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5 Sensational Large Planter Ideas! Guide To Using Large Planters

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Large planters are one of the best homes for your container plants. This type of container garden allows you to plant pretty much anything, as, compared to small pots, you have the necessary space and size needed for your plants to grow. Though the potential for use of large planters both indoors and in any outdoor space are far ranging, sometimes it's tricky to figure out exactly how to use these big, beautiful planters. That's why we're here to help with some of our favorite large planter ideas!

In this article, we'll provide a rundown of all you need to know about large planters. This will include information about what a large planter actually is, why they're great, materials that work well for these container gardens, and then some of our own gardening ideas of what plants to grow. This will then be followed by a few large planter ideas recommended by our gardening experts so you'll be growing beautiful plants in no time!

Visit our Large Planters collection page for a wealth of inspiration and ideas to transform your outdoor and indoor spaces!

What's A Large Container Garden?

Cube planter on a rooftop with a tree
JBD Concepts Montroy Planters look stunning on a porch, in a bar, or in your home // Installation by Reveal Design

As this post is focused on a large pot for use as a container garden, it's first vital to outline what exactly constitutes a large pot. The most obvious--and the most important--factor to then take into account is size.

Large Planter Sizes

The measurement of planter size is a rabbit hole one could spend hours exploring. For the sake of brevity, we won't go into the actual how of it all. Instead, all you really need to be aware of is that planters can be measured using the diameter of the top of the pot in inches (most common), or by their volume in gallons. While it's useful to know both when picking out your own pot, we'll use diameter for explaining large container gardens in this post.

An example of large containers then are ones that start at 24''. From there, these containers can go as large as producers want to make them, and it's at that point you really get eye-catching designs for your plants.

Want to round out your knowledge? Read this Planter Shape Guide for more

Large Fiberglass Planters
Our large planters enrich hallways.

Why Use A Large Container Garden?

Now you're aware of what constitutes a large pot, how about we look at why you should start thinking of using these flower pots for your own plants?

Let There Be Growth!

Though there's a lot of scientific literature behind this idea, we'll stick to the basics. In 2012, research biologists found that if you double the plant pot size, plants grow over 40% larger.

Now, this isn't to say that no matter what you plant, whether it be colorful flowers, sweet potato vines, or herbs, they're just going to bloom like that magical beanstalk (some plants prefer smaller containers so be wary of this when potting). However, if you know your plant choices will thrive in big pots--Hooray! You might have a chance of creating a real garden oasis in your house or other space.

Blue planters on a patio
©Jay Scotts

Visual Interest

Due to their size, large containers are the ideal tool for creating visual interest in any space. This is particularly useful for landscape architects or interior designers looking to upgrade the look of a commercial space like a restaurant or resort. Nothing makes more of a statement than colorful foliage, and this is given an even greater oomph when blossoming out from a huge planter!

Looking for the perfect addition to your patio or a hotel lounge? Try out these Tall Planters!

Best Materials For Your Flower Pots?

Selecting the right materials for your flower pots is crucial to the health and vibrancy of your plants. Read on as we'll explore the best materials that not only enhance the beauty of your floral arrangements but also promote optimal growth. But that's not all – we'll also shed light on the planters to avoid and the top-notch options to use for your flourishing garden.

Planters Materials To Avoid - Metal Planters

©The Home Depot

Overall, these aren't the best planters on the market. For one, chemicals from the metal can seep into your plants and kill them. Furthermore, if used outside during the hot weather of summer, they can quickly overheat and ruin your plants.

Finally, as we're talking about large planter ideas, these would be much too heavy to transport anywhere, making them very inconvenient.

Okay Planter Materials - Plastic Planters

Plastic planters are a safe bet for use as your first large planter. They are cost-effective, lightweight, and come in a variety of different shapes and sizes. However, there are some issues with these pots. For one, plastic isn't environmentally friendly. These planters also aren't as strong as materials like clay, ceramic, or fiberglass. Finally, damp soil and overheating in the summer are also common issues with plastic planters.

plastic pots
©gardeningknowhow.com

Best Planter Material - Fiberglass Planters

Orange Planters fiberglass planter guide
©Jay Scotts

No planter choice is as good as fiberglass. These tick all the boxes, from being lightweight, strong, durable, and much more. Furthermore, if you're after a large planter for your container plants, choose fiberglass. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes but also manage to stay lightweight so you can transport them around a house or other property with minimal effort. To put the icing on the cake, most come with drainage holes for low-maintenance gardening.

More on fiberglass? Learn about these 5 Fiberglass Planter Benefits

Best Plants For Large Flower Pots?

Trees Are Great For A Big Garden

When most think of a large container, they're most likely also thinking of a large plant to go with it. This is why trees are the best fit for when you start gardening with larger pots, as they bring out that gorgeous, eye-catching effect you so desire. Whether indoors or outdoors, in areas of full sun or shade, you can use a fiberglass planter like the Brisbane Tall Corner Planter to get you started.

Trailing Plants Accompany Flowers And Other Plants

Trailing plants like a sweet potato vine or a creeping jenny are a great way to mix up your foliage choice and introduce some much-needed creativity to your gardening. Having these in large planters is good because a wonderful spilling display of colorful flowers can add another dimension to garden design, unlike the standard upright plant everyone's used to.

Grass Serves As A Patio Garden Fence For Unique Privacy

Grass, like trees, work wonders in large planters because they can provide form as well as function. Due to their tall, bushy appearance, they serve a kind of garden wall which is great if you're looking for a bit of privacy. Furthermore, maintenance is relatively simple with infrequent watering requirements the norm for most types.

