Transform a tired flower bed into a unique and charming space with creative yard art made with old garden tools and a rusty bike! Follow our step-by-step guide to build your own whimsical and budget-friendly garden makeover.
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Raise your hand if you too happen to work hard in your yard but have a flower bed or 3 that are still in need of some major help…
Once upon a time (last summer) the garden decor in this outdoor space looked gorgeous, complete with a nesting box potting bench you can see HERE. It really added to the landscape in such a unique way!
However, once the table started to resemble a pirate’s sunken treasure by sinking into the ground, and after reasoning I had never even used it once as a potting bench, I decided to dismantle the works so I could use the area for something a little more productive. I had BIG hopes to grow more flowers or possibly even veggies!
So I finally rolled up my sleeves and did something about it! My main mantra was to spend no money on this little outdoor canvas. So I pulled out all sorts of rusty junk I already had for inspiration, in hopes that I could create a fresh and enticing start.
Then once I figured out my theme, I whipped up a cute hand-crafted garden sign to chime in, which officially sealed the deal with the perfect addition!
So before I take you on a full tour of what this little flower bed looks like all dressed up in its rusty junk finest, let’s start with the garden sign… which helped up the ante on this new focal point perfectly!
Revamping a flower bed with a rusty bike and old tools as yard art
Supplies used:
Fusion Mineral Paint in Coal Black (get 10% off)
Terra Cotta toned acrylic craft paint
An old rusty bike
Old rusty garden tools collected over time
Borrowed plants from the rest of the yard
Preparing sign boards for yard art
Since my intention was to use old garden tools in this flower bed, I stenciled a Garden Tools sign to further that story. So choose your garden junk first, then choose a stencil to help theme it!
1. Cut two pieces of reclaimed wood the same length. These boards were approximately 18″ long.
I already had these boards pre cut in my stash in the perfect tone to work with the garden fence, so that was easy!
View Garden Tools stencil HERE
Stenciling a themed garden sign
2. Position the Garden Tools stencil in the middle of the boards, then stencil in as desired.
I stenciled the words Garden Tools New & Used and all the wheelbarrow parts in Fusion’s Coal Black.
How to stencil without paint bleed:
- Using a dome-tipped stencil brush, dip brush into paint.
- Remove excess paint onto a rag.
- Tap or swirl paint through stencil for the desired effect.
Read more tips on how to stencil from THIS post.
Purchase any Fusion Mineral Paint for 10% off from HERE
Or use discount code funkyjunkinteriorsfmp at checkout.
3. Add a rusty colour to some of the word TOOLS and the wheelbarrow carrying part.
I mixed up some acrylic craft paint to achieve a rusty tone that mimicked what was already on my garden fence. But I will be on the hunt for the perfect rust or terra cotta tone in the future!
4. Position the Hinges stencil on the left and right side of the words, to mimic that hinges were holding the sign together.
Using the join of the two boards is a good place to determine a good position. Two different hinges were stenciled in Fusion’s Coal Black.
Adding real screws to the stenciled hinges
4. Stencil screws in white or light grey on top of the black hinges, or screw in real screws for a 3D effect.
Fun fact: The Hinges stencil is designed to accommodate real life screw sizes!
So I chose short, real screws in silver and black, then screwed them into the stenciled hinges for a realistic effect.
I LOVE this stencil and all that it can do and look like!
Drilling hanging holes on the sign
5. Using a large drill bit, drill two large holes on the upper top sign board to accomodate 2 S hooks.
Placing the board against the edge of a table helps leverage this step.
Bracing the sign boards together
6. Turning the sign boards-good-side-down, attach two small cedar strips on angles to the back of the sign boards so they can hang together.
Tip: To avoid the wood splitting, pre-drill pilot holes with small drill bits wherever screws will be used both on the cedar strips and sign boards. Reclaimed wood can be brittle.
Inserting S hooks to hang garden sign
7. Insert the S hooks, then go hang up your sign on an old rake handle!
But first, here’s how I rejuvenated the flowerbed…
.
