13 DIY Garden Accents That Add Personality to Your Plantings

Scrap Metal Flowers

Give your garden year-round blooms with larger-than-life flowers designed from scrap metal and wooden stakes. A decorative knob provides a pop of color at the center of each flower while keeping the parts together for a whimsical garden accent.

Bubble Fountain

A small metal table becomes a fountain by swapping the glass top for a plastic planter bowl and dressing up both pieces with spray paint. A submersible pump and attached fountain bring the waterworks to life. Glass balls glisten under the water and conceal the pump.

Tip: Replenish water as it evaporates, keeping the pump submerged to ensure it works properly. All pumps and fountains in these projects are available at home improvement centers.

Custom Concrete Pots

Stir up some fun by mixing concrete and adding color. These custom garden pots were created using small disposable milk cartons for the exterior designs and tumblers from the dollar store as inner molds.

Stenciled Outdoor Art

A simple stretch of fence becomes a fetching garden accent thanks to colorful stenciled outdoor artwork. This wooden canvas was created using a bundle of lath, available at a building center. After constructing yourpallet-like canvas, roll outdoor acrylic paint onto the front. Position your stencil on the lath canvas using repositionable adhesive, then paint the image with a flat brush. Let dry before attaching to a fence or wall.

Easy Concrete Orbs

Make these affordable concrete accents for your garden or patio using a few surprising materials. Watch our step-by-step video to see how to create this project.

Hanging Wooden Basket

Catch eyes from a block away with a colorful hanging basket design. This easy-to-make project brings a touch of greenery straight from the garden to your front porch, patio, or deck.

Salvaged Succulent Planter

Turn an old birdbath into a salvage-style succulent planter for a natural garden accent in just three simple steps.

Simple Sphere and Pedestal

Gather leftover trimmings from pruning and fashion them into a decorative garden accent. A tripod of arching rebar holds this organic sphere and adds to the scupture's overall appeal. Insert the rebar securely in the ground 6-8 inches apart and adjust to hold the sphere.

Double-Decker Fountain

Incorporate nature's splashy sounds into your outdoor space with a simple two-tier fountain. This space-savvy design can turn even the tiniest garden into an dreamlike escape.

Chalkboard Plant Markers

Liven up your garden with these reusable plant markers. Create your own custom chalkboard paint colors by combining 1 tablespoon unsanded tile-grout powder with 1/4 cup outdoor paint. Use the mixture to coat wooden plant stakes, then label each with a china marker.

Tile-Topped Stepping-Stones

Create a pretty garden path with the help of these handmade stepping-stones decorated with pieces of ceramic tiles or plates. To keep costs to a minimum, look for chipped or cracked ceramic items at flea markets or neighborhood sales.

Note: These decorative steppers are a pretty garden accent but will get slippery when wet.

Simple Rosemary Topiary

It's easy to buy a ready-trained topiary, but making your own is fun and satisfying. Many plants are well-suited to shaping, including the herb rosemary used here. It's also possible to train your topiaries from hollies, ivies, and boxwood, or flowering plants, such as lantana, fuchsia, and hydrangeas.

Colored Glass Garden Votives

Cast a cool light on your deck or patio with these decorative votive holders. Pint-size canning jars, glazed with paint to match a garden's decorating scheme, provide pretty, low-cost candle lanterns. These blue-hue jars enhance the garden scene while protecting the votive candles from breezes.