Others

  • Annuals
  • Perennials
  • Flowers
  • Ferns

Need more ideas? Discover the 9 Container Gardening Trends In 2023

5 Container Garden Ideas With Large Planters

1. Playful Pops By The Front Door

One of the best ways to make a great first impression on visitors that is also sure to increase the curb appeal of any property is to use colorful plants by the entrance.

There are numerous plant options out there, choosing something like purple fountain grass, palm trees, or flowers is a great way to catch anyone off guard with an unusually gorgeous display.

So, how should you start?

Best planted in spring, simply pot your lavish plants into a pot like the Corry Cylinder Planter in blue.

The Corry is the perfect container to sit by the front door, or entrance and is expected to withstand the elements. Made from fiberglass, all of our planters perform above class in outdoor installations. Learn more about why our materials are special.

In terms of the softscape, you'll want drought-tolerant plants that only require watering once in a while. Furthermore, with fiberglass planters being so light, you can keep your plants in areas of full sun or partial sun and easily bring them indoors during the winter1

More on a front porch? Check out these 4 Front Porch Trends

Large blue planters
©JBD Concepts
Rectangle planter
©JBD Concepts

2. Your Personal Window Box Herb Garden

©HGTV

As discussed, what makes a larger planter great is its ability to promote increased growth, but did you know you can also pot multiple plants in a single container garden? That's right, their enlarged size means more space for soil, which, in turn, equals more space for plants!

When you start off with this idea, you might go for more classical options such as the thriller, spiller, and filler combination. Though there's nothing wrong with that, you could branch off into another direction by growing herbs instead--Any chefs out there?

A herb garden is great because you're killing two birds with one stone: providing a house with much needed bursts of green and actual ingredients that can be used for cooking. How good does that sound?

To get started, choose a planter like the Hollywood Rectangular Planter. With their fiberglass make, you can set them right by the window to receive sunlight without any worry of negative effects on the pot. On top of this, because it's so long, you can also plant your herbs next to each other--Just make sure all the herbs in a single container have the same maintenance requirements!

A herb garden for your restaurant? Find out what the 7 Best Restaurant Patio Planters are!

3. Grow Food And Save Money On Groceries!

Taking the previous tip a step further, you can even grow vegetables in a large planter if you really want to live that self-sustaining lifestyle. Once more, the most important thing to remember here is to plant vegetables with similar maintenance requirements. If you don't follow that, you won't be able to make this work.

©Tui Garden

So, What Can You Plant?

  • Carrots with Onions and Radishes
  • Cucumbers with Beans and Lettuce
  • Tomatoes with Asparagus and Garlic

These are a few container ideas for planting vegetables in a single pot. On a separate note, compared to herbs which we recommended growing indoors as window boxes, these vegetables will do best outside. Pick another fiberglass planter like the Darwin Tall Rectangular Planter for best results. These come with drainage holes making them ideal for outdoor gardening as water runoff is smooth. They can also withstand any weather condition so you don't need to worry about purchasing replacements every year.

4. Thriller, Filler, Spiller

Red Fiberglass Planters
©Jay Scotts

Next on our list, let's talk about the timeless thriller, filler, and spiller combination. This type of container garden is best for large planters because you need adequate space to really let three plants flourish in one. When done correctly, an elegant display of flowering plants is possible, allowing you to create a sense of awe anytime a guest comes around.

To get started, determine what qualifies as a thriller, filler, and spiller.

  • Thriller: Tulips, Violas, Daffodils
  • Filler: Begonias, Angelonia, Dusty Miller
  • Spiller: Bacopas, Creeping Jenny, Sweet Potato Vines

Once you have a few ideas in mind, start planting! As already stressed, ensure your thriller, filler, and spiller have the same soil, watering, and sunlight requirements for the best outcome. Furthermore, choose a pot with a drainage hole to make your gardening experience that much simpler--This also helps you avoid issues like overwatering which is a direct cause of root rot!

Looking for more plant combination ideas in a single planter? Read up on these 7 Plant Combination Ideas For Container Gardens

5. Large Planters Polish Your Design By Covering Up Eyesores

Pot plants around pool
©Greentec / Jay Scotts

Last, on our list, let's focus on how you can use large planters and plants to cover up unwanted areas using beautiful planting options and arrangement techniques. As mentioned, trailing plants are perfect for large pots because they provide a wonderful waterfall-like display, while also serving a function.

This is ideal for commercial properties like resorts or restaurants because you can easily control what guests see and don't, meaning you can accentuate areas of interest and hide everything else.

As an example, let's see how you could do this around a resort swimming pool. These areas tend to use trench drainage lines for proper water runoff, pipes, and pumps, and of course, you want this area to feel clean and private. Though necessary for the function of a pool, these features are not the most visually appealing.

As such, a simple way to cover this up is to have a planter like the Perth Tall Rectangular Planter nearby. Great for hedge rows, you could also try trailing plants to cover up the trench lines. If you're worried about chlorine affecting your planter, don't worry - all of our planters are protected from small amounts of Chlorine.

How about a rooftop pool? Learn Why Fiberglass Planters Are The Best Option For Enriching Your Rooftop

JBD Concepts Offer You Or Your Customers The Best Planter Solutions Available

plant corner ideas
©JBD Concepts

All of our planters come with an industry-leading warranty for both residential and commercial use giving you peace of mind that your investment is safe, and that the form, function, and beauty of your new planter will last beyond expectations.

Are you a landscape architect or garden designer and want to get more customers with our planters? Contact us today to learn more about the exciting opportunities our wholesale range can deliver!

All our planters are available for retail customers too. Simply visit our store, select your planters, size, and finish and enjoy incredible value at affordable prices!

Shop now and begin improving your space!