Video tutorial: View above to see how to edge flowerbeds like a pro!
Read full tutorial: How to edge flowerbeds like a pro HERE
Steps to improve an old flower bed for free
A. Dig out all the weeds.
B. Cut a fresh, new garden bed edge using a half moon edger, like THIS post shares: How to edge flowerbeds like a pro. This step makes such a big difference! See the video above.
C. Gather and position all garden decorations, with visions of what you will plant where.
D. To save on new plants, shop your own backyard and take cuttings with roots attached from other plants.
E. Amend the old soil by adding new fertile soil only in the spots you will be adding plants.
F. Plant flowers, plants, grasses and even sprouted sunflower seeds from under the bird feeder, then water well.
Tip: Use full flower baskets for an immediate full look.
G. Hang rusty junk garden tools onto the fence, then hang the garden sign from a rake or shovel handle.
And here’s the final results!
The completed flower bed with rusty yard art
This little flower bed is now so much prettier to look at, and will only get nicer as the smaller plants grow in!
I was very tempted to go buy new larger plants, however staying true to my own promise, I transplanted some plants and flowers I already had, and borrowed some flower baskets and a fern from other areas of the yard.
The barrel is holding 3 planters of red petunias which fills it up nicely! However I’ll probably move them under cover if it rains. Those petals are so fragile…
And the fern was borrowed from my patio, which will be moved once the hot sun returns.
And that’s the nice thing about planters, they can be so easily moved or swapped out!
A Garden Tools sign as yard art
The reclaimed wood fence was decorated with rusty garden tools I had collected over the years. They blended in perfectly with the fence, so I ensured the Garden Tools sign did the same!
HERE is a Farm Supply rusty tools look this fence also use to have!
And that’s the nice thing about custom-made signs. You get to choose all the colours to suit!
If you look super close, you’ll notice some hints of rust on the TOOLS word, to give it a little more emphasis.
I just love how the entire garden signs blends in seamlessly with the yard art theme and tones. It’s there, but not being the boss of the whole place.
What is planted in this flower bed:
Here’s more of a side shot how I generally view this area while I walk towards the small shed on the left.
In time, those plants will fill in and I may even trade some for others as time goes on.
I planted:
- bachelor buttons
- some kind of vine
- a peony I didn’t even know I had!
- poppies
- forget-me-nots
I’m playing with the idea of filling the barrel with garden vegetables of some kind, but I just love the shot of colour the red peonies offered so I may just leave this as-is!
Old bike as a garden trellis yard art
And behind the bike’s front wheel are sunflowers that were sprouted from underneath the bird feeder, so I felt, why not try? The bike can become a trellis of sorts should it work out!
And that’s the beauty of gardening. Just try stuff!
So until then…
Before:
Goodness I know how to make a great before shot…
After:
Not bad for a short couple of days work, don’t you think?
Rusty junk is MY kind of yard art! What do you like putting out in yours?
Other yard art projects:
Summer garden shed decorating ideas
How to build a reclaimed wood fence
Visit all our unique gardening projects HERE
i am glad you are not living in california home of the thieves. It is still a mystery to me why we can work so hard thinking about a great plan that is unique to us, do the hard work to implement it, invest the time to do so and some sticky fingers can wipe it all away in an hour or less. And it is never seen again not at a garage sale dna? ALL that to say i really like your solution and am sure it brings a smile to all your passerbys.
It looks so good! Is the Hinges stencil a new stencil? So cool! I love the sign and the whole garden Donna!
You always use just the right amount of restraint, no matter what your project, and no when it’s “done”.
Love it!
Thanks Kim! Hinges is one of the newer stencils but it’s been there for awhile. It’s scaled the same size as real hinges so you can use real screws for a 3D effect. It’s so fun to play with!
Definitely time well spent. What a difference. And yes you do take great before shots 😉 but the after always blows me away. I don’t think anyone else can make rusty junk look so classy.