I usually have no trouble keeping my garden in shape, but this border has been a pain for years. With all the rain here in Australia, the flower beds have been overrun with weeds and grass. Every year I strip this bed back, and every year it all returns. So this year I’m trying a different approach—a low-maintenance flower bed using bicycle tyres and hollow logs as planters.

Another problem is my new puppies—they don’t believe my garden should have succulents and keep digging them up. To save the plants, I moved the succulents to the front garden. They’re adorable but so naughty. Our Aussie summers are scorching, and the front gets full sun all day, so those plants struggle. My plan is to keep the bicycle tyre planters in the flower beds most of the year, then lift and move them to a more sheltered spot during the peak hot months.

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DIY Bicycle Tyre Planters: Low-Maintenance Succulent Bed That Beats Weeds

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Materials needed

• Old bicycle tyres (car tyres are too deep)
• Brown spray paint is suitable for rubber/plastic
• Chicken wire
• Cable ties and a little scrap wire
• Broken clothes pegs (for holding the tyre open while you work)
• An old yoga mat or similar rubber mat for the base
• Hanging basket liner or coco fibre
• Cactus/succulent potting mix
• Succulents
• Weed mat and weed-mat pegs
• Garden stones or gravel
• Drill
• Wire cutters

Optional

• Herbicide (e.g. Roundup) or an eco alternative
• Hollow logs for additional planters
• Small pots and garden ornaments

Prepare the flower bed

I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, but this is how my flower bed looked once the rain finally eased.

The rain left the ground soft, so pulling the weeds was easy. Once the bed was clear, I sprayed a generous coat of Roundup over the soil to kill any grass roots left behind.

Once dry, I laid a quality weed mat across the soil. I pinned it with weed-mat pegs. I topped the surface with stones to weigh it down and keep it tidy.

How to Make a Bicycle Tyre Planter

With so many succulents, I wanted a large, round, shallow planter—which was impossible to find—so I made my own from old bicycle tyres. Car tyres were too deep for what I had in mind. I pulled a few bicycle tyres from the shed, gave them a coat of brown spray paint, and turned them into planters.

To hold the tyre open, I glued a few broken clothes pegs around the inside edge—just enough to make it easier to work with until the soil sets the shape. I planned a stand-alone planter nestled among the stones, but I also needed to stop soil from escaping and triggering new weeds in the bed. To keep everything in place, I added a layer of chicken wire inside the tyre first.

Drill small holes in the bicycle tyre, then secure the chicken wire with cable ties and a bit of scrap wire. Fold all sharp ends inward so nothing snags or scratches when you lift the planter.

To prevent the soil from falling out of the tyre planter, I used a piece of an old yoga mat at the bottom.

Add a layer of hanging basket liner. The liner slows evaporation in our dry, hot spells.

Fill and plant

Add succulent potting mix. Don’t pack it tight. Place your succulents with room to spread.

I grouped rosette types at the front and taller varieties in the middle. Water lightly to settle soil.

Dress the bed with logs, pots, and ornaments

To soften the scene, I placed a few hollowed logs as planters. I filled them with succulents for a rustic feel.

These logs give the flowerbed a great and unique look.

I tucked in a couple of small pots and a few garden ornaments. It looked finished without feeling fussy.

Summer strategy: lift and shift

Our Aussie summers can be brutal. When the heat peaks, I lift each tyre planter and move it to a shaded spot. The liner and wire base make them sturdy yet manageable.

One year on

One year on: what thrived and what didn’t

A year later, most tyre planters exploded with growth. A few small pots failed in full sun. The survivors love the shallow, gritty mix and the ability to move during heatwaves. Please ignore the wobbly hedge trim—I had to balance on the back of my son’s ute after another wet season!

The logs had mixed results, likely due to faster drying.

This log planter did not fare too well; I only had two plants that survived.

This was the only succulent that survived in the small pots all the others died.

More Planter ideas

One of my tree ferns died, and I felt it was too much work to dig it up.  So I turned it into a succulent tree.

If you have some scrap wood lying around, you could try your hand at this simple planter.

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