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Turn Old Watering Cans Into Garden Art With Faux Water Sprays

Published on April 27, 2018Last updated October 18, 2021 ♛ By Melissa J. Will

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

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This tutorial shows how to turn an old watering can into decorative garden art. With supplies like wire, marbles, lamp crystals, and beads, create the effect of water pouring out.

Also see the Watering Can Garden Art Idea Gallery for more ideas.

Watering can garden art.

Turn Your Old Watering Cans into Art

Old watering can decorated with lamp crystals.

If I had to pick a favorite collectible garden item, galvanized metal watering cans would top the list.

If they work really well, I use them for watering the plants. But plenty of watering cans—old and new—are really poorly designed and do not balance right when pouring water. But no worries, the dysfunctional ones and the leaking oldies are perfect for garden art.

Watering can art with faux water made from beads and crystals
Use lamp crystals and beads for faux water

Garden Art Watering Can Project

Lobelia planted into small galvanized watering can
Small galvanized watering can planted with lobelia

This watering can garden art project is very simple and adds a fun touch of whimsy to the garden. You’ll need just a few materials and it should only take an hour or so to complete.

Instead of wire and beads, you could also use mini LED lights.

PROJECT TIME: 1 HOUR

Here’s how it works.

Wires are threaded through the spout and secured inside the watering can.

Crystals, beads, and marbles are attached to the wires to look like water spilling out. That’s it!

Collection of watering cans
Watering can collection

Choosing a Watering Can

  • When using a watering can for garden art, it doesn’t matter if there are holes in the bottom. In fact, this is good for drainage if it will also be used as a planter.
  • Make sure the watering can spout is designed in a way that you can easily thread wires through it. Some have openings too tiny for this.

Materials

Supplies for making watering can art
Supplies for making watering can art
  • Watering can
  • Wire
    Select your wire gauge based on how firm you want the wire to be. The smaller the gauge number, the thicker the wire.
    I use 16-gauge wire for most garden art projects. You can see 16-gauge wire here on Amazon.com.
  • Lamp crystals (also called prisms or pendants) | see them on Etsy
    I get these at thrift shops and yard sales. Look for unwanted old lamps that are ugly but have crystals on them! You might find them for a nice low price.
  • Beads, marbles, copper wire (optional)
  • Needle-nose pliers
  • Wire snips (cutters)
  • Gloves
  • Safety glasses
Assembling watering can art
Assembling watering can art

Steps

1. Cut wires for hanging crystals. Allow enough length to secure wire inside watering can and to hang crystals at various lengths from spout.

2. Thread wires through spout and secure inside watering can.

Wrapping wire around screw
Wrapping wire around screw

The wires will stay firmly in place inside the watering can if you wrap the ends around a screw or nail that is longer (wider) than the opening.

Galvanized watering cans with dripping crystal art
Lamp crystals make beautiful faux water drops

3. Attach crystals and beads to spout wires.

  • Make one big crystal water drop or use a bunch of different sizes and lengths to get a dripping effect.
  • (Optional) Wrap copper wire around marbles, leaving enough length at one end to secure to spout wires.

Done!

Show Them Off

Got an old watering can? Turn it into garden art spilling faux water with wire, marbles, beads, and crystals.

I like to display my garden art collections on old wooden ladders. I love the contrast of the rustic ladder with the elegance of the crystals.

Got an old watering can? Turn it into garden art spilling faux water with wire, marbles, beads, and crystals.

There are more ideas here in the Watering Can Garden Art Idea Gallery.

~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛

Old watering can decorated with lamp crystals.
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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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