Do you ever wonder if it’s really necessary to have a potting bench? Today I’m sharing my top five reasons why I think everyone should have an outdoor potting bench.
You don’t have to be a full-time gardener to enjoy the benefits of such a functional piece of outdoor furniture!
**Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. We appreciate your support. (disclosure policy)
Hello friends, new and old!
Today I’m participating in the Flowers, Gardens, Porches, and More Blog Hop! At the end of this post, you’ll be able to “hop over” and gain more outdoor inspiration from nine of my blogging friends!
Before we get started, I want to take a moment to thank Cindy at Cloches and Lavender for putting this blog hop together! Please visit her blog and tell her I said hi!
If you came here from White Lilac Farmhouse, welcome!
Now, I’m excited to share my amazing potting bench with you!
let me introduce you to my potting bench
It was twenty-two years ago!
I saw a picture of the most beautiful potting bench I’d ever seen, in Better Home and Gardens magazine!
It was perfect!
I could imagine myself standing in front of that bench.
Creating the most beautiful flower containers anyone had ever seen!
So, I showed it to Rich and asked him if he could build one like it!
To my joy and amazement…
He not only built it.
He made it look even better than the one in the magazine!
If you’re curious about the picture in the magazine and the evolution of my potting bench, you can read all about it here.
Anyway, my potting bench has so much sentimental value to me and I’ve enjoyed it all these years!
It’s so wonderful, I think everyone should have an outdoor potting bench!
And here are my top five reasons why!
5 Reasons to have an outdoor potting bench
1)Provides storage for gardening supplies
A potting bench is a perfect place to store all of your gardening supplies!
I keep bags of potting soil, a trowel, scissors, gloves, garden stakes, etc. behind closed doors!
When we lived in KY, I stored all of my pots, on the right side during the winter.
When we moved to FL, I added the wire baskets.
I use them to store my outdoor throw pillows when I’m not using them!
2) Contains mess when planting
Planting pots on my potting bench keeps all the dirt and mess contained in one space!
When I’m done I can quickly sweep up the soil!
3) Reduces strain on your body
When you have a potting bench you can work at counter height! I’m fortunate my bench has two different heights I can choose from!
It takes the strain off of my back and keeps me from having to bend over or kneel!
My back says, “thank you!”
4) Acts as a buffet for food and drinks
Guess what?
You don’t have to be a gardener to use a potting bench!
If you like to entertain or eat on your porch, the potting bench can act as a serving buffet or bar for food or drinks!
5) adds decor to your outdoor area
We decorate the inside of our house with furniture that we love, so why not carry that over to the outdoor areas, as well?
Decorating your potting bench with plants, flowers, and decor items will make your porch feel homier and more like an indoor space!
You can even decorate it for the seasons!
During Spring, I decorated with these beautiful French-inspired, aged pots filled with ivy and herbs!
Did my top five reasons to have an outdoor potting bench convince you that you need one? Let me know in the comments below!
If you are following the Flowers, Porches, Gardens, and More Blog Hop, the next stop on your journey is Shop At Blu! When you hop over, tell Sue I sent you!
Blessings, Donna and Rich
Flowers, Porches, Gardens, and More Blog Hop
more inspiration from an organized season
- How to Give New Life to an Old Potting Bench
- Best Tips to Spring Clean Your Porch
- How to Age Terra Cotta Pots with French Flair
- Simple Tips to Plant Beautiful Containers
- 15 Items You Need to Create a Relaxing Porch
Favorite potting benches we spotted online
If you or someone you know, can’t build a potting bench, that’s ok! Look at these affordable options we found on Amazon and Home Depot.
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**Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. We appreciate your support. (disclosure policy)
Wow Donna! This really is the best potting bench ever! What a phenomenal piece. So many great ideas here. Thanks for the inspo!
Thank you, Sue! It’s one of my favorite pieces of furniture that I own! Glad you enjoyed the post! Donna
Oh, my goodness! I love your potting bench! Perhaps painting mine may bring it back to life. And I had no clue you were a KY girl?!! Still in KY here! Loved hopping with you!
