33 Quintessentially Quirky Garden Ideas to Amaze you

Looking for something quirky to add to your garden? Perhaps something you can do yourself to make it truly unique?

Below you will discover some of the most ingenious and crafty creations around. From sea monsters in your trees to up-cycled tin cans to make some lovable lanterns.

And the best part…

You can start making most of them today. So get your creative hat on and let’s see how to make some quirky ornaments for your garden.

My favourite is #10. What’s yours? Let me know in the comments below.

Before we get started…

Check out this video showcasing all 33 ideas in one video. Details of how to make each one follow in the “Get the look” box under each idea.

If you want something extra special make sure you get to the end of the post where I reveal 2 of the most amazingly inspiring ideas I’ve seen.

#1 Up-cycled Baked Bean Cans

I know what you’re thinking. I want to make lanterns and recycle my tin cans at the same time. What a coincidence, I was thinking the exact same thing, so here you go. You’re welcome.

Get the look: Gardener’s World have created a handy guide to help you create these environmentally friendly lanterns. Excellent for that quirky look without the cost. Quite nice for Halloween.

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#2 Bring the Sea to your Garden

Have you ever stood in the kitchen, looking out of the window and thought to yourself: “I’d really like to have an octopus in my garden”?

Thought not…But that didn’t stop an unknown artist from doing do so on the Island of Curacao. This Inspiring quirky idea looks amazing.

 

Get the Look: Get creative with the paint pot in your garden. Look at stones, doors, tree stumps, tree roots and fences. Can you add some eyes and a nose to make it look like an animal?

 

 

#3 The Secret Surfer

If there’s a secret surfer in your household who doesn’t like DIY work, tempt them away from watching YouTube surfer videos and into the garden by building them a surfboard fence.

This is a beautiful example of creativity, as excellently photographed by Rob DeCamp on the Maui Pack and Ship blog.

Get the look: You can use anything as a fence. Check out these creative ideas from World of Designers for more inspiration.

#4 Create a Compact Cascade Planter

It’s a mouthful but has a nice ring to it so I had to include it…Not to mention what a cool idea it is. For those who are square metre challenged in the garden department, this is one for you. Also, it makes your garden look bigger, says EcoPeanut, a site which has a everything you need to know about living a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

It’s one which came up recently and just had to be included in this guide as a perfect way to do your bit for the environment and reduce your carbon footprint at the same time.

Great space saver and movable. You can purchase this pre-made one here.

Get the look: You could buy a pre-made one, but where’s the fun in that. You can create this one yourself and paint it up how you like it. Shouldn’t be too hard, right…?

#5 Ditch the Boring Bird Bath

We all like looking at the birds in the garden, but bird baths can be a little boring.

Brighten up your bird watching with this home-made bird bath. Easy to make. Fake bird not mandatory.

Get the look: Check out this DIY job from the guys over at Home Stories A to Z. Follow along and get the look.

 

Author, journalist and blogger Alexandra Campbell of The Middle Sized Garden was kind enough to share another couple of inspirational ideas:

“You can use an old dustbin lid, turned up side down on a plant pot, as a
bird bath.

You can plant in almost anything, as long as there is drainage. Wellington boots make fun planters, for example.”

 

And here is exactly what Alexandra means, in this beautiful example of some wellington boot planters.

#6 The Haunted Shed

If you’re one of those people who think garden sheds at the bottom of the garden are scary, look away now…This one is about as scary as they come.

I tried tracking down who this beauty belongs to but without luck. If anyone knows, get in contact so I can give credit where it is most definitely due.

Get the look: I don’t think this is a quick DIY ikea flat pack garden furniture job…No offence Ikea. Best to leave this to the professionals.

#7 Vertical PVC Planter

As sophisticated as it sounds, it’s actually just some old drain pipe with holes in. Quirky as it comes though. Check out some more ingenious ideas over at Goods Home Design…

But not before checking out the amazing content in the rest of this post, of course…

Pro Tip: Get a cheap basic planter from Amazon, and then paint, decorate and improve upon it. You’ll have all the basics but a very unique looking garden planter. Click here to view them on Amazon.

Get the look: You can use old drain pipe or guttering, even go new if it’s easier…Attach it to your fence using the same mounts that are used for guttering. It’ll fit perfectly.

#8 Stowaway in a Shipping Container

Every wanted to run away from it all, becomes a secret stowaway on a boat perhaps? No, just me then. Just go with it…

Imagine yourself being able to do this from the confines of your back garden. So after you missed your sofa and cup of coffee, you’d be back in the warm in 5 metres.

Check out the Wild Flower Turf Blog for more on this excellent piece of work and About the Garden for more shipping container ideas.

Get the look: You can buy shipping containers in the UK and create your own in the garden. They aren’t cheap though…

#9 Raised Bed Railway Sleepers

This is a great idea for those who love to recycle and want to add a touch of character to their garden. Railway sleepers have become very popular in recent years, as everyone has gone retro.

Here is a great example that would work well in most gardens from the guys over at Bradfords.

