Pallet Perfection
The landscaping side of our business gets a LOT of materials delivered on pallets. Lately we have been giving some thought to what we could use the leftover pallets for. Here are some of the items we have made from upcycled pallets so far:
Some old pallets being stripped ready for a new life
Planters
These pretty planters can be made to whatever size or shape suits your garden. We have made a few herb planters so far but we have a tray of alpines waiting to be re-homed into a brand new pallet planter at our front door. These can easily be personalised by spraying whatever words you want onto the front. To read how to make your own pallet planter click here. Or contact us to order your own bespoke planter.
Pallet planters
Gate
We have been meaning to add a gate to our back garden for a while now, to help keep our little one from escaping. We decided to make a unique gate out of pallets and used a vintage garden tool as a handle. We will be adding some suitable wording to the horizontal slat soon.
Pallet gate
Sand pit
Essentially, a large planter, the sand pit is proving to be a very popular addition to the range. Just make sure you sand down the pales well and you use a robust liner inside. Oh and add a lid so that local cats don’t use it as their very own outdoor litter tray! Again, this can be personalised and we have added a hole in one corner for a windmill 🙂
Pallet sand-pit
Shed
The main structure of our bespoke garden shed is made with some heavy duty pallets.
Pallets used to create the shed frame
These were then covered in slats on the outside and a living roof added on. It wouldn’t be us without the quirky handle, alternative down pipe and loveheart hole in the door!
The completed shed
Next we are thinking about trying out a children’s bench. If you have ideas of other items that could be made from upcycled pallets we would love to hear them. Or if you want more information on ordering any of these items please get in touch.
Thanks for reading,
All at Vialii
Do You Do Room Service?
Everyone likes a nice, comfy home and bugs are no different from the rest of us. Many are happy to set up home under a pile of leaves or logs. But why not go a step further and create your own bug version of Gleneagles in your very own back garden with a 5 Star Bug Hotel? Here’s how to make a bug hotel…
A stunning bug hotel from the Chelsea Flower Show
Many of us like to have a neat and tidy garden and by doing so we often eradicate the natural habitats bugs can call home. Or in a new garden with lots of hard landscaping and container planting there may be limited places for invertebrates to set up home. Bug hotels are purpose built structures which can be as simple or grand as you like.
A bug hotel on Seil Island with a green roof
Designing A Bug Hotel
The first rule of creating a bug hotel is to incorporate a variety of materials and different shapes and sizes of nooks and crannies. Different bugs have different requirements so in order to be diverse and encourage as much wildlife as possible into your garden make sure you use a wide array of materials. Offer everything from single rooms up to penthouse suites with a spa thrown in for good measure!
[[image:blog/blog-roomservice-3.jpg=A stunning bug hotel from the Chelsea Flower Show using lots of different materials]]
If you can, do a rough design of what you want your bug hotel to look like. Most bug hotels are made from reclaimed material thus making them cheap and easy to build as well as good for the environment. You could use some old pallets which are easy to get hold of to create the different layers of your bug hotel. Or if you are feeling adventurous you could create a real focal point in your garden by building a tower similar to the fantastic work of art at the Chelsea Flower Show a few years ago.
Building A Bug Hotel
Building a bug hotel is a wonderful project to build with children and you can encourage them to collect the materials you are going to use. Many of these you will have lying around the house and you can ask friends and family to donate to your hotel. Ideal materials include:
- Bamboo canes
- Egg cartons
- Pieces of slate
- Straw
- Logs (drill the ends for even more places for bugs to set up home)
- Broken terracotta pots
- Old bricks
- Old roof tiles
Pack the various materials into different sections of your “hotel” and soon you will have created a home which looks interesting and will have wide appeal.
A pallet incorporating a bug hotel at RHS Cardiff Show
Bug Central
So what sort of bugs might pack their bags and move into their new home? Well , common sights include mason bees, woodlice, ladybirds, spiders, beetles and centipedes. By encouraging these bugs into your garden they will help you combat the pests which eat your plants and ruin your grass. Great guests to have and ones which always be welcome back! Wonder if you get Trip Advisor for beetles…
Lots of bamboo canes make an ideal home
If you want advice on building a bug hotel or other ways of turning your garden into a haven for wildlife please get in touch.
For more information on making your own bug hotel please visit our blogs Make Your Own Bug Hotel and How To Make A Bug Hotel.
All at Vialii