20 Creative Watering Can Garden Art Ideas

Once a watering can is old or leaky, it’s time to use it as garden art. I’ve gathered these ideas from my own garden and gardens I have visited. Have a look and grab ideas to repurpose beautiful, old watering cans for your outdoor space.

You can also find instructions for making a Garden Art Watering Can with Faux Spilling Water here.

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Watering Can Garden Art Ideas

1Spilling Crystals

My favorite watering cans are the older ones made from galvanized metal as well as newer ones painted in clear, bright colors.

If a watering can is really well designed, I’ll actually use it to water plants (crazy, I know), but any other odd ones are perfect for garden art projects.

And don’t worry if they have holes in the bottom—those ones make great planters.

Always good to have an heir and a spare!

Use lamp crystals (prisms, pendants) as well as marbles, copper wire, and beads to create faux water.

You can find the complete tutorial here:
Garden Art Watering Can with Faux Spilling Water.

2Watering Can Collection

The easiest way to show them off is to put a collection together.

Matching or mismatched, they will make a statement in the garden.

Is it possible to collect watering cans without ever paying more than $5 per can? So far, so good.

3Giant Water Drop

Using the crystal idea, just one large faux crystal makes a beautiful water drop.

In the next photo I hung a few stray lamp crystals from a rusty old kettle.

If you love rust, have a look at my
 Rusty Garden Art Gallery.

4Beads and Wire

This was one of the first garden art projects I ever made (many years ago). I love how the color blue—paint and glass—looks in the garden.

Here I wrapped copper wire around marbles and attached the lamp crystals to the wire ends.

If you vary the length of the wires, it gives a good spilling effect.

5Watering Can Flower Pot

I love the red chair with the simple watering can and greenery. Perfection!

Related: Using Old Kitchen Chairs as Garden Art

6Watering Can Fence Art

Whatever you do, don’t throw out an old galvanized watering can. This one will live out its years on the garden bench.

Related: 24 Garden Art Ideas for Fences

7Retired Watering Can Bench Art

They’re not to everyone’s taste, but if you love them, you love them.

Related: Cozy Place to Rest in the Garden

8Shepherd’s Hook Holder

Shepherd’s hooks work nicely for displaying colorful watering cans like this red one.

Instead of planting the watering can, just slip a flower pot inside.

9Watering Can Fountain

This next one is a watering can fountain I rigged up for a fairy garden. The water pours out onto the stones which hide a little reservoir and pump.

The tutorial is here:
How to Make a Working Fairy Garden Fountain.

10Mosaic Watering Can

If you like a more detailed project, add mosaic tiles to your favorite watering can. Because art makes everything better.

Related: How to Make Decorative Garden Art Balls

11Make Your Own Brand

I made a custom watering can by adding a made-up Empress of Dirt brand label.

The name Melissa means honey bee so it seemed fitting.

Watering Can Display Ideas

Old wooden ladders have lots of uses in the garden from trellis to displaying favorite garden art. And the more paint splatters, the better!

You can find an entire gallery of garden art ladder ideas here.

Add a pot of flowers to a watering can and add it to the garden. Easy!

The way some watering cans are designed, it can be difficult to thread wire in the spouts for hanging faux water droplets.

This white one could be painted, mosaic-ed, decoupaged, or simply used as a planter like you see here.

Succulents! Again, no need to put potting mix directly in a watering can. Instead, insert a same-size flower pot with drainage holes.

This next one is from my old garden.

You can see a tour of the garden here.

This one combines my love of old galvanized watering cans with window art.

There is an entire of gallery of door and window garden art ideas here.

The great thing about garden art is you can change it up whenever you want and move things around.

Potting tables are one of my favorite garden art display areas.

You can see an entire gallery of  potting table ideas here.

I love this blue color. Look how it makes the heuchera foliage stand out.

This green watering can is in my garden. The paint started peeling so I retired it to a life of art.

Love or hate them, the gnomes rule the garden.

Don’t let those gnomes lounge around all day! Put them to work.

~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