Get the look: Unless you know a hoarder who has this type of thing laying around in their back garden, you’ll have to buy some railway sleepers. Make sure to use some kind of wood preserver though, otherwise you’ll be replacing the rotten wood before you want to…

#10 You Having a Bubble Bath mate?!

Having an overhaul of the bathroom? Waste not ye olde tub. Put it to good use and create this quirky seat for the back yard.

Rub-a-dub-dub, 3 people sat on a tub…It’s a fantastic way to get people talking about your creative style. And when it rains, just remove the cushions and it can stay outside. Maybe you could even stay sitting in it.

Get the look: Find an old bath on Ebay or Gumtree. Or contact a local builder or bathroom dealer and ask if they’re throwing away any old baths. Buy some fancy feet and get stuck in.

Paint it up in unique colours to match the style of your garden for that extra special, quirky look.

#11 Garden Table from Pallets

Using broken pallets in other ways than to make a massive fire has got to be a good idea. Transform those unwanted and broken timber pallets into something useful and quirky. Win-win.

Get the look: Check out these guys who can do a lot with timber. If you’re feeling adventurous, contact local warehouses who might have some old pallets lying around. Farmers are often a good call, too. In short, become a scavenger for wood…

#12 Barrel BBQ

A must for any garden is the BBQ. Gas ones are not cool, by the way. Get back to the good old ways and have a proper BBQ with coal. You can get all caveman with your mates.

If you’re not a BBQ type of person, check out these other cool ways to use old barrels. Some seriously creative people out there.

Get the look: Don’t go it alone, there is an excellent full tutorial here.

#13 Take a Ride. I mean Seat…

Remember that old bike lying in the shed. Rusting and ready to be loved again. Now you can put it out of its misery and sit on it in a more agreeable way…

Founder of Bike Furniture, Andy Gregg, makes some sublime furniture from, you guessed it, old bike parts. Highly recommend checking out his work.

Get the look: You could buy one of Andy’s pieces from his site. That’s the easy way. But if you’re feeling creative try something for yourself. What’s a few more weeks of the bike lying around doing nothing going to hurt…

#14 Vintage Suitcase Flower

Dig (pun intended) through all your old stuff in the loft. It’s time to get out the vintage suitcases and make use of them. And no, you’re not going on holiday.

Tracey did just that and look how well it turned out. Great inspiration for making the most of your old items.

Get the look: Check out the tutorial over on Tracey’s site. The gnome is optional, but highly recommended.

#15 Harness the Sun’s Power

This solar powered water feature doubles as a herb garden. No electricity needed, just the power of the sun. Pray for those good sunny days…

Get the look: Head on over to Primrose where you can pick this up or some which are very similar.

#16 More Wine is Fine

If you ever needed an excuse to drink more wine, here it is. You need the empty bottles for your DIY project.

Similar to when you were a kid and needed the empty washing up liquid bottle that never ran out, but I think the wine bottle will be easier to empty.

Get the look: See how it’s done over at RecyclArt. Take ideas from their inspiring post. Not recommended with a hangover.

#17 Put the (large) Kettle on…

The English obsession with tea does not stop outdoors. These tea cup tires are a very easy and fun way to decorate your garden with a little quirky style.

The options for colours, sizes and shapes are limited only by your imagination. This idea came from Amazing Interior Design.

Get the look: There is a handy video guide here. And if you want to make a flower styled one check out this video instead.

#18 Fill Your Boots

No need to throw your old boots away when you can make great use of them in the garden. What’s better is that the more battered they are the better.

Get the look: The Micro Gardener has some great ideas for shoe planters. In short, collect some old workman’s boots, fill em with soil and plant some flowers in them.

#19 Use your Hose Pipe

By now I’m sure you are using a hose pipe. If not, now is the time. And you can use your old watering cans for decoration.

Get the look: Have a look over at Praktic Ideas for some more inspiration of ways to arrange your flowers.

#20 On Your Bike

Vintage bikes are all the rage at the moment. But don’t let that put you off. There are numerous ways to make sure you get a unique look. Check out this page for some ideas.

Get the look: You can find these types of bike for sale on eBay, but they’re not cheap. I’d recommend going to local farmers and asking around. I got a vintage Raleigh style bike from a scrap heap in a farmer’s yard. I’d love to show you it but it got stolen…

You can also look for house clearance companies in your area and contact them. They usually have a goldmine of vintage and old style stuff lying around.

#21 Keep your Cars

Take a minute to appreciate this photo. I love it. Then think about how you could incorporate something similar into your garden. It doesn’t have to be a car, it could be any old piece of machinery.

Get the look: Collect old people’s unwanted wheel barrows. Ask your neighbours, friends and Facebook. Part bury the wheel barrow in the ground, smash it up a little and plant some flowers in it. Job done.

#23 Capture the Kids

Want a way to keep track of the kids in the garden. Now you can with this incredible idea for a hanging hammock which doubles as a towering table.

Some of the other ideas that are on the Fresh Design Pedia site are also very cool and unique.

