Learn how to create a beautiful hanging tea cup planter by upcycling an antique teacup and planting it with a string of pearls plant.
Old teacups are so pretty and I love seeing all the ways people reuse them in their decor. I've made teacup candles before and today I will show you how to create a beautiful hanging planter with an old teacup.
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Making a Hanging Tea Cup Planter
When deciding on what to plant in this cup the lovely String of Pearls Plant
, aka Senecio rowleyanus, came to mind. After all, good china and a string of pearls go perfectly together. Also, the fact that it is a succulent plant means it doesn't need to be watered very often so keeping it in a container like this would probably work. You could try it with other cacti or faux plants if you don't have a green thumb.
I have a few teacups that came from my mother, but also several that I've collected at antique malls over the years. I thought the pretty rose floral one was a good size for housing a plant.
This is a little transplant, I purchased it online it already had several "strings" flowing over the sides. When it came in the mail, all the little stems were neatly packed inside, and like a fine necklace, you need to carefully untangle them before repotting.
Since this planter would not have any drainage holes I placed a nice layer of stones at the bottom. Hopefully, any excess water will stay in the stones, and not allow the soil to remain wet, and risk root rot. I don't plan on watering it very often.
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The string of pearls plant likes to dry out well before watering and only needs a small amount of water. I think that makes it a good candidate for this project too.
Creating the Twine Hanger with Macrame Tutorial
For the hanger, I used some basic macrame knots. I took eight strands of twine
about 40 inches long. First I tied them to a plastic ring. This is what I had on hand but I think a metal key chain ring, or binder ring, would look much nicer. Use this ring to hang the plant from a hook.
Tape the ring to the table and separate the twine into four pairs of two.
Tie a double overhand knot about 6-8 inches from the top.
Move down another 6-8 inches and take two strands, one from each group, and tie knots in the new pairs.
Finally, tie a double knot at the bottom.
Hang up the twine hanger, and then gently place the vintage teacup inside. Keep the saucer for another upcycle.
This DIY teacup planter idea is in my dining room and looks so pretty there. There's light from the windows but it's north-facing, so there's not too much direct light which is perfect for this string of pearls plant. I can't wait until it fills in and spills all over the cup.
Here's an updated look at the same planter. It's filled in nicely.
It also tends to get quite long so every once in a while I'll trim it and place the cuttings in a new pot to give away or grow somewhere else in my home.
Wouldn't this make a great gift for mom or a birthday gift for one of your plant-loving friends?
More Fun Garden Upcycle Ideas
Paula
Patti, my mother had string of pearls she grew. She had a green thumb and could grow anything. I have never tried them. I have some of her tea cups and love the hanger you made. Also, I have seen people drill holes in the bottom of the cups and glue the saucer on to it to catch the water. Do you think the hanger will be large enough to hold the saucer if attached? Thanks for the idea Patti. Happy New Year!
Patti Estep
Paula, that's a great idea. You may need the twine to be a little longer to accommodate the saucer but it should work.
iris davies
Lovely idea ,have got the ideal china cup my friend gave me as a bird feeder but have not seen the string of pearls plant around here may use another trailing Alpine
Patti Estep
Hi Iris,
A trailing alpine should work great with this application. I'm sure you will love it.
Thanks for stopping by,
Patti
Nikki
Love this! Thank you for the tutorial. Curious to know: Did the rocks work out well enough?
Patti Estep
Hi Nikki,
So far so good. I'm really careful about watering it. It only gets watered once a week in my house but everyone's climate is different.
Thanks for stopping by,
Patti
Lisa
Love it! Everything about it. Going to look for my twine now!
Stacey
Patti, what a fun idea! I'm not really familiar with the String of Pearls but will be checking that out. A little macrame project was a great idea. 😉
Patti Estep
Hi Stacey,
I'm so glad you like the string of pearls. It was fun project and a great group to work with.
Thanks for stopping by,
Patti
Karen
String of pearls is a plant I've never seen before. I love how unique it is and it looks perfect trailing over the edges of your tea cup. I can always count on you to introduce me to new and interesting plants, and this one is certainly a winner!
Patti Estep
Hi Karen,
I've seen string of pearls before but have never grown it. I hope it will do well for me.
Have a great weekend!
Patti
Carole West, Garden Up Green
I went with China too - I grew up enjoying tea parties with my grandma and parties in the spring always involved these fancy tea cups. I love this planter idea and you're right it's going to look even more amazing when it fills in. Thanks for joining us and you're kind words.
Patti Estep
Hi Carole,
Thank you for this challenge. I love my new hanging planter and I would have never come up with it if you hadn't brought this challenge to me.
Jemma
Beautiful project Patti, reminiscent of macrame with a delicate and feminine twist to it, very artistic too.
Jemma
Patti Estep
Hi Jemma,
I know! So macrame, right. Too bad I didn't retain any of those fancy knots. I do like simple and so that's what I went for and now I love this new hanging planter in my dining room. So fun to create with such a fabulous group.
Have a great weekend,
Patti
Jane
wow...gorgeous Patti! I love the knots...definitely adding this to my list
Patti Estep
Hi Jane,
I'm so glad you like it. I had fun creating this one and probably would have never done it if it wasn't for this challenge.
Have a great weekend!
Patti
Kim
Very nice. I have several tea cups just waiting for this project.
Patti Estep
Hi Kim,
Thanks. It's always fun when we have the materials to repurpose for a project.
Thanks for stopping by,
Patti