The Rainforest Garden: DIY Hanging Birdcage Planter

Do you have a birdcage lying around and taking up space? Turn it into a hanging garden! We had a birdcage for guests at the wedding to deposit their cards into, but I knew just what to do with it when we came home. Even though our birdcage is a little more ornamental, I'm sure that real birdcages would provide a similarly novel effect. Here's how I did it!

Start with a birdcage!

You can spray Rustoleum on the cage a few days prior if you want, but since I can deal with a little rust, I went au naturale. I lined the base with long grain sphagnum moss, removed a Rhipsalis baccifera from it's container and inserted it into the cage, lining with more moss. I chose Rhipsalis baccifera because the hanging stems mimic the vertical chartreuse bars on the cage. I might even end up letting two ceramic birds nest in the cage as soon as I find some.

If you want this look in your own garden, you can use any plant that you would normally place in a hanging container as long as you disguise the container with moss or coir. To hang, just use some sturdy ceiling hooks and picture hanging wire. If you'd rather not hang it, the cage container would even look cool sitting on a table or plant stand. I hope you liked this idea! I'll continue blogging about the Disney honeymoon trip tomorrow... I just couldn't wait to show you!

Garden Variety Creativity

The Rainforest Garden is about enriching your life with everything that the garden has to offer, be it mud puddles, surprise blooms or freshly-picked backyard produce.

My name is Steve Asbell and I'm the author of Plant by Numbers, as well as an aspiring children's author/illustrator. My two-year old son, however, is my biggest and most exhausting accomplishment.

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8 comments:

NanaKMay 28, 2011 at 9:03 PM
The rhipsalis is perfect for that birdcage. Love it. I have used the birdcage from my daughter's wedding for many different planter applications. Right now, it is holding the tillandsias on an outdoor table.
Steve AsbellMay 28, 2011 at 9:08 PM
I'm so glad to know that someone has used a birdcage as a planter! Tillandsias sound like a perfect use too. I have these big wire cages all along the ledge of my balcony that hold my containers of epiphytes and loose tillandsias. Oh, Jayne Locas from Bless My Bloomers posted a photo of her petunia birdcage on my facebook page! I'm surprised that I haven't seen this done before considering its clearly been done.
lotusleafMay 28, 2011 at 9:26 PM
Your birdcage looks beautiful with the rhipsalis. I tried growing some billbergias in my Chinese birdcage, but the bills didn't seem to like it:(
Steve AsbellMay 28, 2011 at 10:39 PM
Maybe the birdcage has heavy metals in it! Bromeliads hate stuff like copper and eventually rot from contamination.
Candice Suter.....SweetstuffMay 29, 2011 at 4:46 AM
That is so awesome. Talk about Tillandsias, how bout hanging some inside at different levels like little birds! I think that would be cool too.
BomMay 29, 2011 at 10:41 AM
Great work, Steve! Looks wonderful. Hah! Idiot me. It looks so perfect that I didn't even realize in the first picture that the flowers were part of the cage.
lisbonlionessJune 9, 2011 at 9:39 PM
You had me at birdcage. I'd never cage a bird EVER, but it seems perfect for plants. What a stinkin' BRILLIANT idea, man!
thatgirljessApril 17, 2012 at 5:46 PM
I bought a very interesting birdcage several years ago at a second hand junk store {or treasure trove as I like to think} but have been using it simply as decoration in my home. Updating it a bit into a hanging planter is a great idea! Thanks so much for the inspiration! I love your blog and use it as a blueprint for many of my own gardening designs and creations.

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