Hey Leslie! I lived in KY my whole life and loved it! Moved to FL 2 years ago for health reasons! Enjoyed hopping with you! Thanks, Donna
My husband built an adorable potting bench for me. I put it outside on my downstairs patio. I loved it, but the biggest problem I had was bugs and webs and spiders and even once, a harmless snake sleeping on it. So I cleaned it up and brought it inside. It’s really frustrating because I would love to have it outside for planting and also for decorating. I don’t want to use any bug sprays because I have animals. Do you have any suggestions on how you keep your potting bench relatively free of bugs, etc. Thank you. Your potting bench is gorgeous and I just love how you decorate it. Thank you so much for sharing your ideas with us. They are much appreciated by someone like me who isn’t very creative.
When we lived in KY, I had to clean an occasional spider web off of it, but that’s it. If I would have ever seen a snake on it, I would have freaked out!! Here in FL, our porch is screened in, so I have not had any issues with bugs. Every once in a while, a small lizard will sneak in, but I’m not afraid of them!!! Thanks for your comment, wish I was more help with advice on bugs! Take care, Donna
Love that you use this for dual purposes. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Linda, I get a lot of use out of it! Take care, Donna
Donna I love your potting bench!! I’m a bit envious, hope that’s okay. I always want one but we have no covering on our deck and in NJ with the rain in the humid summer and the winters it wouldn’t last long.
You and I enjoy so many of the same decor. I love every piece you have displayed. Pinned!
Thanks for hopping with me!! It’s always a pleasure.
Thanks so much! I have been lucky to have covered porches at both of my houses! I agree, we do have a lot in common! Thanks so much for hosting the hop and letting me be a part of it!! Donna
Wow, wow, wow do I ever love your potting bench!!! It is so functional yet classy and gorgeous. What a focal point! I agree potting plants is so messy. I am destroying out outdoor table and of course the soil is falling and blowing onto the cushions. So what I am getting to is….I really need this! Maybe one day when my husband has a spare moment he can build me one. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks, Crystal! That means so much to me! Everything about your home and blog is so beautiful, I really appreciate your kind words! I hope your husband will be able to fit it in someday, I think you would love having a bench like that! Blessings, Donna
I absolutely love this bench! I gotta say I am jealous that you have a handy husband! I wish I would have had my Dad make a bench like this for me! It is wonderful! Thanks for sharing it with us! Always fun hopping with you!
Hey Kimberly! I am very blessed to have such a handy husband! He always amazes me with his DIY abilities! Glad you liked my bench! Blessings, Donna
Hi Donna! This is fantastic! My favorite idea is using the potting station as a buffet! Genius! I also love that you can store your pillows in the wire baskets.
Thank you, Anna! A potting bench is a very functional piece of furniture! Glad you enjoyed the post! Have a great week, Donna
I love your potting bench and ideas! I’ve wanted one for a while now! Have a great week! Susan
Thank you, Susan! You should get one, they are so handy to have! Take care, Donna
I can’t believe your husband built this – wow -it’s so beautiful, Donna! I love how you have it decorated for the summer but also how you’ve used it when you’re entertaining too. It’s such a fabulous way to celebrate the seasons throughout the year. Hope you have the best week, CoCo
I am so fortunate to have such a handy husband! He did a great job on the potting bench, and it is one of my most cherished pieces of furniture! Thanks so much, Donna
Donna, I love your potting table. Potting tables are the best. Your potting table is so beautiful. It’s prettier than the new one Pottery Barn has out now.
Just love it!
Thanks, Tammy! You’re right, potting benches are the best! Thanks again for the wonderful compliment! Have a great week! Donna
Looks awesome Donna. I always admired it in KY. My dad recently made me one but we haven’t treated or painted it yet. Any suggestions on priming and painting to keep it from being damaged by Ky weather? It won’t be completely covered. My dad is willing to do an awning type roof but it will not cover it all.
Hello, my dear friend! So glad to hear from you! My favorite Primer is Zinsser B-I-N. If the wood he used has knots or sap, it will spot cover those, or you can use an exterior latex wood primer. Use exterior paint, I like Sherwin Williams A-100 Exterior Acrylic Latex. To protect the paint you should seal it with three coats of polyurethane! Minwax makes One Coat Polyurethane, but I have not tried it yet! Let me know if you have any other questions! Good luck and send me a picture of your finished project! Hugs, Donna
I loved your potting bench; it is so pretty AND functional. Mine is an old gutted gas grill–works for me! I figure spiders eat bugs so I’d rather have spiders than other creepy crawlies!
I love that you repurposed an old grill, sounds amazing and so creative! Thank you, Donna