Designing your own garden offers numerous possibilities - with water features, flower beds, plant pots and elegant garden furniture you can beautify the outdoor space and give it a personal touch. In the article we present creative ideas for garden decoration made of wooden wine barrels, which you can even make yourself from an old barrel.
Barrels are usually wooden containers for liquids with a large cylindrical shape suitable for multiple uses. If you have some old barrels in your cellar, you can use them to create beautiful garden decorations. Be inspired by our garden decoration ideas made from wine barrels!
Raised bed with plants
A properly filled raised bed creates optimal conditions for the planted vegetables, fruit or herbs. Raised beds also look really nice and ensure an orderly garden. If you want to make a remarkable raised bed yourself, you can cut the old barrel in half and use it as a structure for the bed. Since the wine barrel is cylindrical, you should consider a rack.
It is suitable for creating an impressive miniature garden. You can set up such gardens both indoors and outdoors, but in summer the tiny plants prefer fresh air and bright light. Since wine barrels are too deep, you can either use just the bottom or fill it with soil. Let your creativity run wild and create a beautiful mini garden in an old barrel.
Wine barrels can be converted into beautiful plant pots for the terrace or garden. The creative plant pots are a perfect garden decoration, especially for houses with a wooden facade. Colored flowers contrast beautifully with the wood and give a natural feel.
Barrels can be cut as desired and redesigned into different shapes. If you have decided on a plant pot but want to plant several plants or flowers that cannot survive together in one pot, you can shape the barrel in stages. In the end, you get a vertical garden that can be planted with different plants.
At first glance, the old wine barrels don't seem so beautiful, but with the right planting they become a real eye-catcher in the garden. Don't forget to place the planter in an area with suitable light for the plants and flowers so that they don't dry out.
You don't necessarily need to buy expensive garden furniture for your garden design. The old wine barrel can be turned into an elegant wooden side table. Together with a wooden box as a coffee table, you get a beautiful homemade table collection for the outdoor area.
The fire pit in the garden creates a pleasant atmosphere and provides many fun outdoor moments with friends and family. If you have a wine barrel, you can build an outdoor fireplace yourself.
The open fireplace is gas-powered, and the gas bottle can be placed in the inner part of the barrel. This turns the garden decoration into a practical device that is fun with its playing flames.
A good garden party definitely needs appropriate decorations and of course a buffet. With old barrels you can achieve both at the same time. The wine barrels are the perfect frame for a table top where food and drinks can be served. In the evening you can decorate the garden decorations with LED lights and create beautiful lighting effects.
The garden pond is a popular place in the garden where children like to play and adults relax. If you like the sound of falling water, you can create a waterfall on the pond as a garden decoration.
The wine barrels can be converted into any water features and cascades. For example, when barrels are placed on top of each other, the water flows from one container to the other, creating beautiful effects.
You can make beautiful water fountains for your garden out of a barrel. You should only provide running water and, if desired, embellish the water with decorative or real water lilies and water lily petals for a better look.
The old wine barrels are not only used as wooden garden decorations, but are also perfect for creating raised beds with herbs and smaller plants. In this garden, for example, strawberries and herbs are planted in raised beds made from old barrels. This makes caring for them easier and each plant has its own bed.
You can make a table out of a barrel yourself quickly and easily. You just need a table top to attach to it. If desired, a radiant heater can be installed in the bar table to make the garden more comfortable.
Another idea forGarden decoration made of wooden wine barrelis the design of a table made from half a barrel. Here the container is cut in half again and attached to a frame. As a table top, use a rectangular wooden plate with a similar look to that of the wine barrel.
A good oneIdea for practical garden decorationwould be to design the barrel like a box, fill it with ice and let drinks cool in it. The bottle cooler is particularly useful for garden and barbecue parties.
With an installation that collects the rainwater in the barrel, the plants next to it can be watered. In this case, the wine barrel offers a beautiful wooden garden decoration and helps with gardening.
You can also turn the old barrel into a useful sink in the garden. The water pipes are installed in the inner part of the container and the basin is built on the lid.
