Sneaky stone-clad planters. Build them yourself in almost any situation!

Sometimes a 'planting situation' calls for more than pots or planter troughs. Sometimes you want something that really makes a statement and looks more like hard landscaping. The problem with a lot of built-in planter boxes is that they are usually constructed of bricks or concrete blocks, are expensive to construct and more often than not you will need a professional to build it for you.

Well I have a sneaky way of achieving a solid stone-clad planter look which anyone can build. It's incredibly easy and costs a fraction of a brick built planter. I've used this technique a number of times in many of the gardens I've created and have shown my friends who wanted to achieve the same look how to build them. 

The back of our cottage has a large deck which had a long step running across the back edge. This step was still a little high to step safely down to the ground so we decided to remove it and replace it with a set of central steps flanked by two planter boxes.

To build the structure of the planter boxes I use 50mm wide by 200mm high treated pine sleepers. The cheapest building material around. Measure, cut and screw the sleepers together using screws especially made for treated pine to create a box. You could simply use one box which would be 200mm high, or make multiple boxes and place them on top of each other to get your desired height.

We decided to bring the planters up to the height of the deck. Once planted up they would create a barrier to stop anyone falling off the edge! 

In all I created 3 boxes and stacked them on top of each other. As each of these boxes is not attached to the next it is important to tie them together. Do this by using 100mm screws and screwing down at an angle in each of the corners from one box down into the one below. I also used aluminium strips cut to about 55cm long and drilled and screwed these inside the planted as a brace to tie each planter together. 

Your finished planter box should look something like this. From here you can do pretty much anything you like to create your desired look. I'm going to use a stack stone cladding in sandstone but you could just stain or paint the boxes as they are. In one garden I painted the boxes with a satin black paint and screwed hardwood 'Merbau' oiled deck boards to the planter. Space the deck boards apart so you get a line of the black paint showing between; this give the impression of a ships timber deck and looks very stylish. You can also see in this picture that for the central steps I have just used a treated pine 2-step stair kit which is available in flatpack form from most hardware stores. 

In order to clad the planter with stone I have a few things more to do. Firstly I will line the interior of the planters with black plastic or 'Builders Film'. This is just a black plastic sheet and I tack this around the top of the planter ensuring that the plastic slightly rests on the soil in the base of the planter. You can see in the picture above that the planter has been levelled and there is a gap at the bottom on the right; the builders film will also help to keep your soil in the planter so it doesn't seep out. The plastic also helps to stop moisture transferring through the sleepers which might ultimately affect your external finish. After lining with builders film I then cut fibre cement sheet to size and using 'Liquid Nails' and 40mm clouts, nail the sheets to the outside of the box. I use the cement sheet as it gives me a hard, smooth and flat surface to attach the stone cladding.

 

You can see that I have already planted these up with buxus as I want a nice neat little hedge in each planter but you could really use anything you want. Now it's time to clad the planters. This is where a little expense may come in but you can choose to spend as much or as little as you like. I have chosen a sandstone stack-stone tile which come in 150mm x 600 mm tiles. To get a tailored look I use a tile cutting machine to mitre the edges; these are by no means perfect but the tiles look much nice butting up in the corners with a mitred edge.

And these are the finished planters! I've topped them off with Merbau deck to cover the top of the timber box and the cladding. The area is in the process of being levelled and shortly a new pergola will be constructed over the deck and all the decking replaced with new Merbau hardwood deck. This will create a wonderful outdoor entertaining space that can be used in all weather. That will have to be in another post!!!

So if you have an area that needs something more than pots this might just be the idea for you. 

These were constructed directly on the ground but you can just as easily construct them on a hard surface such as tiles, pavers or concrete just as we did in the 'Inner-city Courtyard Makeover' a few years ago. This same construction technique was used on a paved courtyard which had good 'fall' across the paved area to built in drainage. The important thing to remember in that situation is to place a sheet of geo-textile fabric on the hard surface in the base of your planter and then fill to about 10cm with blue metal to allow for good drainage. Place another layer of the geo-textile fabric over the metal before filling with soil as this will stop your compost and soil washing through the metal but allow water to drain freely.

Happy gardening!