11 Simply Genius Ways To Use Old Nursery Pots To Bring Birds & Pollinators To Your Yard

Backyard landscaping tips often include features that don't just make your outdoor area look beautiful, but also bring in more wildlife. Attracting birds and pollinators is a wonderful way to add more color and movement to your garden. These beneficial animals can act as a natural pest control remedy, help pollinate your garden, and, of course, provide entertainment. 

In return, providing food, water, and nesting sites can help support birds, butterflies, and bees. Many of our favorite backyard visitors face factors like habitat loss and excessive pesticide use, which is why some populations have been declining. Surprisingly, you can attract all of your favorite species with the help of all those nursery pots taking up storage space. Nursery pots and terracotta pots have a lot of traits that make them perfect for DIYing pollinator and bird yard features. 

They're built to withstand outdoor conditions, so you won't have to worry about them warping or deteriorating from the hot sun or a rainstorm. These containers are generally durable and lightweight, which makes them easy to hang or move around the garden. They come in several shapes and sizes and often have accompanying saucers. So, they're perfect for making nearly everything you'd need to attract birds and pollinators, like baths, feeding stations, and nesting sites. That means it's time to dust off all of those unused nursery pots so you can get started on the ideas below. 

Although the idea of a bug hotel may seem unusual at first, it's actually a great way to attract your favorite pollinators. All you need is a nursery pot (or a few) and supplies you can often find in nature. Bees like nesting in hollow tubes, so make sure to include lots of hollow plant stems, straws, or similar items. You can also drill various-sized holes through a scrap block of wood. Choose a sunny location where your bee hotel isn't at risk of getting swept up by the wind.

You don't need to spend a ton of money on a new bird feeder, especially if you already have all of the tools to make it yourself. You'll need a terracotta pot, two saucers, a braided cable, a hammer, and an end stop ferrule. Place the braided cable inside the end stop ferrule and use a hammer to secure it. Then, you'll just need to thread the cable through the saucer, pot, and other saucer to create a tray, food holder, and easy-to-open lid. 

Adding a birdbath is a great way to attract birds to your yard and garden without a feeder. Luckily, it's incredibly easy to build yourself with the help of a few pots and a saucer. Stack a few old nursery pots on top of one another, open side down, until you reach your preferred height. Then, attach the saucer to the top to create the basin. Add in several different-sized stones to give birds an easy place to land. Fill it with fresh water, and it's ready for the birds!

Bee hotels are great for cavity-nesting bees, but don't forget about the ground-nesters. These solitary bees have special requirements to lay their eggs, so making a DIY habitat can be extremely helpful for them. Mix sand, gravel, and topsoil together to create the ideal substrate for the bees. Once it's mixed and added to your pot, spray the mixture with warm water and tamp down the soil. Last, use a pencil or screwdriver to create several nesting holes. Place the pot near flowers.

A water feature is a must-have if you want to start a hummingbird garden. Luckily, it's easy to make a hummingbird fountain using a pet water fountain and a nursery pot. Simply stack the pot on top of the fountain to create a drinking spout. You can also use another container and a solar water fountain. Any small pot you can find will work, but make sure to add a hole in the center of the bottom if it doesn't already have one. 

What's even better than a bath is an entire pollinator cafe. In addition to water, this dedicated space will provide beneficial insects with nectar-rich flowers. You'll need a large nursery pot, soil, a small dish or saucer, some rocks, and a few colorful flowering plants. Choose bee- and butterfly-favorite colors, like yellow, blue, and purple. Once you have them arranged as you like, use the saucer and stones to create a little bath. 

As it's unsafe for butterflies to drink from fast-moving streams or deep baths, they do what's called "puddling." In the hot summer months, they seek out muddy areas to drink from and obtain water and nutrients. You can easily replicate this with a large terracotta planter, a saucer, flat stones, sand, nutrient-rich soil, and water. If you have any overripe fruit taking up counter space, you can also add that to the puddler to attract more butterflies. However, keep in mind that fermenting fruit can also bring in other unwanted wildlife.

Once mating season arrives, mother birds work tirelessly to build nests for their young. To make this hectic time a little easier, you can use old nursery pots to make a buffet of nesting materials. Tidy_wild on Instagram shared how he built a nesting material station using a wooden plank and plastic nursery pots. For a simpler approach, you could adhere the small pots to a scrap piece of wood with a heavy-duty glue. Fill each compartment with natural materials like moss, plant fluff, twigs, and dry grass.

Bird seed ornaments are a great way to feed the birds during cold winter months while also decorating your yard. If you don't have cookie cutters, you can use old nursery pots to make your own. All you have to do is cut off the bottom, leaving behind the top circular rim. To make the ornaments, you'll need water, unflavored gelatin, corn syrup, flour, and your birdseed of choice. Once you've combined the ingredients, fill your makeshift cookie cutter with the mixture, dry, and hang.

All you need is a large nursery pot and a few small red containers to create a hummingbird feeding station. The hummingbirds will have their choice of several feeders and fresh flowers to sip nectar from. You'll need a soldering iron or another tool and a thin strip of wire to attach the small red containers to a large nursery pot. Once you're happy with the number of feeders, fill them with DIY hummingbird nectar. Add a flowering plant with red, tubular blooms, like cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), that hummingbirds love.

Of course, you can use old nursery pots to start a beautiful bird and pollinator garden. Make sure to vary the types of flowers and blooming periods to bring in the widest variety of winged visitors. Coneflowers (Echinacea), sunflowers (Helianthus), and other seed-producing flowers work best for luring in songbirds. You can also add nest-building plants, like milkweed (Asclepias). To attract several types of pollinators and birds, you can't go wrong with adding cosmos, Agastache, bee balm (Monarda), or zinnias.