Jasmine Roth's DIY Trick Adds Instant Curb Appeal To Your Front Yard

It can be a bit intimidating adding a bold or fun statement to the front of your home, where the world can see it. But that doesn't mean you have to be stuck with a plain square of green grass, though! Building a DIY plant wall is a great way to liven up the front of your house, and HGTV's Jasmine Roth has a fantastic idea to easily DIY this living art piece to create more curb appeal. You don't need fancy materials or tools — her neat trick allows you to repurpose an old ladder to create a living plant wall attached to an outside wall of your house.

Either the rungs or the frame of the ladder, depending on which way you orient it, will support small flowerpots. When mounted on the front or porch wall of your home, this DIY living wall adds personality to your home. Depending on the plants you choose, this can be a great way to introduce color to a space that is otherwise difficult to decorate. Roth's ladder plant wall combines simple wood with fresh green plants for rustic appeal, with metallic accents to tie in to the more modern aesthetic of the rest of the home.

Your ladder does need to be in decent shape in order to support plants securely, so avoid ladders that have rotted or are significantly damaged. Wooden ladders are easier to work with and customize, but you can try this DIY project with other materials if you prefer. Roth used two straight ladders, which she then mounted directly to the wall. However, this DIY can be modified to make use of an A-frame ladder instead, if that's what you have on hand.

To start, prep your ladder by cleaning, sanding, repairing, and potentially painting it. If your ladder is wood, consider adding a layer of sealant to protect it from water and sun damage. Even if the finished project will be hanging in a sheltered location, you'll be watering the plants, so the ladder may still get wet.

Once the ladder is ready, decide which way you want it to hang or sit. Roth hung hers horizontally, but tailor yours to the space you have to work with. If the wall is narrow, you might consider keeping your ladder vertical instead. If you have a covered porch or patio, you can also hang the ladder from the ceiling so that the plants hang down, or make a plant shelf that comes out from the wall. If your living wall will be in a covered area, like a porch or carport, choose shade-loving perennials or annuals for your pots. A-frame ladders can also be hung using Roth's method, but don't need to be. They can instead be opened and left free standing, with the steps forming the bases for the shelves of a tiered garden.

If you want plants sitting on the ladder frame or rungs, there is a risk of them falling off. Roth solved this problem by screwing planters directly to the ladder's frame. She put the plants in smaller pots to sit inside the attached planters, so they can be removed or replaced whenever necessary. If you prefer hanging plants, you may only need planters that can hook onto the ladder itself. You can even repurpose a colander for a hanging basket to use with your new plant wall.