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5 Garden Crafts Made From Stones

Published on March 28, 2016Last updated October 18, 2021 ♛ By Melissa J. Will

This post contains affiliate links.
Read full disclosure statement here.

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These creative projects for the garden are made from rocks and stones. Ideas include birdhouses, plant markers, and signs.

If you want to create a walkway, also see Garden Stepping Stones & Pathways.

Collage of arts and crafts created from stones.

Creative Garden Stone Art & Craft Ideas

Stones painted with images of vegetables to use as plant markers in the garden.

Rocks and stones make wonderful garden art as you’ll see with the examples below.

While what you choose to do with your own garden is fair game, we should never place these projects in natural, wild areas. Just let nature be the art!


1Paint Rocks and Stones

Transform rocks into animals, insects, flowers, houses, or whatever you can dream up.

Painted stones including ladybugs and daisies

Hand painted rocks and stones to look like a little house, frog, and a sleeping woman.

Related: Stone Painting 101: Creative Craft Guide for Beginners


The art of stone painting owls.
Bird painted stones

The Art of Stone Painting book.

Related: The Art of Stone Painting (Bird Tutorial)



Owls painted on stones.

Related: How to Paint an Owl on Rocks or Stones


Stones painted to look like strawberries and coated in polyurethane.
Stones painted to look like strawberries

Stones painted to look like strawberries.

Related: How to Paint Strawberry Rocks (Beginner Tutorial)



2Stone Circle

Decorative stone circle and birdbath
Decorative stone circle and birdbath
Decorative stone circle
Close-up of decorative stone circle on flagstone patio

3Painted Garden Tags and Markers

Stones painted with images of vegetables to use as plant markers.
Stones painted with cute vegetable images

Paint flat stones with images of vegetables to use as plant markers.

The paints are the same ones used for any stone painting.


4Paint Bricks

Bricks painted with images of vegetables to use as plant markers.
Bricks painted with vegetable images

Paint pictures of veggies on bricks and use them as garden markers. You can create these with simple craft paints.

Another fun idea you can find online is to paint bricks to look like favorite book covers.

Turn bricks into plant markers | Flower Patch Farmhouse


5Stone Birdhouse

Collage of various stone-covered decorative birdhouses.
Stone birdhouses

Attach small stones to transform a wooden birdhouse into a creative work of art.

How to make a stone birdhouse | Empress of Dirt


6Word Art

Word art on stone or concrete

Collage of stacked rocks and rocks with words engraved in them.
Stone art in garden

DIY stepping stones and How to make hypertufa pots

Paint or engrave favorite words or phrases onto stepping stones or rocks. I’m not sure what tools would work on stone, but you can certainly put messages onto concrete items before they have completely hardened.

There’s also lots you can buy, of course.

Collage of rock art in garden.
Stone garden art

See products at Amazon
Smart Stone | Amazon


Or, make your own:

fossil imprint stepping-stones from the book, A Woman's Garden by Tanya Anderson.
Fossil stepping stone

Make a Fossil Imprint Stepping Stone | Courtesy of Lovely Greens

This next one requires drilling through stone—so it’s not for everyone—but it’s sure beautiful:


7Stone Spiral

If you’re able to drill through stones, this is a fabulous piece of garden art.

Stone spiral garden art decor
Stone spiral art

Otherwise, create a spiral on the ground:

Stone maze under trees in garden
Stone garden maze

Arranging stones in spirals or circles turns the ordinary into something rather extraordinary.


8Stone Animals

This next one would take some professional skills but it’s a fun idea.

Garden art geese made from rocks
Stone garden art geese
Garden art snail
Garden art stone snail

What makes a garden wonderful?

  • Great plants. Non-invasive, zone-appropriate flowers, veggies, shrubs, trees, and other lovelies that support local wildlife including pollinators.
  • Assortment of textures: metal, wood, stone, water. Aim to have some of each.
  • A pond and a private, shady seating/napping area.
  • Classic structures: sheds, arbors, trellis, obelisk, pergolas. Whatever fits your style and space.

~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛

Creative garden crafts made from stones including a birdhouse and stacked stones.
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Melissa J. Will - Empress of DirtWelcome!
I’m Melissa J. Will a.k.a. the Empress of Dirt (Ontario, Canada).
Join me as I share creative + frugal home & garden ideas with a dash of humor.
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