One of the things on my Lucketts shopping wishlist was a plant stand. I was open to the style of plant stand, but I envisioned a tiered wrought iron plant stand and I know it would be hard to get that idea out of my head. I saw a few at the Lucketts Spring Market that were just what I was imagining, but they ran in the $300-400 range. I had already spent a good chunk of my Lucketts budget on antique concrete planters and a boot scraper, so I was hoping to find a plant stand at a lower price. I didn’t bring a plant stand home the day of the market, so I decided to keep an eye out on Facebook Marketplace and in local second-hand stores. One was bound to turn up sooner or later.
When I was out running errands a couple of days later, I decided to swing into a local antique store I was going to be passing. It was one of those moments when I had a gut feeling I just might find what I was looking for. Even though my antiquing intuition had kicked in and encouraged me to turn into the parking lot to see if I was on target, I couldn’t believe it when I saw a three-tiered antique iron plant stand in the very first booth.
No way.
So, I had the magical moment when I found what I was looking for, but would the price be right? I carefully high-stepped around things on the floor to reach and flip over the tag. Antique iron plant stand – $35.
Sold to the lady who probably should’ve immediately bought a lottery ticket.
There was a reason it was $35, though Some of the joints that were key to the stability of the top shelf had come undone leaving the top half of the plant stand springy. I took a few minutes to examine the defects and I was pretty sure my dad, who is great at tinkering and creative repairs, could figure out a way to stabilize it. For $35, it was worth trying. At the very least, I would just have to keep the bulk of the weight on the lower shelf.
I sent my dad a video showing what was wrong with the plant stand and asked him to think about some repair options. Not only is he good at tinkering, but he’s also good at looking up a local welder who works with wrought iron and making an appointment to drop it off for them to repair properly. I honestly was so fixated on a DIY repair that I didn’t even think of having it welded.
We dropped it off at a local welder who works out of his garage and he would reweld the joints and add an extra brace between the bottom and second shelf to make it really sold. It was going to cost $120 and take a few days and I was happy to pay that to have an antique piece repaired so it could be used and enjoyed for many more years. My parents picked up the tab, though, as a yard-warming gift.
The welder did a fantastic job. The plant stand is sturdy and the new iron brace looks right at home with the older iron. I’m sure it will develop patina over time and you won’t even notice it’s a new addition. We need to do a little power washing on the patio, but I wanted to show how it looks with my potted herb garden in place…
It makes watering easier and corrals lots of little pots so they don’t look like clutter.
I think saving a piece like this is the best of both worlds. You get a functional piece that works like new again yet it still has the wonkiness, charm, and patina of an antique that’s lived a long, full life already. Most of the terracotta pots are new and I can’t wait to see them develop patina over time as they are used, watered, and exposed to the elements.
The larger concrete planter was a Lucketts Spring Market find and the smaller one is an antique that came from my Oma’s garden and her mother’s before that. You can read about the willow cloches HERE.
22 Responses
Very nice. Vintage, definitely not an antique!
You have the best luck!
I don’t think that stand is an antique, but rather, a newer model made to look old. You can tell by the styling and the thickness of the iron pieces. At any rate, it has the look and function you need, so it’s a win!
Antique or not, it is perfect addition to your garden.
Lovely! Great find. I’m casually looking for a 2 tier one and thinking about making it a cat bunk bed!
I hadn’t thought about hiring a welder to reinforce it. I now have more options. I’m a long time follower and love all you do.
Looks wonderful! It is so you! And I love that your parents gave you a yard warming gift!
Antique/vintage—who cares? It is perfect for your needs, and looks charming. Finding this, after searching for it is part of the story of your life, and has meaning. It’s also special that your parents have been able to be part of it. — Also, your hand-woven cloches look right at home.
SCORE !!!! MajorScore!!! Love it!!! I spotted that beauty the other day. I am a gardener and love vintage pieces to go into my garden.
