Sustainable Backyard Decorating Ideas That You Can Start Right Now!

You can decorate your backyard and garden with sustainable, eco-friendly products. It actually will show your true personal style.

The good thing about sustainable decorating is that you don’t have to follow any style. Just build your own. The goal is not to create a perfect landscape you see in the magazines, but to create one that blends in with your outdoor decor style while helping the environment and achieving a healthier home.

There are many sustainable ways you can improve your yard and garden that are better for you and your family.

I think, and if you read my other upcycling projects, you know that it is important to reuse things we already have at home and build new sustainable objects and furniture.

I encourage you to do the same. You’ll help the planet and save money on decoration. Plus, DIY-ing is FUN!

You can repurpose a thrift find, second hand and upcycled pieces in your patio.

I’ll give you some great ideas on how to sustainably design and use renewable resources in your backyard and garden, which reduce your carbon footprint and are environmentally friendly.

Sustainable decorating is about making choices that ensure there are fair trade in place, and you are conscious about the materials you use in your patio decoration.

Choosing a new piece that has been produced sustainably, or you create it from recycled materials is a great start!

When you choose sustainable materials or repurpose a piece of old outdoor furniture, you create less waste and make a healthier place to live in.

These sustainable DIY projects will open up opportunities for you to be creative and take a personal hand in decorating your patio and porch.

 

Well, let’s dive in!

 

DIY garden markers

 

Homemade plant markers are not only sustainable but easy and fun DIY projects. You can use painted rocks, recycled wooden spoons, or build your own with cute wooden hearts and BBQ bamboo sticks.

These herb markers are perfect sustainable craft projects for your kids too. Summer is coming, and everyone needs some cute craft ideas!

 

Painted rock herb markers

Diy painted rock garden markers are so cute and colorful.

Rocks are free and easy to pick up a few when you walk on the beach or in the forest. Get into the groove and paint some colorful herb markers this spring.

Heart shape outdoor garden markers

Wooden heart herb markers are another easy and quick craft project. Bamboo and wood are all-natural sources and will complement your garden beautifully.

Wooden spoon herb markers

I’m sure you had to throw away chipped or broken bamboo wooden spoons in your life. Next time keep them and use them in the garden.

A perfect natural addition to your garden, and they will help you to identify your crops.

 

DIY bamboo garden bed

Now let’s create a veggie garden. There is more to it than a bamboo garden bed, but it is a good start if you want to create a sustainable garden.

I’m no advanced gardener, but I like to eat my organic tomatoes, arugula, and greens.

Unfortunately, I can’t find fresh produce all the time, and usually, they are super expensive in organic stores.

 

Using bamboo to build a garden bed is a very sustainable act. I know you might not have bamboo around, but you can find long tree branches if you or your neighbor had to cut down a tree lately.

 

Bamboo or branch trellis.

Again you can use bamboo or branches and build a trellis for tomatoes and cucumbers, squash, beans. It is nice to help those “climbers” not to lay down on the soil. Plus, you are creating a beautiful vertical garden.

Instead of buying plastic trellis in the department stores, save money, help the planet, and use natural sources.

 

Growing plants in cups

As much as I want to live plasticless and try to produce less plastic waste, I still love sourcream, and I realized I could upcycle the containers to grow my herbs and small plants.

I know you might think they are ugly, but here is a cute DIY idea of how you can make them a part of your beautiful pot garden.

Upcycle a washing machine drum into a planter

Another way you can help the planet is reducing plastic waste. We found this washing machine drum in the woods (nice people who leave trash behind in the forest)

Anyway, we decided to give the drum a new life and repurposed it to a giant planter.

Repaint an old plastic pot

Soo many people throw away plastic pots because they are a little chipped. I found this pot after Hurricane Maria at the curb and decided to turn it into a colorful planter. 

Reducing plastic waste and saving money is a win-win for everyone!

 

Driftwood orchid and succulent planters

 

Oh boy who doesn’t like succulents, air plants, and orchids… They are beautiful and easy to care for.

There are many succulent planter ideas for indoor gardening, but I wanted to show you how driftwood can be the perfect planter for them in a sustainable garden. They keep moisture for a long time, creating an excellent environment for this type of plant.

Driftwoods are easy to find around beaches and riverbeds, and they can be incorporated into a coastal themed decoration.

 

Build a driftwood bench for a cozy garden sitting area

Thanks to nature, driftwood come in different sizes and shapes and have been inspiring many of us to use them as home decoration. If you are lucky and find some bigger pieces, you can DIY a garden bench.

We spend our afternoon sipping wine on this bench and enjoying the sunset.

 

Repurpose a thrift find into a welcoming porch bench

This bench has been sitting for years at our family’s house, and we decided to finally reclaim it and give it a new playful red color.

There is nothing better than finding a piece of wooden furniture at the flea market or in a thrift store.

You can use your imagination and repurpose them into a unique, sustainable yard decoration. They are comfy and reflecting your decor style.

 

 

Upcycle an old truck into an outdoor bed

You can watch the stars at night or have an outdoor movie night in this repurposed truck.

I love it that the creator of this truck use hay instead of cushions. It cannot be any more natural and down to earth!

 

Turn a wooden boat into a garden bed

If you like coastal decoration and happen to live around the beach or have a beach house, this is a great idea of how to repurpose an abandoned boat into a garden bed.

This can not get any cuter and beachy. 😉

Build a composting bin from upcycled materials

Composting is a great way to reduce kitchen waste and turn it into a spectacular nutritious soil to have a healthy veggie garden.

Building a compost bin from reclaimed wood is the perfect way to give a new life to any scrap wood you might have from previous DIY projects.

So instead of throwing them away, repurpose them and make a compost bin.

Rainwater harvesting bins DIY

It is effortless to use water from the water hose every day. But what about if you don’t have water for days or weeks? What about the chemicals present in the water?

There is a sustainable way to water your plants. Get a couple of barrels or giant trash cans and collect rainwater. You can paint them, and they will be a cute decoration in your backyard.

You are helping the planet by conserving water, and most likely, the rainwater is free of harmful chemicals, and your garden will enjoy it.

 

Solar lights

Who likes to walk in the garden in the dark and find that needed herb for the dinner’s recipe?

Not me. BUT I think with a renewable resource, such as solar garden light, we help our environment and saving money on electricity too.

These lights are using solar energy, a.k.a. a natural resource, and it replenishes naturally in a couple of hours.

If you place it to a spot in your garden where the sun can replenish its energy during the day, you got a beautiful garden light at night.

 

Sustainable Backyard Decor & Gardening Tips

• Look around the house and find objects you can repurpose.
• Try to use as many natural materials as you can like wood, bamboo, twine, etc.
• Find pre-owned furniture at thrift stores — treasures at curbs and flea markets.
• Buy local and sustainable when possible. Try local markets and local small businesses when you make a purchase.
• Use natural elements like solar power and rainwater to nourish your garden.

 

At the end of the day, our goal is to live sustainably, and luckily there are a lot of backyard and gardening tips helping us to achieve that goal.

Do you need other budget-friendly backyard decor ideas? Check out my previous posts:

• Easy patio and outdoor DIYs
• Patio and backyard makeovers on a budget
• Backyard activities and games DIY ideas
• Cute painted terracotta pots DIY

 

I hope you got inspired and will try to think outside of the box to create an amazing sustainable backyard where you can enjoy organic food and summer nights with your family.

Don’t forget to leave a comment with your tips and PIN it for later use!