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12 Creative and Rustic Garden Art Ladder Ideas

Published on March 12, 2018Last updated October 9, 2021 â™› By Melissa J. Will

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Old wood ladders are wonderful in the garden. Have a look at these ideas for turning ladders into functional garden art. Use them as trellis, planters, herb growing, and decor.

For more, also see garden art project ideas.

Garden art ladders in the garden.

Ladders As Vertical Garden Art

Painted ladder in the garden.

Wobbly, old wooden ladders have lots of reuses both in the home and the garden.

Here you’ll see them used outdoors as stands for plants and decor, adding vertical interest to the garden the same way arbors, trellis, and obeslisks do.

If you ever see one in the garbage, snap it up! Their value is starting to be recognized and resellers are asking a little too much for them these days.

Whether you paint them or leave them plain, wooden ladders make a quirky, fun garden art accent.

This one is in my garden:

Old blue ladder in flower garden.

Related: How to Build a Decorative Garden Ladder

Tips for Long-Lasting Wood Ladders

Old-fashioned household ladders made from wood are not durable in outdoor conditions.

To make a ladder last for years outdoors all year-round, consider painting it with exterior latex paint and adding rain boots!

This will prevent rotting due to exposure to the damp soil, rain, and snow.

Blue garden art ladder with yellow boots used to protect the lower legs.

Want your ladder to last longer?
Ladder Boot Instructions

Garden Ladder Ideas

1Turquoise Blue

Eye-popping color is always good!

Turqoise painted garden art ladder with red birdhouse on top.

30 Arbor, Trellis, & Obelisk Ideas for Home Gardens

2Display a Collection

Ladders are a great way to show off collections:

Garden art ladder with blue wine bottles.

Improve Your Garden Instantly Without Spending a Dime

3Unfinished Painter’s Ladder

This one is in my garden:

Old wood painter's ladder with kettles and watering cans.
Empress of Dirt One-of-a-kind Garden Ideas ebook cover.

One-of-a-Kind Garden Ideas

by Melissa J. Will

Grab ideas from home gardens to make your outdoor space creative and one-of-a-kind.

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4Colorful Containers

This next one has an orange and yellow theme:

Garden art ladder with yellow planter boxes.

25 Planter Ideas for Porches and Front Gardens

5Ladder With Shelves

Ladders are excellent for showing off collections:

Vintage ladder with garden art on a front porch.

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6Flowerful Ladder

See how they placed the flowering annuals along the ladder? Very pretty!

Garden art ladder with lots of flowers.

22 Creative Wagon Planter Ideas + Whiskey Barrels and Wheels

7Repeated Pots

I took this photo many years ago in the blazing hot sun:

Garden art ladder with flower containers.

8Empress of Dirt Blue Ladder

Here’s another look at my blue ladder:

Blue garden art ladder with watering can.

Tour My Garden Year By Year

9Step Ladder

This little step ladder looks sweet:

Step ladder with window box planters.

10Garden Sign Ladder

Clever idea: use each step for a letter to form a word:

Garden art ladder with the word bloom on it.

60 Garden Sign Ideas—Funny, Sweet, & Practical

11Black Ladder

The pink flowers really stand out with the black garden ladder in this next garden.

Black step ladder with dahlia in flower pot.

12Angel Ladder

This backyard was filled with quirky and rustic garden art. I love the rusty angel with the aged patina of the wood.

Garden art ladder with angel decor.

13Clematis Ladder

This ladder was in my old garden next to the first clematis vine I ever planted. I didn’t intend to keep it there but came to love how the two looked together.

Wood garden ladder with clematis flowers.

Clematis 101: Easy Guide for Beginners

14Classic Red Painted Ladder

You can’t go wrong by picking a color to use throughout the garden. Here a heritage red looks just right.

Red garden art ladder, chair, and angel in garden.

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~Melissa the Empress of Dirt â™›

Painted ladder in the garden.
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Melissa J. Will - Empress of DirtWelcome!
I’m Melissa J. Will a.k.a. the Empress of Dirt (Ontario, Canada).
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