Turn An Old Bundt Pan Into A Cute & Easy Planter For Your Garden

If you've been a fan of baking for a while, you likely have a wide variety of old cake molds and pans in your cabinets. You might even have some old bundt pans that haven't seen any use in years. Maybe they're too scratched to use, or maybe you just have other pans you like better. Regardless of the reason, you don't have to toss your old pans. Instead, consider turning them into adorable garden planters.

If you don't have the perfect pan already on hand, but still want a unique planter, check out your local thrift store. You'll likely be able to find plenty of bundt pans or other tube pans there that will be perfect for transforming from trash to garden treasure. A bundt pan is simply a tube pan with grooves on the sides and a rounded bottom.)

The relatively small pan won't be the right-sized home for larger plants, but it could be perfect for annual flowers like petunias that can thrive in hanging baskets or other small containers. An ice plant is another great flower for keeping your planter lush and full all summer. Succulents and cacti also often flourish in shallow containers. Just be aware that whatever you grow in it will need to be watered very often, given its small size.

Once you have your bundt pan cleaned and dried, you'll need to begin by carefully drilling drainage holes in the bottom. Without drain holes in your flower pot, your potting mix would likely become soggy and waterlogged, killing anything you tried to grow. Next, decide if you'd like to paint your bundt pan. If you do opt to paint it, be sure to use a product that sticks well to metal and can handle outdoor conditions. You may also need to gently sand the pan first to help the paint adhere properly.

Next, decide how you're going to display your bundt pan planter. You could simply put it on an outdoor table to use as a centerpiece. Alternatively, you could opt to hang it by securing a large plant hook through the center hole in the pan. Another fun choice is to use the center hole to mount the pan onto an old lamp base and create a raised planter.  

Regardless of exactly how you set up your planter to display, you'll want to finish by filling it with a lightweight potting mix. If necessary, you can first line the inside of the planter with landscape fabric to prevent the potting soil from spilling out the drainage holes. Then, just add your flowers or other plants, and you're all set to enjoy!