According to the dictionary, a planter is “a decorative container, of a variety of sizes and shapes, for growing flowers or ornamental plants”, so a planter is a container where you can plant some plants. Say that three times fast!
We’ve outlined some of the ways you can differentiate between different types of planters to find one to suit you and your indoor/outdoor space perfectly.
Planters by Material
To fully understand what is or isn’t considered a planter, it may help to familiarise yourself with the different types of planter. There are lots of various kinds of planters and they’re most easily differentiated by the material they’re made out of, so here is a list of some of the most popular types of materials used for planters and some of their characteristics:
- Zinc planters – weather resistant and light, available in many colours.
- Wood planters – from hardwood to softwood, beautiful natural tones.
- Metal planters – includes zinc, stainless steel and corten, long-wearing.
- Stone planters – often made to order, heavy, strong and durable
- Terracotta planters – tough and porous to allow air/moisture, lightweight
- Fibreglass planters – long-lasting, low maintenance and non-corrosive
- Ceramic planters – durable and come in a range of sizes and colours
- Plastic planters – can emulate other materials at a lower cost
So a planter can be made out of lots of different types of materials, so long as the material is fit to house soil/compost and a living (or artificial!) plant.
Planters by size
How big or small can a planter get? The answer to this is probably similar to ‘how long is a piece of string’? So long as a plant can fit comfortably inside it, a planter can be any size you want, with some of the bigger sizes often being made to order there’s plenty of options for a space of any size.
Planters by shape
If you aren’t looking for a particular size or material of planter, but have an area in your garden or home that’s a specific shape, you can also shop planters by shape, including some unique shapes such as the egg-shaped planter!
- Trough – excellent for planting lots of flowering plants together while keeping them contained in an often rustic-feel container.
- Square/Cube – square/cube planters are perfect for gardeners with modernist visions and geometric dreams or simply to fit into angular spaces.
- Cone/Cylinder – great for planting bay trees and other small shrubs, giving a contemporary look to your garden.
- Flared/Tall – adding impact to your garden, perfect for framing entrances or doorways or lining garden edges with stunning plants.
- Bowl – stylish, low down and perfect for plant experimenting and arranging in interesting layouts without committing to a flowerbed.
- Egg – egg planters add an interesting uniqueness to your garden, similar to cone/cylinder planters in what plants you can contain within.
Urn – Greco-Roman inspired planters with eye-catching designs and curves.
A planter for everyone
PA planter can be very versatile, in material, size, colour and shape, making it hard to give it an accurate visual description, but this offers a huge variety of looks that suit any kind of indoor or outdoor garden and makes planters the perfect containers for planting all your bedding, perennials, bulbs and more!