Don't Throw Away Your Old License Plate, Repurpose It For A Rustic Garden Planter

Old license plates are the type of thing people hang on to without an exact project in mind, but with an inkling there's something cool to create with them. You could, for example, use an old license plate as the roof for a birdhouse made from a repurposed boot. Another useful, visually interesting idea is to turn them into rustic planters. Whether you have one license plate or a handful of vintage finds, there's a unique DIY planter just waiting to be made.

Your license plate planter(s) can be as simple as attaching a couple of plates to an existing wooden crate, or more complex, using a slip roller to bend a plate into a perfect cylinder. The great thing is license plates are, by their nature, fairly weather resistant. They hold up well when exposed to the elements and won't fade over time the way some painted materials might. And they add playful pops of colors to your patio or garden when filled with your favorite plants and flowers.

To make a cylindrical, can-shaped plant pot, you need to roll the plate into a cylinder. The simplest method is by pressing and pounding the plate around a cylindrical form such as a large pipe or the horn of an anvil until you get the shape you want. A slip roller, which looks a bit like a pasta maker, makes an even more precise cylinder. You're squeezing a license plate between metal rollers, curling it until it overlaps itself. Either way, you'll want a wooden disc for the bottom, which you can create to fit using a hole saw of the appropriate size. Add a couple drainage holes, paint or seal the wood, pop it into the bottom of your license plate cylinder, then screw or bolt the plate to the wood. 

Alternatively, license plates can be used as the walls of a square or rectangular planter. For a square planter made from just the plates, bend two license plates at 90-degree angles halfway through the plate, then secure them to a wood block to create the bottom. The easiest way to bend the plates is to secure one half between two clamped pieces of wood, and lightly tap the other half to 90 degrees using a rubber mallet. Making a license plate planter over an existing wood box is even easier. Essentially you're affixing one or two plates to the long side(s) of the planter. You may need to take apart the box to and cut the sides to fit the plates, then reassemble.

Fill your road trip-worthy planters with stunning plants to attract hummingbirds to your yard. You can craft several license plate planters with plates from different states to create a travel vibe on your patio or deck. Add to the explorer aesthetic by making another DIY planter made from a repurposed globe.