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Celebrate World Bee Day with a rust effect planter full of flowers

20 May 2021

May 20 is World Bee Day! Celebrate these pollination heroes by creating a large planter to hold the flowers and herbs bees love. This planter uses a rust effect for a golden glow that looks great against vibrant green leaves and will have visitors to your garden buzzing. You can use a collection of small tubs to plant an array of different flowers, or use a larger tub to plant vegetables.

You will need:


Step 1: Start by using a large drill bit and an electric drill to drill some holes in the bottom of the tub for drainage. Give the outside and the top 8-9cm on the inside a sand with a medium grit sandpaper.  Dust the tub down with a soft dry cloth. 


Step 2: Use Resene Galvo-Prime to paint the outside of the tub, as well as the top half of the inside of the tub.



Step 4: Give the can of Resene FX Faux Rust Effect basecoat a good stir with a paint stirrer.  Paint it on to the tub, including the inside edge, and allow at least 4 hours to dry.



Step 5: Paint on a second coat of Resene FX Faux Rust Effect basecoat.  After an hour, or when it is still slightly tacky, use a clean paintbrush to paint on the Resene FX Faux Rust Effect Activator. Pour the activator into a clean plastic container and brush it on.  It’s a good idea to wear rubber gloves at this stage and to have the tub sitting on some cardboard to collect any drips. 



Step 6: Allow the tub to dry for 12 hours, then use a spray bottle to spray clean water on to the tub. You can finish the tub in Resene Aquapel & Terracotta Sealer to seal the rust effect finish.


Step 7: Put a layer of stones in the bottom of the tub to help with drainage, fill with good quality potting mix, and add your favourite plants.


Project and images Fleur Thorpe

Published: 20 May 2021