DIY Patio Post Lights

Last summer we said goodbye to the little blue playhouse that was damaged in flooding a few years prior and added a new patio with a fire pit. It has lead to a lot more evenings spent outside!

This summer, we started landscaping around the patio and added a sidewalk and steps from the house. I divided up one of my hostas for now, but it was late in the growing season so will need to replant some and fill in next spring. I might also plant lavender because I love it and it should help keep the bugs away.

We do a lot of cooking over the campfire and sometimes it gets dark so we really needed some type of lighting. I wanted string lights the whole way around the circle so we added flowerpots with a post inside.

We stabilized pressure-treated 4x4 wood posts in a 5 gallon bucket and poured concrete around each one. The concrete-bottom posts were then placed in a large flowerpot and 1B stones were added for drainage. I covered the stones with landscaping fabric and filled the pot with potting soil. Then, I planted whatever annuals that I could find left so late in the growing season. Next year, I will be a bit more intentional about what I plant, but these are still very pretty!

I put mug hooks in the top of each post to hang the lights. It needed to have a bit of “give” in case the wires are hit with something like a soccer ball.

The lights are such a great addition to the patio! They do attract more bugs, so we put out some tiki torches.

It feels like having a whole other room added to the house and is a great place to relax. This is probably one of my all-time favorite DIY home projects!

Here is a quick video showing how we made the flowerpot posts: