Movable Planter Landscaping Ideas for the Front Yard

Nearly everyone wants a beautiful front yard, but if you are not a homeowner, it may sometimes not be worth the investment of time and energy to put in permanent features such as raised beds or massive in-ground plantings. In many cases, having attractive planters you can literally pick up and move is a decided plus, and homeowners will find that a few movable planters makes regularly refreshing the look of the landscape a pleasant occupation.

For a portable planter that looks as though it could stroll away by itself, you may like to imitate this fun idea illustrated by an Oregonian woman. She stuffed the legs of several pairs of old jeans with straw to give them the proper human shape, then topped them with annuals in grow bags to create a display worth a double-take. For a smaller, understated version, use cutoffs. Old handbags and hats with interesting textures and colors make whimsical "pots" for flowers as well.

If you are the sort who enjoys redecorating your yard and garden as often as rearranging the furniture in the living room, make things convenient with truly portable planters. Start by putting all your favorite flowers in easy-to-move, lightweight pots, then put the pots on wheels. Fill anything that moves – a child's wagon, a garden cart, wheelbarrow, stroller, bicycle with basket. When the urge for a new look hits, just drive your floral vehicle to a new spot and rearrange the pots to suit you.

Just because planters can be moved around at will, doesn't mean they have to look portable or flimsy. Get the look of age and permanence by disguising ordinary and very movable plastic planters with solid, heavy-looking materials. One clever way to do this is to line a discarded milk crate with plastic sheeting; fill it with soil and plant it; then surround the crate with mini walls of dry-stacked rocks, bricks or textured concrete pavers. Set it on a solid concrete or stone foundation to match, and it will appear built-in. You can easily remove your seemingly solid feature in a heartbeat by unstacking the masonry and carrying away your planter. Gabion planter baskets are another solid-looking planter you can dismantle to take with you.

For the more conventionally minded landscaper, large terra cotta or cement pots and urns are traditional in well-manicured gardens, but they are quite heavy. The same goes for modern, boxlike planters of wood or other materials. Size and weight need not concern you overmuch, however. If you want really big pots and planters, go ahead and buy or make them – just place the planters on industrial strength casters or dollies before filling them with soil. Look through hardware stores for casters designed for heavy appliances and attach them to the underside of a strong, homemade wooden platform to support your planter. Pair a homemade dolly with half a whiskey barrel for a quick, but substantial, portable planter.