Salvaged! The 32 Shutter Challenge-Repurposing Shutters in the Garden
by
Barb Rosen
I had pretty much given up hope on pulling ivy in part of our back garden and resigned myself to just making it look halfway decent with garden accents.
Then, last year a neighbor gave me ten shutters and I made two raised garden beds from them. It really worked, a way to garden even in a fifty-year-old ivy bed! I was hooked!
So, last fall the whole area was weed whacked and smothered in mulched fall leaves from the mower. This spring, the ivy was mostly at bay and I started to dream of another garden. Serendipity! Another neighbor offered me their thirty-two old wooden shutters and The 32 Shutter Challenge began.
You won't believe how I used them all up! Come see ...
Then, last year a neighbor gave me ten shutters and I made two raised garden beds from them. It really worked, a way to garden even in a fifty-year-old ivy bed! I was hooked!
So, last fall the whole area was weed whacked and smothered in mulched fall leaves from the mower. This spring, the ivy was mostly at bay and I started to dream of another garden. Serendipity! Another neighbor offered me their thirty-two old wooden shutters and The 32 Shutter Challenge began.
You won't believe how I used them all up! Come see ...
The Shutter Garden
The Shutter Garden is a gathering of projects all made with shutters and a raised garden bed. All DIY and easy to do!
DIY Raised Garden Bed
Here are directions for building a raised garden bed from lumber and corrugated metal roofing!
Shutter Arbor
This was so easy to build! It took longer to paint it!
Shutter Fence
I zig-zagged these for extra interest. The Shutter Fence makes a great screen to define our garden space.
Shutter Potting Bench
Simple and useful, you'll need one too!
"Before" ~ a huge patch of English Ivy!
Now you've seen the "After" photos of The Shutter Garden, here is how it looked when I started the project!
You won't believe all the things I made out of 32 shutters!
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Comments
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2 of 61 comments
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Oh wow. I love, love, love your yard. I see all these wonderful ideas on this site & get so inspired. But then reality sets in. I live in a senior's only mobile home park w/a hated HOA that squashes any/all creativity. It's a Stepford Wive's community. I gotta get outta this place. I had a sign up in my front yard...Gardener wanted. Must look good bending over. I was told to take the offensive sign down. I told them that as I drive thru my community I see MANY of my nabors doing their gardening bending over & I'm not offended.
However, I continue to pin all these great ideas to use when I get to a better place.
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Yes, it sounds like you need a new location to garden & express yourself, Jacqui!
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Your shutter fence looks awesome. How did you construct it? Are the shutters attached to wood posts of some sort and then driven in the ground? Is each shutter attached to the next with a hinge or something else? I just completed one myself and I would love to know more about yours. Thanks!
Did you spray paint the shutters or hand paint?
How long would they last in the weather?