At Oak Hill Gardens, we know that finding exciting and creative ways to organize potted plants, decor features, garden tools, or even books throughout your garden backyard area, be it your garden, seating area, or outdoor kitchen, can manifest in numerous DIY shelving ideas.
Whether you’re a DIY-er or not, we’ve put together a list to help you create outdoor shelved storage below:
Table of Contents
Freestanding tall shelf
One of the first outdoor shelving solutions that come to mind is to use a plain freestanding tall shelf.
You can take advantage of the vertical space to turn it into a multi-purpose storing space.
Keep some plants at eye level so you can easily water them and put the heavier items on the bottom shelf so as not to weigh it down.
Feel free to store smaller garden items or even display garden décor to make it pleasing to the eye.
Wheeled shelving unit
Wheeled shelving units are similar to their freestanding counterparts. They’re typically taller, but not quite as tall as the freestanding one, which means you can put quite a lot of pots and other things that you need to store in your yard on it.
However, stick to storing just one type of item – such as plants – for a cohesive look.
Vertical Herb Garden Shelves
If you love cooking, you can create a vertical herb garden on this unit and keep it close to your kitchen for ease of reach. Who wouldn’t love getting the fresh aroma of basil or thyme when entering the kitchen? Exterior experts in yards and rural sheds, Fair Dinkum Builds note that a slight stretch in how you position greenery could even help you add that extra dash of insulation to any backyard compartment, be it a garage, shed, workshop, etc.
A-shaped plant stand
You could buy an A-shaped plant stand or DIY it. You simply need wood panels and a couple of other tools to put it together.
When flowers are in bloom, having a plant stand in your outdoors area is sure to make a statement. It’s a perfect addition for a smaller backyard, or it can even sit on your porch without taking up too much space, especially if you live in a city where backyards are smaller.
If that’s the case, keeping all the gardening tools and other outdoor items can be a challenge in itself. You can turn to self storage to help you better manage this space. Renting a self storage unit in Philadelphia – a city famous for its smaller lot sizes – costs around $152/month. A 10’x10’ unit would probably suffice for gardening tools and some patio furniture.
Cinder block shelves
A little DIY is all you need to get you to spend more time outdoors while getting crafty and a cinder block shelf is exactly what you need to create additional shelving outdoors whether for your plants or for your BBQ station. These are durable and can keep some of your heavier pots and gardening items. Get a few containers if you decide to dedicate a shelf to smaller gardening items. This will help keep things looking tidy and you’ll always be able to find what you’re looking for.
Repurposed ladder
You can use a lot of regular outdoor items that can be repurposed to provide storage space with a bit of flair.
If you have an old ladder that you’re thinking of disposing of, think again. You can paint it and add a couple of planks in-between steps to create a few “shelves”. This repurposed ladder is great for hanging plants – it can create a great effect, especially if you pick some species such as a string of pearls or burro’s tail that cascade down.
Hanging vintage cabinet
If you’ve recently worked on remodeling your home, you could use one of the old cabinets to create outdoor storage for your plants.
Spray paint it in natural colors to match your landscape and you’ve got yourself a brand new shelving solution for your yard.
Mount it on a wall to showcase your potted plants.
Make sure you get rustic pots for these plants to match the style.
If you don’t have an extra cabinet that you can use, you can always find one at a yard sale.
Wall-suspended industrial pallets
Storage industrial pallets can easily be transformed into a unique shelving solution.
You can paint them white or another color that either matches or contrasts with the wall you’re hanging them on. Hang pots of brightly colored plants to make your new shelves pop. They are sure to impress your guests and to put a smile on your face every morning you go out to sip on your coffee!
And they are quite fit in case you want to move.
Small floating shelves
Make sure to also think of a storage solution for your house walls, but don’t overdo it.
Install small floating shelves on the side of your home that doesn’t get as much sun so you can keep some of your succulents – they thrive without direct sunlight exposure. Placing them here is a discreet way to sneak in some extra natural décor and free your kitchen counter in the summer. We see you, succulent fans!
Tree-INSPIRED shelves
If you’re especially crafty, you can make round wooden shelves that you can attach to a sturdy tree in your backyard. It will certainly be an interesting addition to your landscape as the shelves will blend in with the surrounding nature. You can decorate them with small yard statues, candles and lantern or you can create a small feeding station for squirrels or birds. Think of this space as the decorative corner that wows with its uniqueness.
Mix & match, boxes & crates
This is where you can get creative with stacked wooden storage boxes and wine boxes.
Go to local hardware stores and browse recycling websites to find these boxes. Stack the storage boxes to create an instantaneous shelving space for your plants. Secure them with nails and place them against a wall to prevent any accidents. Leafy plants such as snake plants would go great with this type of décor. The greenery will match wonderfully with the natural wood of the boxes.
Macramé Shelves
If you have a smaller area to work with, perhaps macramé shelves are perfect for the space available and also to give a bohemian vibe to your outdoor area.
Place them in the nooks and crannies where you have no décor in place.
Here’s a DIY macramé shelf tutorial if you need some inspiration to get you started with a new project.
Ocean-inspired shelving system
You can think outside the box or outside dry land for another quirky shelving idea. Use your old canoe or other boat and sit it vertically against a wall. Now, the seating area could very well stand for shelves. Fill them up with colorful potted plants such as violas or coralbells. If you don’t have any nautical resources on hand, they’re available on Etsy.