Repurposing not rejecting. Upcycled flower ideas for the garden, terrace and balcony.

Tasteful decoration doesn’t have to be expensive. Through creative repurposing, so-called upcycling, you can give old unwanted objects a completely new function with very little effort. This is not only good for the environment, but also for the wallet and produces a variety of imaginative, individual and attractive design ideas.

The experts at Pelargonium for Europe have checked out the scene and discovered new, original, upcycled projects for gardens, balconies and terraces that put geraniums in the spotlight in a contemporary and sustainable way and that anyone can achieve.

On a wooden wall painted in a warm terracotta shade, straw hats hung up make a beautiful feature. Flower and craft fans can upgrade this boho-style wall by transforming old straw hats into planters for colourful geraniums.

This quirky upcycled idea adds a lot of summer fun and holiday spirit and is simple to make with the following instructions:

Materials needed: geraniums in zinc flowerpots, straw hats, strong twine, a needle and thread, a hammer, a nail and a pair of scissors.

Step 1: Use the nail to hammer two holes on either side of the top of the zinc flowerpot, cut a length of strong twine about 50cm long and knot the ends at the holes.

Step 2: Cut a hole in the side of the straw hat (at the front or back of the hat looks best) so the pot and geranium can be placed inside.

Tip: Before cutting, spread some glue on the inside of the hat in the area you wish to cut and leave it to dry. This helps prevent the braided straws from fraying after cutting.

Step 3: Place the zinc flowerpot with its opening facing the hole in the straw hat and sew the pot to the hat where the holes in the pot are.

Step 4: Then carefully place the geranium in the planter. Make sure the twine is free so the hat with the geranium inside can be hung from it.

Raised box planters usually offer more space than classic balcony boxes or containers and so are ideal for colourful seas of geraniums on balconies and terraces. For these homemade, on-trend, upcycled pieces, a disused drawer and an old wooden box have been mounted on bases made from a suitcase stand and chair legs respectively. Fresh paint and new knobs on the drawers add the finishing touches to this homemade furniture.

Tip: Old drawers, crates and other containers can of course be used as alternative planters without a frame too.

Important: Always make sure there is proper drainage to prevent waterlogging.

DIY- Crafting idea for amateur gardeners big and small:

As plant decoration in pots and planters, these charming bottle top flowers are a match for gorgeous geraniums. This pretty and on-trend upcycled decoration idea is quick and easy to make yourself with collected bottle tops, lids from tin cans, wooden sticks and paint. It looks extra special when the handcrafted flowers and geraniums are perfectly colour-coordinated, as shown here.

Step 3: Decorate the bottle top flowers with waterproof markers and glue them onto the wooden stick.

Step 4: Finally, push the finished bottle top flowers into the geranium pots. Done!

Here’s how it’s done:

Step 1: Use the pliers to bend the spoon handle forward, towards the bowl of the spoon to create a hook as on a coat rack.

Tip: The bend is not created where the pliers grip the spoon, but usually slightly above it. Depending on the spoon, position the pliers in the lower third of the handle, rather than in the middle.

Step 2: Drill a hole in the middle of the spoon bowl so the upcycled hook can later be attached to the wall.

Step 3: Finally, attach the homemade cutlery hook to the wall, either with a nail or with a dowel and screw and hang the macramé hanging basket containing the flowering geranium on it. Your on-trend, boho, upcycled decoration is complete.