Eight Cool Ways to Use Tree Stumps

While it can be a real shame to cut down a tree in the yard, sometimes it’s unavoidable. They get old and possibly weak. They can grow too near to the house so that the roots threaten the foundation and/or the limbs threaten the roof. Occasionally, tree stumps are just what happens.

Often when they do, homeowners elect to have that stump ground in an attempt to eliminate it. In extreme cases, they might even have the stump removed which involves digging it up along with the roots. This can be hugely expensive and make a mess of the yard.

So, perhaps it might be fun to think of dealing with tree stumps creatively, seeing that stump as an opportunity rather than something to be eradicated. It’s time to come up with some cool ideas for dealing with a tree stump.

Raised Flower Bed

Stumps can be beautiful features in the yard and garden, and that is only further exemplified by stumps that have been hollowed out on top to make raised flower beds. This can either be done by the tree-cutting service, with a chainsaw, and/or via a drill and chisel.

Lots of flowers and plants can grow with just a few inches of soil. In this case, it’s especially lovely to have trailing varieties that will fall from atop the tree stump.

Potted Plant Display

If hollowing out the top of a stump sounds like too much work, a stump can also make a great potted plant display. A large plant pot or several smaller plant pots can sit atop the stump, and others can be nestled in the root buttresses around the base of the stump.

Culinary herbs are great container plants, as are edible flowers like zinnias and nasturtium. Why not grow something to eat as well?

Garden Bed Décor

Keeping it simple, that stump doesn’t need to be hollowed out to work as a pretty feature in the flower/vegetable garden. It can be planted around, with plants like squashes or cucumbers encouraged to climb all over it. With the shade now gone, it might just be the ideal spot to introduce a new garden bed to the lawn.

Fairy Garden

For those with young children or who love kooky fun, stumps are the perfect place to put in a fairy garden. The crux of the fairy garden is to build a place that looks inviting to forest fairies. This can involve miniature statues, houses, and other accessories.

This would be a cool place to inoculate mushrooms and introduce small plants or miniature trees. Keep it magical.

Candle/Light Stand

Stumps are also a great place to make a luminary display. It can be done with a collection of candles, or it can be done with outdoor solar lights. All the better if that light stand is featured in one of the above gardens. That would be getting double duty from the stump.

Birdbath

Water features in the lawn and garden are a great resource for birds and lots of other wildlife such as pollinating insects and amphibians. A pond is a great choice, but a nice big birdbath can do the trick, too. A stump is a great spot to put a large shallow dish, platter, or bowl to make a birdbath.

If stagnant water is something you worry about, it’s possible to get a little aquarium pump running in it to keep the water moving.

Table

For those with foresight on tree removal, a funky idea is to get the tree cutters to cut the tree high enough on the trunk to make a table out of the stationary stump. Then, have some of the trunk cut into free-standing stumps that can work as seats around the table.

This idea could be taken even further by using the branches to create a shade arbor to go over the stump table. That’s getting a lot out of the situation.

Carving

While most of us aren’t skilled enough to carve a stump into something cool, there are people out there who can. They can be hired to come to the house and shape that stump into a cool statue. Wizards, bears, and owls are common motifs, but there are plenty of ideas online to check out.

So, next time a tree needs to be taken out. Consider leaving the trunk in place. It might turn into something you truly value.

Related Content:

• 7 Ways to Use Old Tree Stumps Creatively
• 10 Bird Baths for Your Garden Oasis
• How to Plant a Potted Tree
• How to Make New Candles from Old Ones
• 10 Unconventional Fruit Trees for the Backyard Orchard

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
• Adopt-a-Pet: Visit WildWatchers, a watchdog platform specifically designed for animal, earth, and wildlife warriors to actively give back, rescue, and protect animals and the planet.
• Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that raise awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade repeatedly.
• Support Independent Media: Being publicly funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
• Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.
• Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and important stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!
• Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!