Here is a funny….I have that exact square planter that came from your Oma’s house….I have 2 of them. I got them MANY years ago from a garage sale. Just above the dirt fill line on the inside there was a was a VERY old and faded washed out price sticker from Walmart!!! …no bar code on it. I couldn’t make out the price but clearly the “Walmart” was visible with a blue background. I do use them for plants and as the years have passed the sticker wore off. I left it there and there still is a stain from where it was. Apparently they don’t make glue as good as they used to!!! This was before cell phones or I would have snapped a quick pic of it….darn!!! The Walmart letters were very different.
Really great find on the rack! I had to laugh when I saw your sage plant. I planted one about that size around four years ago along with several other herbs in a huge whisky barrel. One by one, the rest bit the dust, but that sage has come back every single year! And it is HUGE! I cut it down to the dirt when it gets cold, but it actually sometimes stays green through the winter. It always comes roaring back every Spring, bigger than ever!
I love your new planter! One similar to yours would look great on my front porch! You were fortunate to find it and have it welded so quickly!
I like your yard-warming gift. It looks nice.
It’s perfection!
You probably already know but yogurt and a bit of green slime from some water left in the shade is the very best way to age terracotta. Helps to leave the pots in a damp shady place afterwards for a few weeksSmells disgusting while you are doing it though
WOW. So my hubs is a nerdie corporate exec by day and a master welder by night. He is always helping a friend or neighbor’s pieces getting them repaired, and never charges a thing.
(Your welder was quite pricey. ) But it is a great looking piece (noticed it right away in last post) and looks perfect. I love those vintage looking plant stands. It will undoubtedly give you years of service to be sure.
Lovely! Great find. I’m casually looking for a 2 tier one and thinking about making it a cat bunk bed!
I hadn’t thought about hiring a welder to reinforce it. I now have more options. I’m a long time follower and love all you do.
I love the planter and the entire arrangement with it. That is exactly the type of tiered rack I’ve been wanting. I do love cement planters and terra cotta also. Oh, to be as organized as you are!
Always wanted one of these and saw one last year that was pretty pricey for what I thought was an impulse buy. Now it’s an obsession…. I can just picture it loaded up with pumpkins and gourds in fall….I’m literally obsessed.
This is a truly beautiful piece, and will add depth and interest where ever you place it. i’m so glad it could be repaired to ensure you will be enjoy it for many years to come! I have 5 metal plant holders that hold multiple pots, and all except for one is from estate sales or a thrift shop. In fact one is a stately corner piece with 3 shelves. My plan is to spray paint them the same color. Even though they are all different, it will give a sense of cohesiveness.
It’s beautiful! A great find. I too don’t care if it is 100 years old, 50 or 5 years old. It looks great and made you happy. I hope other opinions don’t steal the joy that the find gives you. Beauty is after all “in the eyes of the beholder”. Have enjoyed your blog for years. You have many talents and you share them with us. I am thankful.
After looking at your iron plant stand closer, I too think it’s a newer piece made to look older. Your welder probably could tell by the metal. It’s still charming and lovely! The only time it makes me a little angry is when a dealer tries to charge an antique price on piece that is newer or a reproduction.
I love reading your blog posts and seeing all of the wonderful projects, however, the ads on this page are so too many….and seeing a man’s bleeding back on a repeated ad doesn’t match the ambience you so carefully create. My ad blocker counted a total of 1,052 additional ads it had to block on this page besides the man’s bleeding back ad.
Thank you for sharing all of your creativity….I understand you do need to make money for doing so…..but can you maybe not add the bleeding back man? lol
I know my page doesn’t have over 1,000 ads on it, so I’m not sure what the ad-blocker is counting. That would be pretty crazy!
As far as the specific ad, I haven’t seen that one. Ads are served based on my content (so for this post you’d be likely to see products and services related to gardening and possibly welding) and ads based on your household’s search habits. So, if someone was looking up a particular medical condition related to a bleeding back somehow, those ads would be served to you. It can be things searched by any device on your IP address or, in the case of your smartphone, even things you’ve discussed or written about in private messages. It’s pretty creepy! Anyway, if you’re seeing ads that are offensive, violent, or otherwise inappropriate, please take a screenshot of them and send them to me so I can ask my ad managers to block them.