DIY River Stone Planter

by TristaGee

65K38421

Intro: DIY River Stone Planter

This intractable is going to show how to make these beautiful river stone planters. They make charming mother's or father's day gifts, or can just be fun crafts for the family to do together. 

These planters are super easy and fun to make. Lets get started! 




And please, if you like what I've done here, please vote for this Instructable in the Gardening Contest. Thank you so much :)

STEP 1: What You'll Need

Not very many items are needed to make these planters, and they are probably one of the most inexpensive projects I've come across (always a plus). 

What to get:
-Pot or planter (I used some spare terra cotta pots wasting away in our garage, as well as a plastic one. To save money, I'd recommend checking around in storage before purchasing new planters)
-Hot glue gun
-River Stones (I found my river stones at Dollar Tree ---$1 for a pretty decent sized bag--- but they can also be found at any craft store. Or, hey!, why not gather your own while going on a nature walk or visiting any river or lake?

When your planter is done:
-Don't forget your lovely flower and potting soil for planting!

STEP 2: Get to Gluing!

This project is pretty much a time consuming exercise in puzzles. All I did was, starting at the base of the pot, glue rocks on one-by-one. I found it really fun trying to find the perfect shapes and sizes to fit into each next place.

Oh, and be careful not to burn yourself. I tend to be a little hasting when applying the glue to the rocks, and as a result I'm lucky to still have a few fingerprints left. 

STEP 3: Plant Your Flowers

Once the rocks are glued on, you can pretty much immediately begin using your planter. 


I really love these little guys, as my best friend pointed out, they look like little orange caterpillars. :)



And there you have it!   Enjoy your lovely new creations!

20 Comments

Gingerpoopoo 1 year ago

Unfortunately, hot glue won't hold the rocks. I used 2 part, clear, Gorilla epoxy and it's been years outside. Rocks still attached.

WUVIE 7 years ago

What a neat little project, and a great reminder that I have a box full of these stones just sitting around gathering cobwebs. Thanks for sharing!

E De Weese 8 years ago

Try using Gorilla for masonry. Comes in those big calking tubes,

Pumpkin22 8 years ago

This is great idea , what type of glue would I need ? Just a strong super glue ?

elw900 10 years ago

My girls and I made this for Daddy..... And he potted in it last night and today, most of the rocks had fallen off..... What could I have done wrong?????

bajablue 10 years ago

Hot glue doesn't hold up well. It wasn't your fault.

chrymyrs 10 years ago

This project looks so awesome! My kids were trying to make this for their grandma last night and we ran into a problem. The only rocks I could find have a shiny gloss on it. The glue won't stick to it. Are your rocks glossy? What kind of glue sticks did you use?

TristaGee 10 years ago

Hmm.. Yes, my rocks were glossy. Well, actually for the white pot I used rocks that were kind of dusty. I had a little bit of a problem getting those to stick at first. The multi-colored pot DID have glossy rocks though. I remember for my test run a few of the didn't want to stick at first, but all I did differently was just kind of hold and press each rock until I knew the glue was dry.

I've gone through a couple different types of glue sticks doing these, but the current bag I'm on is "Ad tech- Multi-Temp"

So sorry you've had problems :(

tlanctot-buker 10 years ago

I just finished making this for my husband for Father's Day :) Thanks for the great idea! It was fun to make. And you're right about the hot glue. I think I'm shy a few
Finger prints as well ;)

breumer 10 years ago

Love your project ! I am looking at your project and my brains are speeding up ! if you have still some rocks you could make a table runner ! fits nicely with your flower pots! And that you could use! And_Or as coasters for pans !

TristaGee 10 years ago

Way to be on the same page! I already have some placemats in the making :D

HollyMann 10 years ago

And I'd only change one thing - use stones from your own yard! :) If possible anyway...I will def. be doing this - so thank you! I made a garden last year - had to totally dig up everything by hand (I live across the street from a river) and all I found were stones and rocks. Still have the pile - great to have a use!

TristaGee 10 years ago

That is a really good idea.

Wynd 10 years ago

So cute! And a great gift idea for a gardener :D

Rhett_Butler 10 years ago

This is really good. I'll be using this for sure.

TristaGee 10 years ago

Awesome to hear! I hope they turn out well for you :D