Garden Photo of the Day

Barb’s Birdbath Planter

It started with a birdbath, then turned into a whole new garden section

Hello, my name is Barb Mrgich. I’ve been gardening on the same property for 31 years now and have contributed to GPOD once before. Each year, I usually start a new project or garden area. I started this project in the late summer on a whim when I bought an antique birdbath.

placing the birdbathI brought it home and was looking for a good spot for it when I decided it needed to have its own little garden right in front of this hedge. The first thing I did was dig out an outline in the grass to see what I wanted the edge, shape, and size to be.

garden bed with stone edgeNext, I dug my outline a little deeper, then pounded some run and crush stone into my little ditch to make a footer for the landscape blocks I had bought. Then I laid my block, trying to be careful to keep it all level. I spent some time shoveling compost out of my bins to fill the area right up to the tops of the block. Then I left the project sit over the winter so that everything could settle.

birdbath planterIn the spring when I tried to fill my birdbath, I discovered it just wouldn’t hold water, so I decided to turn it into a planter. Because it is shallow for plants, I used succulents that would handle the dry soil. I was pleased with the results.

annual and perennial garden bedI added a mixture of annuals and perennials to complete my new little garden, then had the remaining grass in the area bricked to blend in with the existing patio. I was happy with my results, except that next year I will move those daylilies. They tried to hide the birdbath, and the rabbits ate most of the wave petunias!

garden bed next to patioOverall, I liked the way the new garden blended into the patio area.

 

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Comments

  1. PattyLouise 01/28/2021

    Love how this all came about over the purchase of a birdbath! Love the bed & thanks for the inspiration! Enjoy!

  2. Rebeccazone7 01/28/2021

    I love the shape of the birdbath, I also like the way you've used different size and shape of brick. It also gave me a laugh when you said you had to move the day lilies. My deer would have long since taken care of that problem for you.

  3. User avater
    vanhatalosuomi 01/28/2021

    Nice find on the birdbath, too bad it wouldn't hold water. Everything turned out in the end. :)

  4. User avater
    cynthia2020 01/28/2021

    Barb - thank you for documenting your gardening project and sharing it with us! I also enjoyed looking at the link to your other Garden Photo of the Day feature. All of your knowledge and practice has come together to create a terrific garden.

  5. User avater
    simplesue 01/28/2021

    It really did turn out super nice! I love the way you showed how it evolved and grew into a nice design connected to the rest of the garden.
    And all inspired by a vintage birdbath!
    And I can totally relate to how you will end up digging up some plants and adjusting things...sound like me!

  6. User avater
    treasuresmom 01/28/2021

    Love that you showed the steps to the birdbath garden.

  7. btucker9675 01/28/2021

    Great to see this lovely birdbath planting! Years ago in my northern NJ garden, a neighbor had thrown out a lovely concrete birdbath because it had a slight crack and was leaking. I rescued it from the curb and planted it with succulents and a few rock garden plants. Used a combination of potting soil and pebbles. Looked quite similar to yours and I was delighted to see that someone had had the same idea! The bed around mine was planted with Stella d'Ora daylilies, peonies, lace cap hydrangea, bleeding heart, Asian lilies, and a few grasses. Thanks for sharing!

  8. schatzi 01/28/2021

    Barb, that antique bird bath makes a gorgeous succulent garden. Love the evolution of the entire garden, and the extension of the brick patio. You did a beautiful job. Enjoy!

  9. Maggieat11 01/29/2021

    Great job!✨✨✨

  10. user-5117752 02/01/2021

    You created a whole new look just because of a birdbath! How amazing and how beautiful it all turned out to be! Just love everything you did, bricks and plantings!

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