DIY Umbrella Planter from a Copper Jello Mold

Reuse an old jello mold to make DIY planter that fits around your patio umbrella!

I love using vintage cooking supplies in my kitchen, but you can only have so many vintage pans and bowls. Plus, some are damaged or not safe for food contact due to their age, wear, or even the products that they were made from. However, vintage kitchen items are one of my favorite things to upcycle because they can be used in so many new ways!

This copper jello mold has been my patio table planter for over 5 years. It fits perfectly around our patio umbrella and stays outside all season. I bring the planter inside for the winter and it’s ready to reuse again in the spring. Jello molds are fairly shallow, but they work well for planting succulents because succulents don’t need much soil.

Here’s how I took this jello mold and made it into an outdoor umbrella table planter:

Follow these steps on how to plant succulents and they'll survive forever!

I always pass up the plastic jello molds I see at the thrift store, but when I saw this copper one, I just couldn’t resist.  Granted, I didn’t actually know what I was going to do with it at the time I bought it, but sometimes I’m guilty of those types of purchases.

how to make a succulent planter to go around an umbrella on a table

I’ve tested out bundt pans to see if my umbrella pole would fit through them in the past, but the opening is just a bit too small in all the ones I’ve seen.  But this jello mold has a large enough hole to fit the pole, with plenty of room to spare.  After testing it out just to be sure, I put together my little succulent garden.

Follow these steps on how to plant succulents and they'll survive forever!

I’ve put together a complete post on how to plant succulents so they stay alive forever.  Well, maybe not forever, but it covers how to plant them so they can thrive for a long time.  I would definitely recommend taking a quick look.  You’ll actually see some of the jello mold pictures used in the post!

Plant a succulent garden in a jello mold to fit around an umbrella pole

After filling it with rocks and a little succulent dirt, simply arrange the succulents, and then fill them in with more dirt.  The final layer is a touch of pea gravel.  I love the way the little rocks look on top, but they are also there for the health of the plant.  (I explain it all in this post: how to plant succulents.)

Plant a succulent garden in a jello mold to fit around an umbrella pole

Of course, I’ll pull the planter in over the winter, probably at the same time that we put our patio table in the garage.  These little succulents wouldn’t stand a chance against Chicago winters!

use a vintage jello mold as a planter to fit around a patio umbrella

This planter couldn’t have been any easier to make, and for $1, it can’t be beat!

A copper jello mold can be reused as a DIY umbrella flower pot. What a cute little succulent garden!
Jenny at Refresh Living (dev.refreshliving.com)

Post by Jenny Leads

Jenny is the voice behind Refresh Living. She has a passion for helping people to create a home they love without spending a lot of money.

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18 Comments

  1. Genius! Using the jello mold as a planter for your outdoor umbrella table is such a smart idea! Thanks for the tip about the cactus soil.
    Carol (“Mimi”) from Home with Mimi

  2. This is such a darling idea. I love how it spruces up the table. I’ll be looking for a jello mold at the thrift store. Thank you for sharing on Over the Moon link party. Pinned and shared.

  3. I loooove this idea Jenny! The mold is perfect for the umbrella and looks so cute with the plants. What a great idea. Thanks so much for linking it up to the Inspiration Galore Project Party this week. You are one of my Features tomorrow over at Recreated Designs. Happy weekend!

  4. This is SO cute Jenny! I have some old bundt pans that I can’t use to bake with anymore and that’s exactly what I’ll do with it! Thanks for sharing at our party! Featuring you tonight!