As I’ve mention in previous posts, we’ve got a lot-a junk layin around our property. In the midst of the junk sorting, I came across four horse collars that I knew I wanted to save for…something? I waited a while for some inspiration to come to me. I definitely needed a horse collar for a rustic home decor project of some sort! When I found an old wooden door, I had the idea to put it all together as a horse collar planter.
Since it is Spring, every rustic home decor project I start becomes a planter. I just want to buy plants all day every day! I decided to use my three best horse collars for this project and save the fourth for later.
Also, the door was in very “rustic” shape. This little lady has spent some serious years getting weathered outside. I had to add a few screws here and there on the back to make sure all of the pieces stayed together.
To attach all of the elements, I first laid each horse collar on the door to get an idea of where I wanted them to be. Then I arranged each horse collar upside down on the ground and laid the door on top of them. I used 2 1/2 inch wood screws to attach the collars. I only screwed into the thickest part of the horse collar with two screws on each side, and they feel very secure.
 There will be a small gap at the bottom of each collar. This is OK and will actually make it easier to convert this puppy into a horse collar planter.
Horse Collar Planter : Rustic Wedding Decor Idea
Before I planted flowers in my horse collar planter, I got to thinking that it would make a pretty cool rustic wedding decor piece. So I collected some apple and cherry blossoms from around my yard as well as some lilacs that were starting to bloom. I was able to just strategically shove the branches and blooms into each horse collar to make a pretty sturdy arrangement. However, if you want them to stay put and look beautiful for several hours, you can get some green wet foam blocks to poke your flowers in. Make sure to jam your foam blocks in so that they are nice and snug and wont pull out from the weight of a heavy bouquet.
Put foam blocks into the horse collar first and then arrange your flowers as desired. There are so many different types of flowers that would look beautiful against a rustic horse collar. I even love how the simple Spring blooms from my yard turned out.
Horse Collar Planter : DIY
Now back to the horse collar planter. To create a planter space to hold soil and plants, I used burlap. I found this burlap ribbon that worked perfectly and didn’t have as many loose strings as regular cut burlap would.
You will need four pieces of burlap for each horse collar, two (double layer) for the bottom and sides inside the collar, and two for the front to create a sort of basket. Since horse collars come in many sizes, just be sure to cut your pieces to accommodate your collar and plant. My horse collars could have easily fit a larger plant. I used a staple gun to attach the burlap to the horse collar, but you could use a heavy duty stapler.
After the burlap is attached you can add soil and plant your flowers. I chose Impatiens since my front porch is covered and gets very little direct sunlight. If you have a good full sun location, I think that Wave Petunias would be a beautiful colorful choice, or you could even go the succulent route.
I have to say, I really love the way this horse collar planter looks. I’m not even a huge rustic decor fan, but the contrast between delicate flowers and the heavy duty re-purposed horse tack gives me all the feels. I can’t wait to see these Impatiens fill in, and test out other types of plants in Springs to come. Be sure to check out my other re-purposed planter idea!
If you’re looking for your own horse collar to re-purpose, try Craigslist.
