We recently built a home in a lake community in the country.  Our lot was full of gorgeous trees; but one of the cedar trees was dead and rotting out.  You could actually see all the way through one of the knot holes.  I asked the builder to save an 8 foot section of the tree for me because I was going to repurpose it as a planter.

From Rotting Log to Flower Planter

First, an area to plant flowers needed to be cut in the log.  The easiest way to do this was to use a chain saw.   I am happy my hubby took on this project because I’m not too fond of chainsaws.  He cut a long rectangle into the top of the log while leaving as many of the knot holes as possible.

Next, he moved the log to the area where it would stay.  He placed it on some flagstone pavers; so that it would be off the ground.  The pavers will make it easier to mow around.

Then, he added moss mats at the ends of the log to help keep the dirt from washing out.  And finally, he added dirt and planted the plants.

The Planter

One of the things, I’ve had to get use to about living in the country is that we have septic tanks instead of sewer systems.  I can almost forget until I see the large green lids that allow access to the septic system in the grass. I wanted to find a way to hide the lids; so that everyone doesn’t have to see them.  You can’t actually place anything on top of them; so, I needed something that would block them from the street view.  I think the log planter does a great job of blocking them on the street side.  Once the plants grow, I think the lids will be less noticeable on the house side.  Hopefully, everyone will be looking at the gorgeous blooming flowers instead.

 What’s one of your favorite repurposing projects?