Garden Library DIY

3 Comments
Garden library DIY project

This crafty do-it-yourself project has been months in the making. I’d been aching to improve the dreadful view outside my home office window for a couple years. Inspiration for a garden library DIY project finally struck early in 2020.  

I began stopping my car and hopping out to rescue stray bricks and busted pavers from curbs, gutters, sidewalks and embankments. These orphans would become my garden books. A busted, stained shipping-pallet and a weather-worn lattice would be reincarnated as trellis bookshelves. Splashes of old paint would be mixed from buckets left in the garage by the previous homeowner. A little money was invested in a fresh box of wood screws, a few drought-resistant plants and vines, and a couple other decorative touches.

I just had to wait out the summer heat to begin assembling the pieces. So, I waited. And I waited.

The mercury in Phoenix exceeded 100 degrees for nearly five months in 2020. Fifty-three of those days, the temperate was more than 110 (pulverizing the 33-day record set in 2011). This was just one more aberration among the many that made 2020 a painfully-weird year.

At the end of October, I stopped waiting for the crispness of fall weather. The mid-90s would have to be cool enough. I needed to get outside – hammering, sanding, drilling, painting, planting and sweating my COVID-lockdown, presidential-election stress away. It was just what I needed.

“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.” – Cicero #brickbooks #DIY #booknerd #writingcommunity

I hope you enjoy the before, during and after photos. This remains a work in progress, though I already love my new view! My husband is happy I had fun with the project. My son thinks I’m weird. What do you think?

  • “Before” view of my home office window.
  • Rescued bricks. More to come…
  • Old shipping pallet and lattice.
  • Busted apart the slats, reconfigured, sanded, painted…
  • Bricks after washing and base coat of paint.
  • Testing my painting skills and having fun.
  • Homage to some of my favorite books and authors (had to include myself, right?).
  • I need more bricks!

2022 Update — natural wood trellis, plants filling in

  • Trimmings from tree pruning
  • Used gardening wire to create a natural trellis for crawling daisy plant
  • Vines beginning to fill in; added hand painted “garden library” sign

3 thoughts on “Garden Library DIY”

  2. Brass Castle Arts

    FUN! Thanks for sharing the process as well as the finished product. My view from the home office is more interesting than yours, so I’m not likely to follow suit, but what a great idea for those who have boring views.

    One of those “little free library” stations popped up in our town this spring – just a closed wooden box with a window in its door, mounted on a post – at the edge of the property where a large Baptist church stood for 150 years. It was struck by lightning two years ago and burned down. The church basement was where the library held its annual used book sale.

    I check out the little library every couple of weeks. I need to remember to take books I don’t want to keep to contribute. Turnover is pretty good there.

    Reply
    • Jessica McCann

      Oh, I love little free libraries! How sad that the church and its library were destroyed. The new little library is a lovely tribute to the community that once gathered there. And how wonderful that it is getting visited. Thanks for sharing that!

      Reply

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