Best garden planters: 11 plant pots and flower planters for the outdoors

Garden planters are important for providing your plants with a stable base. But they're more than that, their colours, textures and materials can add to the style of your garden.

Finding the right planter is often down to finding the right size and material, but there's a lot of freedom involved when figuring out the flower arrangements for each pot. It's an exciting way to get creative outdoors.

We've found our favourite garden planters out there, in a range of sizes, styles, and budgets. Read on for our top picks.

Best garden planters to buy in 2023

Yaheetech Raised Garden Bed

Perfect for growing your plants, veg or herbs in a convenient, easily-accessed space - this garden planter is raised off the ground. The two-tiered design allows you to place small plant pots, gardening tools or other objects below the flower bed.

Made from natural, unpainted fir wood, the garden planter has four holes underneath to help with drainage and ventilation. This helps to keep the soil fresh and the plants healthy, avoiding prolonged immersion in water. The planter measures at 119 x 80 x 57cm.

Bowl Planter Water Feature

• Buy now from Cox & Cox (£350.00)

More than just a garden planter, this can be a head-turning feature of any garden. Made to look and feel like real stone, the bowl-shaped planter has a water feature with built-in LED lights for a design that's stunning day or night.

The crescent-shaped planting area surrounds the water feature, creating a beautiful synergy between the water, the lights, and the flowers. 31.5 x 65.5cm.

• Buy now from Cox & Cox (£350.00)

XXL Terracotta Plant Pot

• Buy now from Gardenesque (£329.99)

It's hard to beat a classically-familiar design. This plant pot, made from terracotta, is designed in a vase-like shape in a Grecian style - perfect for planting flower arrangements. 70 x 65cm.

• Buy now from Gardenesque (£329.99)

ECOPOTS Window Box Trough

• Buy now from Muddy Trowel (£25.00)

Suited to balconies or window sills, but suitable anywhere, this trough planter from ECOPOTS can fit a wide arrangement of plants and flowers. It's made from recycled plastic and given a handmade finish. It's UV and frost-proof and measures up to 17 x 55 x 17cm.

• Buy now from Muddy Trowel (£25.00)

Concrete Bench Planter

• Buy now from Graham & Green (£695.00)

Modern and minimalist, yet strikingly impactful, a concrete bench planter can be a great addition to your outdoor setup. Combining aesthetic and function works wonders here, with ample space to plant a plant or tree right next to the seat. 45 x 150 x 40cm.

• Buy now from Graham & Green (£695.00)

Here are more ideas for your garden bench

Three Faux Rattan Planters

• Buy now from Cox & Cox (£145.00)

A set of three planters is great for bringing a cohesive style into your garden. The planters are different in size, so you can vary what you grow in each.

The baskets are made from rattan with a classic weave and a natural wicker tone.

• Buy now from Cox & Cox (£145.00)

Elho Taupe Pot - Large

• Buy now from Muddy Trowel (£28.00)

Simpler planters can often be more effective. When a flower can shine enough by itself, a minimalist pot works well to not distract from it. The Elho Taupe Pot is UV and frost-proof and is made from recycled plastic, with drilled holes for drainage. 40 x 47cm.

• Buy now from Muddy Trowel (£28.00)

Outsunny Wooden Garden Planter

A bench with two large planters at either side can give you a great deal of creative freedom. The planters can be used in a number of different ways, from tall, arching trees to short, colourful bushes.

The Outsunny Wooden Garden Planter is made using a natural fir wood, weighing over 10kg. The wooden frame is finished with a water-based varnish to offer light protection from the elements.

The side planters are elevated, to keep the plants away from weeds and pests, and there is a non-woven fabric with holes on the bottom for drainage. 40 x 178 x 38cm.

Three Geometric Etched Planters

• Buy now from Cox & Cox (£225.00)

With detailed patterns etched into the exteriors, these planters have a subtly stylish appearance. Made from fibre clay, the set has a dark tone that can contrast well with the light colours of greenery.

• Buy now from Cox & Cox (£225.00)

Brokwell Planter in Taupe - Extra Large

• Buy now from Garden Trading (£85.00)

Designed to be reminiscent of Brutalist architecture, with its minimalist design and cement finish, the Brokwell Planter works as a simple yet impactful plant pot.

The colour will go well with stone-themed gardens, as well as providing a nice contrast in wooden gardens. Measures at 50.5 x 49.5 x 49.5cm.

• Buy now from Garden Trading (£85.00)

Moucharabiya Planter

• Buy now from Screen With Envy (£340.00)

It's both a garden planter and a garden screen, and it can be an eye-catching feature of any outdoor space. The screen has a stylish pattern that makes an attractive backdrop for the plants below. Measures at 150 x 90 x 30cm.

• Buy now from Screen With Envy (£340.00)