They have done it again! My two mischievous Jack Russell terriers managed to knock over one of my favourite pots, leaving me with a broken terracotta pot. Instead of tossing it out, I decided to transform it into a beautiful DIY planter. This repurposed terracotta pot was the perfect do-over project for our latest Do It Over Designers Blog Hop, where bloggers share upcycling and recycling ideas. If you’ve ever had a plant pot break, you’ll see how easy it is to turn it into a stunning garden feature.

I get several parcel deliveries each week, and my dogs know exactly what that means. As soon as they hear the postie’s motorbike, they fly into action, racing full-speed to the front door. On this particular day, they were outside and bolted through the kitchen, skidding on the tiles, and smashing straight into my terracotta pot. Just like in those funny movie scenes, I tried to catch it, but it was too late—the pot hit the ground and shattered.

Of course, this wasn’t their first household casualty. They’ve destroyed plenty of things around our home, but thankfully, they also give me plenty of inspiration for new DIY projects. And to make matters even funnier, this is the doormat I made for my front door about a year ago, true story.

Repurposed Broken Terracotta Pot Planter

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Materials Needed

• Broken terracotta pot (2 Jack Russell puppies)
• Outdoor soil or succulent mix
• Succulents of your choice
• Garden stones or gravel for drainage
• Strong adhesive (for cracked areas)
• Decorative self-watering spike (optional)
• Garden trowel

Repurpose a Broken Terracotta Pot

Even though the pot was cracked, the shape was perfect for turning into a planter. I glued a few of the larger pieces back together to keep it stable. My idea was to create the look of succulents spilling out of the pot into the built-in garden bed under my pergola.

This spot is great for succulents as it has natural light from a skylight and protection from frost during winter.

Preparing the Pot

I partially buried the broken terracotta pot in the soil to keep it stable and added drainage stones both inside and beneath it. Next, I filled it with succulent soil mix before planting the first batch of succulents.

As expected, my cheeky dogs dug them up immediately.

I quickly learnt which succulents they liked to chew and replaced them with sturdier types they seemed to ignore.

Adding Finishing Touches

To finish the look, I placed a grass-style plant in the top opening and added a terracotta self-watering elephant spike.

These clever spikes make it easy to tell when your soil is dry—the lighter the colour, the drier the soil.

Over time, I’ve added more succulents, including a string of pearls that will eventually cascade down the pot. By leaving the project for a few months, the dogs lost interest and stopped digging, giving the plants a chance to thrive.

They were also responsible for this futon succulent stand after destroying the cushion. Their chaos often becomes my inspiration.

The succulents in the buckets had become so overcrowded that I planted them into the terracotta planter. They don’t seem to bother with the bigger plants.

More garden decor ideas

This large wooden gecko was made from a recycled tabletop, with the surface texture created using the Shou Sugi Ban wood-burning technique.

See how I created this wooden suncatcher featuring an African scene set in resin.

Do over designers blog hop

This repurposed terracotta pot was the perfect do-over project for our latest Do It Over Designers Blog Hop, where bloggers share upcycling and recycling ideas. Be sure to click on the links below for inspiration.

Unique Creations by Anita

Sum of Their Stories

Tea and Forget-Me-Nots

The Apple Street Cottage

Birdz of a Feather

Exquisitely Unremarkable

Little Vintage Cottage

Modern on Monticello

Purple Hues & Me

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