Hanging string lights outside for your patio or backyard creates the perfect ambiance, but what to hang them on was an issue! Here’s how I made poles for outdoor lights.

I was inspired by how my friend Shannon from Fox Hollow Cottage made her Cafe Light Poles (she has a great video tutorial), I knew they were perfect to give us outdoor lighting with my new DIY Outdoor Fireplace. With a few adjustments to fit our needs, we were ready to tackle this DIY outdoor project.

Planter Poles for Outdoor Lights

Making planter poles for string lights was an easy DIY project that adds so much to our outdoor space. You don’t need a lot of DIY experience to complete these.

Supplies for Making Planter Poles:

Large Planters – I chose these because of their price and size. I knew I would paint them, so the plastic didn’t bother me. Keep reading for pot suggestions.
8ft to 12 ft aluminum poles (they come in silver or black, the darker ones had to be ordered and we wanted them the same day. You can also use wood 2×2 poles.
Braces or industrial tape. We made ours with the 2 x 2 wood pieces.
Quick Set Concrete
Something to stir with
Level Tool
Water
Shovel
Pole Caps
Paint – if you’re painting the pole and pots as I did.

How to Make Planter Poles for String Lights

Yield: 1

Prep Time: 1 hour

Active Time: 30 minutes

Additional Time: 12 hours

Total Time: 13 hours 30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Stringing outdoor string lights is easy with planter poles

Materials

8ft. or 12ft. Aluminum Pole or 2x2 wood poles
Deep Planter Pot - ours ended up being bigger than we really needed.
Quick Setting Concrete
End Cap Hooks
Water
Wood pieces for the brace or use heavy duty masking tape.
Large piece of plastic

Tools

Leveler
Shovel

Instructions

Gather your supplies.
If you're making a brace with the wood pieces, make ahead of time.
Pour concrete dry mixture in a 1/4 or 1/2 way up into the planter. It is really dusting, so you may consider wearing a mask.
Add about a gallon of water and stir using a shovel or tool.
Set your pole in the middle and set brace. Durable masking tape can also be used.
Using a level, check to make sure your pole is straight. Reposition as needed.
Let it sit for 12 hours.
We painted our poles and planters with outdoor paint to match our grey composite deck.
Drill holes into planter above the cement line for drainage.
Add the top end caps that will help to attach the lights.
Add dirt and plants and you're ready!

Notes

We used a large piece of Visqueen to do our project on.

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Can I Make Pole Planters without Concrete?

If you’re looking for how to make poles for outdoor lights that don’t include cement, you can easily build them with brackets as my friend did. Charlotte built planter poles and has a great tutorial.

How to Plant Flowers in a Pole Planter

The only thing different is you’ll be planting in pots with hardened concrete in the bottom, so you’ll need drainage. We drilled a couple of holes right into the side, above the cement. Plant as normal. You can also fill with decorative rock if you want something lower maintenance.