Get the look: This is one you could try yourself, but it needs to be safe if you’ve got kids underneath it. Perhaps getting a professional to do it for you would be the best bet.

#24 A Flow of Flowers

If you’re feeling artistic after watching an episode of Blue Peter, this might just float your boat. A river flowing from any object is always eye-catching. Especially when it’s in your garden, on the lawn and the river is made of flowers. Who’d have thought it.

Get the Look: Find any large type of object that could conceivably have something flowing from it. Old barrels come to mind if you don’t have a gigantic tube lying around the house.

Keep searching for ideas and you’ll be sure to find something quirky that suits itself to your garden.

#25 Game your Garden

Gardens are for having fun. So why not making yours into a chess board? A great way to add some fun into your life and entice the kids away from their iPhone. Just don’t tell them it’s Chess…

Get the look: Laying down the paving slabs and pieces of turf shouldn’t be too hard. Make sure to meaure it out first. Use a string line to make sure it’s straight. Do one row at a time. For extra impact add a border around it such as a hedge or some bright flowers.

#26 Italian Inspired Hanging Herb Garden

Love this creative idea from Brooklyn Limestone. Really shows you that you can use all kinds of ways to make beautiful and practical changes to your garden.

Get the look: Keep some old tomoato cans, plant some basil in them and attach them to your fence. If you want to add the writing above, simply find some thin strips of wood at your local DIY shop and bolt them together. You could hang the letters and cans on the fence rather than permanently attach them if it’s not your fence.

#27 Hanging Out

If you want to feel warm and cosy in the garden, and don’t suffer from claustrophobia, this could be a good addition to your Christmas list.

Get the look: You can find the details about this hanging lounger from Dedon. They have other incredible furniture on there too.

Another idea I took from Battle Bunny is to attach rope to the chair and your tree. A similar idea for a fraction of the cost.

#28 Hot Tub Time Machine

On a sunny yet cold autumnal evening, what better way to relax than to light a fire and jump into a hot tub in the garden with a glass of wine and unwind.

Get the look: It’s not the cheapest but if you’re looking for a hot tub then you probably aren’t worried about the pennies…Check out Dutch Tub for prices and specs.

#29 Sit and Shovel

We all need a break sometimes, especially when we’ve been shoveling. If you’ve been shoveling extra hard you might have a few broken ones around. Which is ideal if you want to make this bonkers bench.

Created by Tom Loeser, this inspiring piece shows that you can get really creative with making practical pieces, too.

Get the look: It’s possible that you could create something like this, but I wouldn’t expect it to last long…Bit more of a show piece than a practical bench. But still, with the weather we have in the UK you’re more likely to be looking at it from inside the house than sitting on it in the rain. Very pessimistic of me I know!

#30 Bikes Apart

For any cycling enthusiast who is also a bit of a hoarder, you can now pat yourself on the back and think of yourself as a forward thinking individual. Because finally those rusty old bikes you hung on to are suitable for something…

Get the look: Visit the scrap yard, local council tip or your nearest canal…You’ll be sure to find dumped, beat-up old bikes ready to relish their new life, retired to the confines of your garden as a fence…What every bike aspires to become.

#31 Locked and Loved

Show appreciation for your guests and homage to the now extinct ‘love lock‘ bridge in Paris by dedicating a wire fence to it.

Get the look: Whenever a new guest comes over, write their name on a padlock and lock it to the fence. Give them the keys so you can’t remove it. Get different coloured locks and pens to write on them with, so they can leave you a personal message.

#32 Living in a Round House

If you’d like to get back to nature from the comfort of your own garden, perhaps a yurt would help. This beautiful structure could help you reconnect with nature and your family.

This incredible image is taken from Goods Home Design and shows just how luxurious yurts can be. Sitting by the fire at night and relaxing inside.

Get the look: Yurt Info is a great resource to find out more about all things yurt. You can pick them up from many yurt creators, just with a quick Google search you’ll find one in your area.

#33 Become a Temporary Herder

Ever wondered what it would be like to be a shepherd? Me neither, but now I come to mention it…I could be tempted to try out their living accommodation first. Which brings me nicely onto my next point.

Get the look: Plankbridge are a master’s hut maker in Dorset. By going to a professional like them, you get a great service and lots of experience. It does cost around £20,000 though. Here’s what the inside could look like, as they’re all custom built it’s totally up to you.

You could have a hunt around for an unused one. Farmers would again be a good starting place. In remote places, as they’re so popular now that a lot of people will have been hunting them down.

I lied…That’s not quite it!

I know I said there were 33 Quintessentially Quirky Ideas, but there are two more I had to include. When I saw them I couldn’t believe my eyes…

If you want to see them, simply share this post to reveal all. You will look seriously cool to all your Facebook friends and I promise you will not be disappointed!

I’m sure you will agree that they were worth the share! How amazing. I always like to end on a high note (pun intended). I’m on a roll. I must apologies for my poor puns.

Just one last thing…

If these ideas have left you feeling inspired, make sure to share it with your friends. Then you’ll look like a cool kid.