If you’re one of those homeowners who pay as much attention to their outdoors as they do to their indoors, you just got lucky. We’re sure you might be on the lookout for new and unique ideas for your landscape and garden. If you want to make your outdoor space look all more appealing and attractive, you’ve come to the right place. And that’s just what we’re here to offer. With the numerous cinder block garden ideas, you can now revamp your garden with minimal investment.
You may get confused between cinder and concrete and may even consider them the same. However, cinder and concrete are entirely different. Although they’re made from the same basic components, there’s one special component that goes into the making of cinder that’s unique to it – coal ash. Moreover, cinder blocks are also lighter than concrete.
There are plenty of ways to use cinder blocks to make your garden look more aesthetically appealing. However, before we look at some cinder block garden ideas, let’s address some preliminary concerns that most homeowners often have with cinder.
Characteristics of Cinder Blocks
It’s not wise to opt for a material in your property design before first knowing about it. If you’ve got no clue as to what cinder is and what makes it such a great option for garden décor and design, you should familiarize yourself with the basic characteristics of cinder blocks.
- Cinder blocks are lighter in weight and therefore, are suitable for DIY projects.
- They’ve got hollow space between them. This offers you plenty of options to use cinder blocks in unique and creative ways.
- They’re versatile and can be painted and used in a variety of DIY projects in the garden.
- They’re highly resistant to harsh weather conditions, hence suitable to be used in gardens.
Are Cinder Blocks Safe to Use in the Garden?
Safety is the primary concern of all homeowners. This is why you may want to know if cinder blocks are safe to use in the garden. Well, you’ll come across various varieties of cinder blocks from different manufacturers. If you’re concerned about safety, it’s best to ask the cinder block manufacturer directly. However, cinder blocks are generally safe to use.
Cinder Block Garden Ideas
Now that you know cinder blocks are a great option to incorporate into your garden, it’s the right time to move onto some great cinder block garden ideas. If you’re looking for some garden décor inspiration, our list of cinder block garden ideas is just what you need.
Paint Your Cinder Blocks Bold and Loud
If you want to add an element of visual interest, color, functionality, and personality to your garden, this cinder block garden idea might be the best one out there. It’s simple and straightforward, making it the perfect DIY project that you can undertake any time, any day. Simply paint your cinder block garden planters f varying sizes in bold and eye-catching colors and patterns and you’re good to go with beautiful statement pieces for your garden. You can place these colorful cinder block planters in your garden or porch. Plant colorful flowers in these planters and see how they transform your garden instantly!
Flower Planter for Tea Table
If you like to enjoy your evening tea in your garden and have a basic tea table and chairs arranged, you can revamp your tea area with colorful cinder block flower planters. Simply plant your favorite flowers in a single cinder block, paint it or decorate it any way you like, and set it atop your tea table. The perfect flower planter for your garden tea table is ready in no time. These flower planters will look equally good on your patio or porch and even on your dining table in the kitchen!
Centerpieces for Dining Tables
Outdoor dinners and parties are the new things today and many homeowners have started to invest in making their outdoor spaces attractive and comfortable. If you’ve built an outdoor dining area where you can enjoy cheerful dinners with your loved ones, this cinder block garden idea might catch your attention. Plant striking grass varieties in a cinder block planter and decorate them in the center of your outdoor dining table. The beautiful green color will look absolutely stunning against the dull gray of the cinder blocks, hence making your dining table look all more appealing. There’s no doubt in the fact that potted plants make gorgeous centerpieces.
Cinder Block Bench
What’s the point of investing your time and effort in making your garden looking beautiful when you can’t enjoy it and take in its beauty? Building a comfortable garden bench is a great idea. You can spend quality time in your garden, close to nature, with a garden bench in place. It may come as a surprise to you that you can use cinder blocks to build a low-cost garden bench, and that too, yourself! Simply arrange cinder blocks one above the other till you achieve the desired height and length of the bench. Moreover, you can top it up with a foam seat and plenty of cushions and there you have it – a comfortable garden bench that looks absolutely stunning in your garden.
The best part about building a cinder block bench is that you don’t have to worry about it getting damaged during rain and snow seasons as you do with wood and metal furniture. Cinder blocks are rough, tough, and resistant to weathering.
Cinder Block Fire Pit
A fire pit in your garden sounds like a great idea. It’ll make the perfect spot to host bonfires and dinners during the winter months. While most landscapers may have given you costly estimates to build a fire pit, you can build a fire pit in your garden yourself using cinder blocks. You read that right.
