How to Turn on Old Wooden Stepladder into a Plant Stand

Good morning, ladies of the nest. Today we are going to create a unique little ladder planter for the garden. I have been having fun decorating my patio, and I started with adding an upcycled army trunk to one corner. Today I am going to create a spot for displaying flowers.

Step Ladder Flower Display

What is it by the way with the addictive power of garden centers? You go in there to buy a new attachment for the garden hose and you come out with an overflowing cart of perennials (even after I decided to be frugal and not waste too much money on perennials this year). Oh, the lure of all those flowers blooming in all those pretty colors. The colorful arrangements that look so good in this year’s hottest containers. The rows and rows of blooms begging you to take them with you.

I am such a sucker…..

I came back with lots of flowers. And in my defense, I have been enjoying them immensely. So I guess that makes it okay, doesn’t it?

But it did bring up the question of where to put all those flowering garden plants?

My collection of pink flowers was given a very special place to do their thing. I dug up a little step ladder from the basement, painted it white and it is now a perfect flower stand.

The step ladder has a sentimental meaning. My partner made it. In school when he was about 14 years old.

Like most very young boys he did not have a clue where to go in life or what to do and where to go for his education after primary school. His father had learned his trade ‘at the job’ from the age of 12, so he decided for him and send him to technical school to ‘learn a proper skill’. Woodworking became the training of choice. So in fact I have a bona fide carpenter at home…

Not that you’d know it if you came over, since he kind of hates DIY projects with a vengeance, and I have not seen him ‘built’ anything in all the years we are together. But at one time in his life, before events and interests took him in a totally different direction, he worked with his hands and created ‘stuff’ from nothing. Like this little ladder plant stand (and a lovely little sawhorse bench that I gave a makeover years ago).

Sidenote: if you don’t happen to have a carpenter at home who can make you a little stepladder like this. Just be on the lookout for old ladders in yard sales. There is always a variety of them for sale that are just waiting for an upcycle.

Using an old ladder in the garden

This old wooden ladder is standing under the roof over our patio. It is shielded from the rain and sun. I made sure it was fit for outside use anyway because I want it to last. In another article, I have written the best ways to weatherproof for furniture for outside use, be sure to check it out.

The step ladder used to be just plain wood. I hunted high and low through my extensive photo archives for a ‘before’ photo, but as it turned out I never photographed the ladder in its original state. But heck just imagine it light brown and you are good to go. 

I choose white paint for this old ladder because white is the perfect color as a backdrop for flowers in bright colors. To ensure that the ladder is safe for outside use I used paint that is meant for fences and outdoor furniture. I gave the vintage ladder several coats of paint. Painting it thoroughly with the right kind of paint can turn kitchen tables into garden tables. It will help make my little ladder plant stand safe from the elements for many years.

FLowering Plants Perfect for a Ladder Display

I don’t know why or how it happened but I somehow ended up with several varieties of petunia. I love that plant. The soft petals are so sweet and when you keep picking out the old flowers, it just keeps blooming and blooming all summer. I kind of hate though that it is so sticky. Picking out the wilted flowers is a bit of a messy job, but I guess like always, beauty has a price.

This white wood ladder with the flowers adds such a wonderful pop of color to my patio.

I used a variety of flower pots, as long as they were white, they were good. It was even better when they were lightweight. But since my plant holders were relatively small it was all good to go.

The ladder rungs of a ladder are quite narrow so it helps if the plants and their pots are not too big. That’s why a ladder stand is also exactly the right size for creating a little herb garden.

Alternatively, you could build out the steps into proper shelves so you can add even more plants on the ladder. I choose not to do that because I needed a small stand for my flowers.

Ah that waterfall of miniature flowers in an old soup terrine, gotta love it.  Don’t you agree that old terrines are cute plant pots?

So there you have it. And old stepladder turned plant stand. Another little project done, involving white paint and flowers and sweet memories.

It makes this ladder flower stand among the best of the best of projects in my book.