Bird Cage Planter

A few weeks ago I went to the Northwest Flower and Garden Show where I saw so many things that were so gorgeous, but so expensive.  Quite a bit of it could easily be made at home at a fraction of the cost, one of those items was a bird cage planter.  I didn't get pictures of the ones at the garden show because they tend to frown on you doing that, some even post signs, which I totally respect.

 This one was at my local nursery, it was about 12" high with some basket hanging plants sitting inside.  It's cute, but I knew I could do one even more cute!!

I stopped off at Michaels and what did I find?  Bird cages 50% off making the larger ones around $15 and the smaller ones were around $11.  Of course I had to pick a couple (ok more than a couple) up. 

Next stop was my local nursery where I picked up a lemon cypress tree and some random flowers that I thought would look nice in the bird cage.

When I got home I foraged some moss to use as a liner, can't beat free, right?  I also grabbed a plastic plant tray, you could totally use terra cotta if you wanted to get all fancy.  Lastly, some potting soil.

To see how it would look I put the plants in the bird cage before starting to make sure I liked the combination.  I did, so I could proceed.

After I put the plastic tray on the bottom of the bird cage I used the moss to build up the sides and hold in the dirt.  It's just like when you use it when planting hanging planters.  I did see a bird cage where they used one of the coconut liners instead of moss, but I prefer this look.

Lastly, I took the plants out of their containers and placed them where I wanted in the bird cage.  I put the lemon cypress in the center then used the smaller plants around it.  I used two plants that were meant for hanging baskets because they trail, and some pansies, because I love them. 

Overall, I'm really happy with the result.  It didn't cost anywhere near what it would have if I purchased it at the garden show or even a nursery, it was in the area of $30 or so dollars.  If I had gone to a garden center instead of a nursery to get the plants it would have been even cheaper, but I didn't want to drive the 20 minutes since I was on limited time.

I will make at least one more of these, then with the other bird cages..... I'm not sure yet.  Stay tuned!