Cinder block garden fire pit is not just useful but looks rustic, which makes it just the right add-on to your garden. The best part about building a fire pit using cinder blocks is it’s affordable and very easy. You don’t even have to pay the labor to do it. You can pull it off yourself.
Cinder Block Garden Bed
If you feel that your garden needs a focal point, build an attractive raised garden bed using cinder blocks. Raised flower beds look gorgeous and they’ll look prettier when you build them using rustic cinder blocks. Since cinder blocks come with a center space or cavity, all you need to do is fill them up with soil and plant your favorite plant varieties. Cinder blocks can be joined together in any design you like using mortar. Do you see how simple and straightforward it is? Now, you don’t have to invest in costly fountains or miniature swans and flamingos to make up for the missing focal point in your garden. The cinder block garden bed does the job equally well.
Staircase Décor
Tiered gardens look extremely royal and beautiful. Building tiered gardens is the finest way to utilize a large outdoor space. There’s so much that you can do to make your garden tiers look attractive. One way of adding aesthetic appeal is not neglecting the stairs. You would want the stairs of your tiered garden to look as pretty as the rest of your garden while you take a relaxing stroll. Place a cinder block planter on each step to give your tiered garden a complete look.
Garden Bed Edging
Many homeowners prefer to highlight their garden beds and they do so by incorporating a form of edging, Sometimes it’s a bush variety, sometimes it’s a low-lying fence, and sometimes, it’s concrete pavers. However, if you want your garden bed edging to look absolutely unique and creative, try using cinder blocks. You can use cinder blocks as is or paint them into colorful designs and patterns if you want to make a bold statement. The options are endless and the ground for creativity is open.
Outdoor Kitchen
Outdoor kitchens are a dream for many people but the heavy investment that goes into building one is what keeps people from opting for it. However, what if we tell you that you don’t have to exhaust your bank account to make your dream of an outdoor kitchen come true? You can enjoy outdoor cooking during the summer season, something you’ve always wanted to do, without having to spend all the money you have! Thanks to cinder blocks. Build kitchen counter base using cinder blocks, and top the base up with a marble or wooden slab, whatever you like. Place an electric stove atop the slab, and arrange some counter stools around. Your budget-friendly outdoor kitchen is ready!
Outdoor Bar
For someone who hosts parties often, having an outdoor bar is a good idea. With an outdoor bar, you don’t have to go all the way to your kitchen to fetch glasses and drinks when you’re hosting an outdoor party. The good news is you don’t have to break a leg or your bank account to build a bar in your garden. Cinder block garden bars are a super-cool and fun DIY project that you should give a try. Build the base of the bar using cinder blocks, add decorative elements to your liking, and voila – your outdoor bar is ready to serve your guests.
Cinder Block Retaining Wall
You won’t always find a flat landscape everywhere. Your garden may be sloped. Planting trees on sloped surfaces is a huge challenge because every time you water the soil, the water may run downhill, taking the soil and nutrients with it. If your garden is sloped and you don’t want the water and the absorbed nutrients to just slip away, you should consider building a retaining wall. You can build a highly efficient retaining wall using cinder blocks yourself. There’s absolutely no need to hire a professional landscaper or hardscaper to do the job for you. Cinder blocks make it all doable and that too, at a surprisingly low cost!
Succulent Planters
Do you love succulents and can’t decide which one to plant in your garden? We say, plant them all! Thanks to the opening in cinder blocks, you can plant one variety of succulent plants in each cinder block and have the best of all in your garden. Dedicate a corner of your garden to succulents. The colorful, attractive corner will make the picture-perfect corner that nobody can take their eyes off!
Add Color to Your Garden
If you feel that your garden looks to dull and boring but you’re tight on a budget and can’t possibly afford a full-scale garden revamp, you need not worry as long as there are cinder blocks in the market. These super-affordable blocks can add life, color, and appeal to your garden all at once. Simply paint cinder blocks in different colors and arrange them in any fashion you like using mortar. Plant varying plant varieties in each block and see your garden take on an entirely fresh look.
Raised Vegetable Bed
Growing vegetables in your home garden sure sound fun. What could be better than enjoying garden-fresh vegetables every day, every season? However, while many gardeners attempt to grow vegetables in their gardens, not every one of them succeeds. Some vegetable varieties may take up more nutrients, leaving too few nutrients for other vegetables. Then there’s the risk of weed, and the list goes on. However, you don’t have to lose heart. There’s one solution to this problem – raised vegetable bed. Cinder block garden beds are the best option out there today. You can build cinder block vegetable beds yourself and dedicate each to one vegetable, ensuring every plant gets the nutrients they need.
