This year, I’m not even going to try. Every spring, with ridiculous optimism (and a bit of amnesia), I fill all my small terra cotta pots with plants and disperse them around my little patio. They look great—for about a week, until the extremely arid Colorado climate and the intense southern sun on my patio fry them. No amount of water can keep them alive. So this weekend—before I’m even tempted by my local garden center’s herbs and flowers—I’m turning all those little pots into candle holders.

Former Natural Home & Garden art director Susan Wasinger, who came up with this simple project, says that candlelight is the only thing that can compete with moonlight in a garden. She uses these pots of colored light to illuminate her garden paths and serve as a rustic centerpiece for outdoor dining. And they couldn’t be easier: Just give your pots a quick swipe of paint, pour in a bit of sand and add a votive candle.