garden in birdbath

Lynne of Sensible Gardening & Living created this miniature garden when her concrete birdbath developed a crack that could not be repaired. The link to this site is no longer online.


9Hypertufa Birdbath

Hypertufa garden planter and tall grasses.
Hypertufa garden planter and tall grasses

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.


Hypertufa planter with succulents.

Related: How To Make Hypertufa Pots (Recipe & Step-By-Step Guide)



10Gazing Ball Planter

Birdbath planter with red gazing ball.
Birdbath planter with gazing ball and thyme

Plants such as thyme (warm, dry conditions) work well in these planters.


Homemade garden art balls with glass gems.

Related: How to Make Decorative Garden Art Balls



11For The Roses

Angel birdbath with rose petals in the bowl.
Birdbath in rose garden

Sometimes no plants are needed. This birdbath looks fine just as it is. Tuck it under a tree (or climbing rose) to keep it from filling with rain.


12Words In A Birdbath

Birdbath with inspirational word stones.
Words of affirmation in birdbath

The words on stones just don’t add an artful touch: they also keep the water shallow which is much safer for the birds.


13Succulents and Stones

Succulents with stones in birdbath
Succulents with stones in birdbath | GardenTherapy.ca

Stephanie of Garden Therapy gave her entire backyard a makeover, taking her time to create a beautiful outdoor living space. Come see how this birdbath planter fits in.


14Multi-Level Fountain Birdbath

Time to level up! This birdbath is a natural for planting layers of hanging vines including sweet potato vine and ivy.

Multi-level birdbath with lots of flowers and greenery.
Multi-level birdbath with flowers

I hope you have found ideas for your garden.

Birdbath planter with pink and red flowers
Pink and red flowers make this birdbath planter pop

Resources

How do you make a birdbath into a planter?

The first step for repurposing a birdbath into a planter is to decide whether you want to plant directly in the birdbath bowl or add a container or containers inside for planting. Whatever you choose, make sure there are drainage holes. Because the planting area is fairly shallow, the best plant options include single-season annuals or succulents. Perennials are unlikely to do well due to the shallow root space making them vulnerable to freezing in winter. Be sure to use potting mix made for the type of plants you choose.

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Birdbath turned into a flower planter in the garden.
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I’m Melissa J. Will a.k.a. the Empress of Dirt (Ontario, Canada).
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