Our wonderful Insider Community that Key has been wonderful handling, has asked for large outdoor planter recs and I figured that they might not be alone. Heck if I had a space wider than my almost 3′ x 20′ balcony I would be on the hunt too! But you know what takes time? Searching and looking up annoying dimensions. I think everyone on the team (not just Emily and her cat lounge) has once or twice thought they “knew what the size was by just looking at it online” and FOR SURE regretted it. If you are a gambler that can be very exciting, buuuuut I am personally not a big gambling gal and hate having to return things. Plus it’s bad for the earth. Lose, lose in my opinion. So I did a bit of research and held myself as back as possible to bring you 9 awesome large planters and none 9 dope EXTRA large planters. If you want to see “Jess Unleashed: Outdoor Entertaining Products Edition,” head here. It’s hard not to suggest EVERYTHING I think is cool. But who has the time??
Now before we start, I thought I would give you a little planter sizing info I got from The Sill:
“When choosing a pot, choose a pot that is 1-2” larger than the current size if the plant is currently in a 10” pot or smaller. If your current pot size is >10”, choose a pot that is 2-3” larger in diameter.”
So since we are dealing with those over 10″ pots (and likely even larger plants), make sure those babies have some room to grow… 2″-3″ to be exact.
Large Planters
Now when I say “large”, I’m talking between 13.75″ to 16″ diameter which means your plants should be 10″ to 13″ depending. Shall we just hop right in?
1. Self Watering Planter | 2. Pidestall Planter | 3. Totem Indoor/Outdoor Planter | 4.
Graysen Pot Planter | 5. Kauai Cement Pot Planter | 6. Composite Planter | 7. IKEA PS FEJÖ | 8. Brice Planter | 9. White Metal Planter with Black Stand
I think I should start with the two that will make your life the easiest… #1 and #7. Y’all they are self-watering AND under $20. How can you beat it? But if you are good at, or like to be attentive to your plants, as well as love cool shapes then #3, #5, and #8 are for you. Caitlin is actually eyeing #8 for her balcony:) Now if you want a classic look for a really great price then #6 is it. I really love that one.
Sometimes you need to create levels with planter groupings and that’s what awesome about #2 and #9. They are visually both substantial yet light because of their elevated nature. And last but not least, #4 is also on a stand but brings in that classic playfulness with its pattern! Stripes go with almost anything.
Ready to go bigger??
Extra Large Planters
These planters range from 17.5″ to 35″ meaning your plants should be 14.5″ to 32″…again depending on the planter. Those are some big plants! The great thing about an extra-large planter like this is that you will likely only need one (which is good for the wallet) and will last you maybe forever. Of course, if you have a huge backyard well then you might need more. But I think the key, especially with the extra-large planters, is to keep them pretty timeless with clean lines. I did throw a color option in there for fun but when you are spending the big bucks on a piece like this it’s important to know that you are still going to love it in 10 years, right? So let’s look at what we got:
1. Flatform Planter | 2. Ring Handle Iron Taper Planter | 3. Bound Black Planter | 4. Barnacle Round Shoulder Jar | 5. Royse Ceramic Pot Planter | 6. Fiber Concrete Flare Urn | 7. Cecilia Indoor/Outdoor Planter | 8. White Belly XXL Planter | 9. Pacifica Planter
My modern heart is LOVING #1 a lot. And honestly, for the size the price isn’t bad. But if it’s texture you want, #3 and #7, and #9 are great. Not too busy but add enough interest to make you (and your future guests) take a second look. I had to add #5 because despite my odd hesitation with pink, how fun is a large pink planter!! However, I am very partial to a traditional aged planter like #2, #4, #6, and #8. They are just so elegant and will truly never go out of style.
Ok, there you have it. Large and extra-large planters that I can 100% get behind. Obviously the new and large planters are $$$ so don’t forget to check garage sales, Craigslist, or your favorite online selling app. Deals are out there if you have the patience;) Hope this was helpful.
Love you, meant it.
Opening Image Credits: Design and Photo by Shavonda Gardner
If your budget for planters is like mine you might want to check out Pinterest for all the ways you can take your run of the mill clay pot and give it a completely different look. You can age it, paint it, make it look rustic and even make it look like a stone planter. There is a wealth of ideas out there when it comes to making planters
look a lot more expensive than they are.
Now you can have that “pink” pot and know that you can change the color next year if you want.
I like using baskets for large indoor planters. Just use a plastic pot and saucer inside it. Much cheaper and easier to move around.
Those tips are useful for sizing up containers for existing plants. One thing I like doing is using nursery pots inside the planters. With outside plants it’s nice because I can replace the insert with seasonal flowers that’s growing elsewhere in the garden and I don’t have to move a heavy planter with dirt at the same time. It can be difficult to buy nursery containers so I save them as I buy plants.
Just want to add that many containers for other things xan be used as planters/pots. For example, big ol’ pots, old wheelbarrows, metal drums, the list is endless.
Also, look on 2nd hand sites for used ones. Bonus is, they often have much more character.
And, if you live in a hot, dry climate like LA, seal your terracotta pots on the inside. They dry out reallly fast otherwise.
The thing that makes buying bigger pots SO HARD is that if you’re trying to buy online the websites for most stores are not set up to search by the range of sizes you need. I was looking for a planter about 14-15 inches diameter. Either the websites made you select filters like 14.2, 14.4, 14.5 14.6, etc etc for the diameter, or they only had filters for the height (not helpful!).
I ended up going to a local nursery 3-store chain and walking around looking over several visits over the past 2 years until I found something that was suitable.
I have a plant that started off in a 3 inch pot as a houseplant about 6 inches tall. It’s now just about 8 feet tall and spends 10 months on the patio. It kept tipping over in a 12 inch plastic planter because it was top heavy. Trying to buy a large, colorful, not ugly, not too tall, pot that didn’t cost an arm and a leg was so hard.
I never pay full price for pots. Local discount chains and “bulk buy” shops often have them!
Yeah, it’s hard to find pots in this size range online that aren’t plastic or hundreds of dollars, but I’ve had a lot of luck with Lowe’s and Craigslist
I recently bought 2 large pots and glued them together end to end to make a tall, hourglass shaped planter that has stability on the bottom and height to elevate the planting within an existing flowerbed. I used E6000 glue and it is holding up great, and at a much more budget-friendly option compared to commercially available tall planters that were wide and deep. Also, for folks living in areas where it freezes, reminder to take in your ceramic/terracotta/earthenware pots in winter so they don’t crack.
Nice! Whenever I go looking for planters or pots, I’m shocked by how expensive they are. There are some really nice affordable ones here. Thanks!
When we were in Morocco they had HUGE, beautiful pots everywhere in the aged terracotta style (most similar to XL #4 – the most expensive one). We found a maker’s space (that also had a killer giant mirror we almost bought) that had several. We asked how much they’d be. Wait to be floored….$25 US! Shipping (on a ship, so slowly) doubled the price to $50. I really considered starting a business selling those for a while! Instead we’ll just wait for our next house’s dream backyard and buy a bunch for myself.
As they say, “ask and you shall receive”. Thanks for the round up Jess! xoxo