Would you like to spend more time with the children in the garden? We recommend you build a tree hanging swing for her. For this purpose, you can have an old barrel cut and attach it tightly to the tree. Consider adding padding or sofa cushions to make the swing more comfortable.
No matter whether as a garden pot, garden decoration or sink: a barrel is guaranteed to attract attention. So that it can withstand both the strong rays of the sun in summer and the rain and snow in winter, you should make the wine barrel weatherproof. So you should definitely treat the wood so that it doesn't dry out. If the wood dries out, it will shrink in the summer and the tires may become loose over time. In winter, the untreated wood will warp, which can lead to deformation. Therefore, let it dry outside for several days in summer, waterproof it and then apply a layer of clear varnish, preferably matt. This way you can prevent rot from forming. But the tires also need proper care because they can rust over time. You can first remove rust from the barrel tires with a grinding wheel and steel brush and then treat them with a rust converter.
If you want to plant your barrel, you can also leave it untreated. Because if the wine barrel is outside, it is regularly moistened and the wood does not shrink. Of course, you can help out a little in summer by watering not only the flowers but also the wooden barrel itself. In any case, you should drill several holes in the bottom of the wine barrel so that the water can drain away. Never line the floor with sealing foil, because then the wood will dry out quickly. Place the barrel on a stable surface, otherwise it may tip over after a while. But be careful: wine barrels are treated with tannic acid, and it can give the surface a yellowish color.
So if you want to place the new flower pot on light-colored paving, tiles or floorboards, then you definitely need a suitable base. It is available from barrel manufacturers. Also very important: If you want to plant the wine barrel with aquatic plants, you should first fill it with water and wait 2-3 weeks. Then throw away the water, fill the wooden barrel again with fresh water and only then insert the aquatic plants.
A barrel is perfect for planters for citrus trees. In this case, you should lay a drainage layer of expanded clay at the bottom and then fill the entire wooden barrel with soil. However, if you want to plant the wine barrel with ground cover, flowers and grasses, then you should proceed differently. Instead, you should first lay a layer of gravel at the bottom of the wine barrel and then a drainage layer made of expanded clay. Then fill the barrel 2/3 full with mulch and spread at least 40 cm of potting soil over it.
Once you have laid all the layers of the wine barrel, you should plant the wooden barrel. Since the barrel is slightly deeper than other flower pots, it is possible to combine perennials and tall ornamental grasses with low ground covers and flowers. Choose plants that have similar location, water and soil requirements and you will be able to admire the planted wooden barrel throughout the entire gardening season. It is also important that you leave a distance between the individual plants. If you combine annuals with perennials, create a sketch and mark the annual flowers on it.
If you would like to plant half a barrel, you can choose between two variants. You can either place several flower pots or a long planter inside or you can plant the wooden barrel as already explained. In this case, you should also treat the wine barrel against rust and rot. Since a wine barrel takes up more space, you need a large terrace or a wide garden path. Do not place the wooden barrel in the middle of the flower bed, as the wet ground will cause rot to form.
Optionally, you can plant half of it and then convert the other half into a sink. Skilled gardeners can complete the task in a weekend, while others can hire a craftsman to do it. In principle, the DIY project is not complicated, but you should definitely not treat the wood. The barrel then becomes leaky and is no longer suitable for a sink. As a rule, a whiskey orWine barrel easily in rain barrelor remodel sinks. It is important that you empty the rain barrel or sink in winter.
A wine barrel gives the garden character not only in summer but also in winter. We'll soon show you several ideas on how you can decorate your old wine barrel for Christmas. The first idea is to drill Christmas motifs into the wood and then drape a string of lights in them. This way you can illuminate the terrace and create a cheerful atmosphere in the evening. Optionally, you can also stick a red bow on the barrel hoops and arrange natural decorations made of evergreen fir or cypress branches, pine cones and red Christmas balls in the wine barrel. You can also plant a Christmas tree in a wine barrel and then decorate it for Christmas with Christmas tree balls and Christmas decorations.