Fences
The possibilities with cinder blocks are endless. You can get as creative as you can possibly get. These may look like simple cement blocks but there is a lot more than just that. It’s because of the openings they have got in the center. Did you know you can build beautiful garden fences using cinder blocks? All you’ve got to do is pass wooden plants through the opening and that’s about it. Simple, straightforward, and simply beautiful. But these fences will only serve the purpose of aesthetics and not security.
Cinder Block Garden Furniture
You can build a variety of garden furniture just like we suggested you build garden benches using cinder blocks. From sofas to coffee tables to dining tables, cinder blocks leave the room for creativity open. Cinder block garden furniture is easy and cheap to make. You need cinder blocks, wooden planks, cushions, foam seats, and that’s about it.
Vertical Garden
Not everyone is lucky enough to have a garden on their property. If you’re one of those and are upset over the fact that you can’t plant your favorite plants at home, you can prepare yourself for good news. You can plant your favorite plant varieties at home. You can build a vertical garden using cinder blocks and pot a different plant in each block. When we say the possibilities are endless with cinder blocks, we really mean it.
Potting Station
You can also pot the plant varieties that you like in small pots and decorate them all on a potting station made using cinder blocks. To make the potting station pretty to look at, you can paint the pots in attractive colors and make sure there’s a diverse variety of plants. The more the colors on the potting station, the more attractive it’ll look.
BBQ Pit
BBQs are always fun. They give the perfect opportunity to get together with friends and family and share a good laugh over a variety of freshly grilled food. BBQ can be made all more enjoyable if you’ve got proper space for it and what could be better than a fancy BBQ pit made using cinder blocks. Cinder blocks are highly resistant to heat and therefore, ideal material choice to build a BBQ pit in your yard or garden.
Fireplace
As much as one likes to stay cozy indoors during the winter evenings, there’s no harm in staying outdoors if there’s a proper arrangement for keeping yourself warm. An outdoor fireplace sounds like a great idea. You can use cinder blocks to build a fireplace in your garden. Arrange some sofas and tables – that can also be made using cinder blocks – and enjoy the perfect winter evening. To top it with more fun, treat yourself with a cup of hot chocolate!
Cinder Block Garden Stairs
This cinder block garden idea is especially for people who’ve got a sloping garden where they think stairs would help. And mind you – building stairs is a long, exhausting, and costly project. However, if you really want stairs in your garden, you can opt for cinder block garden stairs. Cinder block stairs are as functional as any regular stairs, only a lot less expensive!
Storage Area
You can even use cinder blocks to build a storage area in your garden where you can store all your garden tools. Arrange cinder blocks to a reasonable height and make the base. Place broad wooden planks atop the base. Add another level to the rack and a full-fledged storage rack for your garden essentials is ready! If you want to make the rack look aesthetically pleasing, you can paint the cinder blocks in a color to your liking.
Lounger
Have you ever felt the urge to cuddle with your partner when the weather is exceptionally romantic while the two of you enjoy a cup of freshly brewed coffee? If yes, you need to invest in a lounger. But before you head out for a lounger, be prepared to be welcomed by hefty price tags. Loungers don’t come cheap. Did your heart just break and your dream got shattered? Wait a second. You can build a lounger yourself in literally half the price using cinder blocks. Cinder block garden lounger is a real deal – one that you shouldn’t miss. Building a garden lounger using cinder blocks is a fairly easy DIY project that you and your partner can complete together.
Sitting Area
If you already have a sitting area in your garden that you want to make cozier and aesthetically appealing, this cinder block garden idea is probably the best one for you. Dedicate a wall by the sitting area to cinder blocks. Arrange cinder blocks in a stylish pattern. Install a light bulb in alternating cinder blocks and pot some plants in others. When the sun settles, light the bulbs up and see your sitting area transform into something fancy.
Step Garden
You can use a cinder block to create a step garden. You can add as many levels as you like and as many plant varieties as you please. The best part about it all is you don’t have to do much. It’s super easy and you can easily build a step garden using cinder blocks yourself in a day!
Cinder blocks are a blessing in disguise if you’re an avid DIY-er who loves to try out new ideas. If you’re wondering how to revamp your garden without spending a ton, you’ve got your answer. You can rest assured that there, most definitely, is a way to do it. Thanks to cinder blocks!
