Planters is generic name for any container designed to hold plants. They go back to at least the ancient Egyptians, but took off in the Roman period with the mass production of terracotta. Originally used to keep plants out the frost, flower pots were a preserve of the rich. Later with the expansion of europeans colonial empires, they were used to transfer exotic plants from other parts of the world.

At Primrose we have hundreds of ways of housing your plants, in any shape, material or colour you desire. Whether you're looking for a traditional design for your garden or something more unique to create a focal point within your home, there's plenty to choose from.

But with all this choice, here’s a handy guide to help you decide which one is right for you.

Location, Location, Location

Are you looking to plant your flowers inside or outside? We have some lovely window boxes to help you grow fresh herbs in your kitchen. You can even personalise them with your own message! For your garden, we sell a wide range of terracotta, zinc and wooden planters to house your growing plants. If you’d like to instantly brighten up your patio, have a look at our range of coloured planters.

A Design for Life

A great container for your flora can bring real style and character to your garden. How about an urn for that rustic feel, or perhaps a flared planter to bring a touch of class to your decking, patio or conservatory? To really be the talk of your friends, you might want to consider one of our water feature planters - and don’t forget to check out our range of plants if you’re stuck for something to put in them!

Pond in a Pot

One of the products we’re most proud of at Primrose is our innovative Pond in a Pot. These stylish fibreglass planters come in a range of colours and complete with plants ready to grow. Whatever the size of your garden space, you can now have an instantly gorgeous pond to show off. Designed by the award winning Anglo Aquatics exclusively for Primrose, become the envy of your neighbourhood with a Pond in a Pot!

With plant pots, it is first important to check whether your pot comes with drainage holes. If it does not it may be worthwhile to drill holes in the bottom, depending on what plants you wish to grow and the soil you wish to use. For most plants waterlogged soil will negatively affect growth, and may even cause it to wilt.

Plants in containers may also need its soil replaced, or improved with fertiliser, to improve the nutrients and structure of the soil. This can be done on an annual basis, depending on your plant's performance. One advantage of using a pot is that you can create loose aerated soil, which will benefit plant growth. Simply, just do not pack the soil too tight.

Primrose stocks both traditional materials such as wood, terracotta and stone as well as modern materials such as fibreglass and polystone. These materials are largely resistant to weathering and will henceforth maintain their sheen. Traditional materials, on the other, hand will degrade over time, which is great for a rustic look.

Most of our products are composed of composite materials that combine one material with another for superior properties. For example, by combining terracotta and fibreglass to produce fibrecotta, we have produced a product that is strong, frost proof and light. Authentic materials, which are also available, still suffer from a number of weaknesses that are worth looking into. Wood, for example, may need maintenance with varnish and paint as to protect against rot. Terracotta, on the other hand, is brittle and vulnerable to chipping.

Wood planters can be divided into their hardwood and softwood variants. As a rule of thumb, hardwood is considered a superior material due to its resistance to decay with some timbers lasting up to 40 years untreated. Softwood, however, is significantly cheaper than hardwood, due to the fast rate of growth and lower weight of the timber. Softwood timbers’ resistance to decay is improved through treating the wood, usually with tanalith, which acts to enhance its physical properties. A such you can expect 20 years of use before the material starts to degrade.

Our metal planters can be divided into stainless steel, corten steel, powder coated and zinc coated. The different physical properties depend on the type of steel and the coating used. Stainless steel is enhanced with chromium while corten is a special type of steel designed for its corrosion resistance and tensile strength. Powder coated is plastic and zinc a type of metal. Both act to protect the steel from corrosion and can be produced in limitless colours.

Zinc will react with the compounds in the soil, resulting in the protective layer being eaten away. This can be avoided by the use of an internal pot or a plastic liner. It also important to move your pot carefully, as chips may expose the steel underneath leading to rust.

It is important to consider both the material and colour of the container as they affect how warm the soil will be. Black absorbs all the wavelengths of light, which is then converted into heat energy, while white reflects all wavelengths of light. So different colours may lead to early germination/growth, and be able to better support more tropical plants. Certain materials are better at holding and transmitting heat, so it may be worthwhile to see how warm your pot is throughout the year. To gauge a soils’ temperature, one can purchase a soil thermometer.

You can calculate how much compost you need for any planter by measuring its width, height and depth in cm and then dividing by 1000 to get the volume in litres. If the planter is not a square or a rectangle, simply approximate its dimensions. Compost is usually sold in litres, but you will likely need less than the total volume of the planter as you can mix it with garden soil. Do not compress the resultant mix as loose aerated soil produces the optimal conditions for plant growth.

Fabric planters are best used for establishing strong and fibrous roots. This makes them a popular choice for growing crops as the technology used to grow plants in fabric planters means they won’t need regular root pruning. 

Aside from their reputation for healthy root growth, fabric planters are great for the environmentally conscious as they have a much smaller environmental impact than their plastic counterparts. 

Fabric planters are lightweight, durable and reusable which makes them easy to use and maintain for many years to come.

You can grow almost anything you like in a fabric planter, just as you would any other kind of garden planter. They’re particularly popular for vegetable crops as the success of these plants relies so heavily on developing healthy roots.

Fabric pots are hardier than you may think. A fabric planter can last anywhere from 3 to 5 years depending on the conditions that they’re kept in. They last best in dry, indoor structures such as greenhouses that keep them from harsh conditions which can cause deterioration. 

Proper care and maintenance such as running the fabric planters through the washing machine can help to extend the lifespan. Discover even more planter materials in our full collection of garden planters here at Primrose.