Power Tools Rater: How to Build an Easy DIY Wall Planter Ladder

Outdoor planters make such a difference to a yard or exterior by adding color and texture with the plants, and today’s outdoor wall plant ladder is the perfect solution for those who want to add flowers and plants without a large planter “footprint” in the yard. This hanging wall planter is affordable to build and perfect for hanging on a fence, like Angela did! Add your favorite flowers, or use this wall planter as an herb garden, too. Give Angela a warm welcome and enjoy her wonderful and easy vertical planter tutorial!

Hey Remodelaholic friends! It’s Angela from Angela Marie Made where I share DIY projects, woodworking tutorials, and home decor ideas. I’m excited to share today the tutorial on how to build my DIY wall planter ladder!

Last summer I built a DIY vertical planter stand for our back patio. I wanted to add another planter to our patio space that complimented the vertical planter stand. So, I decided to build a wall planter ladder! I love how our new wall planter has allowed me to add more flowers to the patio without taking up much space and it looks great hanging on our white fence.

This DIY wall planter ladder cost me about $25 in materials and took a few hours to complete.

How to Build a DIY Wall Planter Ladder

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Tools:

Miter Saw
Drill
Kreg Jig pocket hole jig
Tape Measure
Clamps

Materials:

(2) 1×2 @ 8ft cedar boards*
Waterproof Wood Glue
1 1/4″ Kreg pocket hole screws
1 1/4″ and 3/4″ Wood Screws
Flower Pot Clips
Flower Pots**
Wood Stain (I used Minwax English Chestnut)

*I used cedar wood because my wall planter will be outdoors and cedar is a naturally weather resistant wood.

**I used 5 inch, terra cotta flower pots from my local Joann Fabrics and spray painted them white with outdoor spray paint.

Step 1: Cut wood to size

Use a miter saw and make the following cuts from the 1x2s:

Two pieces at 40″
Five pieces at 17″

Step 2: Add pocket holes to wood

Use a Kreg Jig and add a pocket hole to each end of the five 17″ wood pieces.

Step 3: Attach wall planter boards together

Use a tape measure and mark the following points with a pencil on each of the 40″ wood pieces:

5.5″ and 7″
12.5″ and 14″
19.5″ and 21″
26.5″ and 28″
33.5″ and 35″

Line up your five 17″ pieces within each of the marked points and attach to the 40″ pieces with wood glue and 1 1/4″ Kreg screws.

Step 4: Add wood hooks to the wall planter (optional)

If you’re going to be hanging the wall planter from a wood wall/fence or similar surface, then you can attach it with wood screws. But, if you are going to hang it from something like a vinyl fence (like I did), then add the wood hooks to the ends.

To make the wood hooks, make the following cuts from the remaining 1×2:

Two at 2 1/4″
Two at 4″

Then, add two pocket holes to each of the smaller pieces.

Attach these two smaller pieces to the ends of the wall planter with extra wood glue and 1 1/4″ Kreg Screws. Tip: Slowly drill the Kreg screws into the wood to avoid any wood splitting since these pieces are smaller and cedar wood is softer.

Then, clamp the 4″ pieces to the ends of the 2 1/4″ pieces (make sure to put wood glue in between first). Next, drill a pilot hole in the center of the ends and attach with a 1 1/4″ wood screw as shown in the below photo.

Once both sides are finished, your wall planter ladder will have two wood hook ends!

Step 5: Stain the wall planter ladder & add pot clips

Now that your wall planter ladder build is complete, go ahead and stain it. I used Minwax English Chestnut for my stain. For tips on staining wood with a beautiful finish, check out my how to stain wood tutorial. Also, if you’re interested in doing a grey wood stain finish, see my post on 5 grey wood stain options.

Next, add the flower pot clips with 3/4″ wood screws. Make sure to drill pilot holes first to prevent wood splitting.

Finally, your wall planter ladder is all ready for pretty flower pots to be added! I used 5 inch terra cotta flower pots from my local Joann Fabrics and spray painted them white with outdoor spray paint.

I just love the final result!! It really helps to spruce up our back patio!

Well I hope you’ve enjoyed this DIY wall planter ladder tutorial and it helps to add some more flowers and plants to your home or garden! Happy building!