Bird Bath Planter: Turn an Old Birdbath into a Succulent Garden

Tired of cleaning murky bird bath water every day? Here's a beautiful solution: repurpose that bird bath into a thriving, elevated succulent garden. In this post, I’ll walk you through how I transformed a 20-year-old concrete bird bath into one of my favorite planters.

My concrete birdbath became my succulent garden birdbath!  If you also love succulents, take a look at how I bring my hens and chicks indoors. Or, a simple idea using succulents to make a great gift.

Why I Love This Bird Bath Planter

I reused a favorite piece I already owned—my concrete bird bath.

Most of the succulents came from my own yard, which made it budget-friendly.

The elevated planter adds structure and interest to my garden.

It gave new life to an item I didn’t want to throw away.

It's a creative, new use for something, and I enjoyed how it looked all summer!

Choosing the Right Bird Bath for Planting

Not every bird bath is ideal for plants. Concrete or stone bird baths work best. Avoid metal ones—they get hot in the sun and can harm your succulents.

Your bird bath should be shallow enough for succulents but deep enough to add drainage material and soil.

Where to Place Your Planter

Succulents love sunlight, but too much heat - especially in a shallow container - can stress the plants. Place your bird bath in morning sun, preferably on the east side of your yard.

This gives them the light they need without baking them in hot afternoon sun.

How to Add Drainage Without Drilling

My bird bath didn’t have drainage holes, so I added a thick layer of stones at the bottom. This helps keep excess water away from the succulent roots.

Then, I added a mix of potting soil and cactus/succulent soil, slightly mounding it in the center to allow better drainage.

What Succulents Work Best

I used mostly hens and chicks (sempervivum) because they thrive in shallow soil and are hardy perennials in my Zone 5 garden.

All but one of the plants came from my yard—free and proven to grow well here. Those “spider web” hens and chicks were the only new addition.

Here's what I love about this succulent garden.  The succulents are all perennial in my area (zone 5, Wisconsin).  All of them, except one, came from somewhere in my yard. So this was an inexpensive project too!

How to Plant the Succulents

Once your soil is in, plant the succulents close together for that lush, filled-in look.

I tucked in a few larger rocks between plants for texture and to give a natural finish.

Pro tip: If storms are expected, wait until after heavy rain to plant so your roots have time to establish in calm weather.

What to Do About Overwatering or Heavy Rain

Because the bird bath has no drain holes, I tip it gently after a rainstorm to let excess water escape.

The stones underneath the soil act as a reservoir and keep the roots from staying soaked. If needed, you can tip the planter again a few hours later to drain more water.

Overwintering

In the fall, I remove all my perennial plants from any type of planter I have and plant them in the ground. I give them enough time to establish themselves so they will overwinter well (I usually move them in early October). Most plants, even perennials, will not survive the winter in a planter in my zone 5 area because the roots will get too cold.

I must have hundreds of the traditional hens and chicks.  Five years ago, I had 8, given to me by a neighbor when I lived in Illinois. They are the hardiest succulents! In the picture above, they are the ones in the middle, surrounded by the rocks.

I love looking at my succulent birdbath garden! It brings me joy that I have repurposed a birdbath that is special to me and is now purposefully used.

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Originally published June 15, 2015. Updated for clarity and new photos.