Get your greens

Dust off your green thumb, it’s time to get busy in the backyard.

We’ve given this wooden planter box a new lease of life with a stylish Resene paint finish and a bounty of fresh herbs – perfect for summer salads and cocktails.

Planter - get your greens

A stylish mini garden for the deck

Add some home-grown freshness to your foodie kit with this stylish mini garden for the deck or porch. After you’ve finished your DIY project, your newly planted herbs will be the gift that keeps on giving.

You will need:

Wooden planter (our tiered one was bought on Trade Me and is 119cm tall x 94.5cm wide x 40cm deep)
Small paint roller and tray, paint brush
1 litre tin Resene Cloudy (or main colour of your choice)
Small paint brush (for pattern details)
Resene testpots in Resene Half Joss, Resene Stonewashed, Resene Spanish Green, Resene Limeade and Resene Geneva (or colours of your choice)
Weed mat, scissors, stapler
Container potting mix (we used 2 x 40 litre bags), trowel
Herbs

Instructions:

With a roller, paint planter (except for inside boxes and the undersides) in your main colour (we chose Resene Cloudy). Use a paint brush for hard-to-reach areas. Let dry then apply a second coat.
When dry, use your Resene testpots and the paint brush to create a design of your choice; switch to a smaller brush for the finer details. Leave to dry.
Cut weed mat to size and line the base of each box. Staple to secure in place.
Fill boxes with container mix and level the surface. Make small planting holes in the soil with a trowel, allowing about 15cm between each.
Carefully remove herbs from pots and place in holes. Back fill and press down gently around the base of each plant.
Give your herb garden a good watering.

Tips:

As an alternative to a free-hand design, cut out or purchase a stencil for a more uniform look.
Plant herbs that enjoy similar growing conditions in the same tier eg put herbs that prefer full sun on the top tier, and those that like partial shade on the bottom tier.