Clever Ideas of Decorating or Hiding a Tree Stump in Your Yard

While you can have multiple tree stumps lying around, your yard doesn’t have to look boring! If you’re looking for clever ideas for decorating or hiding a tree stump in your yard, then you’ve come to the right place.

We’ll give you a few creative ways to beautify your tree stump throughout this article. Some of the ideas range from simple (carving hearts) to complex (making a sculpture). Regardless of which idea you choose, you’ll end up with a better yard as a result.

Do you like painting? We have a few tips here to help paint the stump effectively. By the end of this article, you’ll have enough information to bring your backyard to life. Are you ready? Let’s get started!

Make Tree Stump Art

If you’re feeling creative, a few plant tools and paint can lead to beautiful pieces of tree stump artwork. To do so, use a chisel to carve the wood and make a sculpture out of the stump. For instance, you can make a welcome sign out of your tree stump.

Take the bark from the stump’s front side and begin sanding the wood until it becomes smooth. You can use either a wood-burning kit or chisel to write a message or your name on the stump.

For extra creativity points, surround the tree stump with plants. You can place the stump in the middle of a play area to encourage your children to play. For instance, you can draw faeries or a funny face to ensure that your children can have fun.

DIY Outdoor Table

Depending on the size of the tree stump, you can make your own natural outdoor table with it. Start by using the stump as a base and adding a tabletop on it. The stump has to be properly leveled on the ground to prevent the tabletop from falling off.

Next, you can add a tabletop made of wooden pallets, wood or use your old patio’s tabletop. Your stump needs to have a large diameter and height for this method to work. You could use smaller tree stumps to act as a kid’s table.

Lastly, add a few chairs, and you’ll have a beautiful garden stump. When making this table, always check to see if there are any cracks to prevent the stump from losing its durability.

Illuminated Tree Stumps

With a bit of lighting, you can convert your tree stump into a piece of illuminated furniture. To do so, place LED lights inside the cracks of the timber sections of the tree.

The lighting dimensions will vary based on your material, but most are 300w x 400h. And you can wire them into 12 Volt DC power tools either inside or outside your home.

Create a Bird Bath

Just like turning your tree stump into a table, you can use the base to create a birdbath. You can use a large piece of pottery that’s shallow enough or use a concrete birdbath to make this happen.

If you have a wide tree stump, you can create an elegant pot fountain that can be found in most home improvement stores. Alternatively, you can use it to create an outdoor tiered fountain if you have more DIY experience.

Start by using the stump as a base and add pots so you’ll have multiple areas for the water to pour down. Add some plastic tubing and a water pump, and the water will spill downwards. As a result, the water cycle will continuously flow through the stump. Now instead of a boring tree stump, you have a simple and natural bird fountain!

Mushroom Carvings

You can turn your tree stumps into large mushrooms if you have carving skills. This will give your backyard an Alice in Wonderland effect, which could increase the aesthetic value of your home.

Mushroom carved tree stumps look great around your flower beds, a seating area, or around the fence. By doing so, you can improve your garden and give it a unique appearance. Again, you might need an expert to assist you, but the end result is well worth it.

How Can I Hide My Tree Stump?

If you have one or more stumps in your yard, you don’t have to remove them! Instead, you can “hide” your tree stumps by converting them into something else (i.e., flower bed, birdbath, etc.). Here are some ways to conceal your tree stump while preserving its beauty.

Make a Flower Bed

Some homeowners have hidden their tree stumps by converting them into flower beds. With a chisel or other tool, cut open a bowl on the stump’s top, add soil, and place flowers on top of the area.

For extra aesthetic value, place some flowers around your tree stump. There’s nothing more beautiful than a colorful row of flowers in your garden. This is way better than having a barren tree trunk stand in your front yard.

Create Garden Sculptures

A tree stump can be a beautiful addition to your garden with the right carving techniques. However, we don’t suggest you create this on your own. Instead, you should seek assistance from a professional chainsaw user.

A professional chainsaw artist will help turn your stump into a work of art. As a result, you’ll have a unique feature that you and your family will appreciate for the years to come.

Garden Furniture

Did you know you could turn your tree stump into garden furniture? They can be chairs or stools. You can carve the stump into any shape you want. Stools or mini tables can be used to keep food and beverages or be placed into garden pots.

Additionally, you can add a small countertop on the stump. Keep it simple or decorate it; it’s up to your personal preferences. As garden furniture, tree stumps are environmentally friendly and free of cost.

Can I Paint My Tree Stump?

Yes. Tree stump painting is a great method of tree preservation and can be found in tree farms and orchards. There are multiple reasons people paint them, but the main reason is that it prevents the splitting and cracking of the tree bark.

When a tree bark cracks, it can lead to more insects, fungus, and diseases. If you paint a tree stump, it will prevent borers and reduce insect infestations. Painted tree stumps can protect the tree bark from sun rays, but the wrong product can damage long-term.

The best way to do so is via a paintbrush. Studies show that spray paint doesn’t fully protect the tree and doesn’t stick to the bark. One coat of paint is sufficient enough to decorate the stump and enhance its appearance.

Painting tree stumps is a simple and effective way to protect your plants from future problems. You only have to apply the coating once a year to remain in good condition.

What Should I Use To Paint My Tree?

The best product you can use is water-latex paint. The paint needs to be mixed with 4-5 quarts of water and 1 gallon of the paint color you’re aiming to use.

Avoid using oil-based paint tools because they don’t allow your tree to respirate. If you notice rabbits or other rodents around your stump, use rodent repellent to reduce their chewing damage.

While some say to use interior paint, others suggest you do the opposite. Overall, as long as you’re using latex paint, you won’t experience any problems. On the other hand, keep in mind that some paints might have extra additives that are harmful to the plants surrounding the stump.

Getting paint with an organic base will help solve this problem. In addition, you can look for light paint colors to decorate your tree stump. Avoid using darker tones because they will cause the stump to absorb heat, leading to further sunscald.

How Do I Carve Hearts Onto My Tree Stump?

Have someone that’s special? Want to show them how much you care? The best way to do so is by adding a few hearts to your tree stump!

Adding hearts on your tree stump is easy to add some personality. Grab a piece of chalk and start to create the outline of the heart. Make a question mark shape to make the first half of the heart (remove the dot). Next, draw the mirror image of the previous shape. Make sure both sides are symmetrical to make the heart.

Grab a penknife and go over the chalk outline 3-4 times. If you have a sturdier tree such as elk or wood, go over it with the penknife 5-6 times. Remove the residue from the lines every time you start carving the outline.

With the penknife blade, carve the bark away from the interior outline of the heart. After that, you can draw your initials and someone else’s initials on the wood. To make the names visible, go over the tree bark a few times until you can see it from a distance.