Jenn Rych: Crazy Easy Patio Planter DIY! (It's a Super Affordable Upcycle, too!)

I love filling planters with flowers and scattering them around my patio this time of year - something about it makes it feel like a cozy decorated living room.

I position them in little clusters by the wicker chairs that surround our firepit, on the little outdoor table next to our patio swing, on the back steps - basically anywhere someone might notice them or relax for a while.

I had a bunch of them on my patio table where we sometimes have meals until recently, too. While I loved how they looked, it was a little tricky to have several of them there during meal times or when it got a bit windy. So I whipped up a cute little solution this week, and if you want a wildly fast, easy, and affordable patio DIY to tackle this weekend: I've got you.

Plus - you get to go thrifting so, wins all around.

First, do some shopping.

But this is the fun part. You'll need to make two stops, unless you've already got one or the other on hand! The first is a nursery or home improvement store - you'll need potting soil, and either some flowers or seed packets. And the second is a thrift store or garage sales, where you'll look for an old bundt pan with a center hole wide enough to fit your patio table's umbrella through it. I found several options when I went looking, and ended up deciding on one that I had no question would work size-wise, wasn't going to break (it's metal), and was reasonably affordable.

Here's mine:

Mine is obviously very simple, but you can use one that has more details or not - totally up to you!

Next, fill it with potting soil.

If you're using already bloomed flowers (like packs of annuals), fill the pan about halfway. If you're using seeds, fill it almost to the top.

I used flowers, so here's mine filled about halfway:

Now it's time to plant!

Go wild here - add in whatever you want to see growing on your table! I went with flowers simply because I'm too impatient to wait on the seeds in something that would just look like a cake pan full of dirt sitting on my table (haha), but use anything you like! Plant it like you would anything else - give everything their home, and add more soil where it's needed after everything is in place.

And finally, arrange it in its new home!

Give your new pretties some water, then center the opening of the bundt pan over the space where the umbrella slides through. Then carefully put your umbrella in place, going right through the center of your new planter! This was a bit tricky...it was hard to not crush any petals!

And that's it!

So cute, right?

So, you might be wondering - what about drainage?

And to that I say.....I do not know. lol You could drill some holes in the bottom of your pan (as long as it's not ceramic), but then it would drain dirty water all over your patio table every time you water. I'm honestly just crossing my fingers that these flowers don't mind long enough to last for a hot minute. And if they hate it? Well, then, maybe I'll get more. I'll let you know how this works out in the long run, haha.

Let me know if you try it, and show me how yours turns out if you do!