20 Outdoor Planter Ideas: Creative Ways to Display Your Plants

I love spending time outdoors, especially during the warm months.

One of my favorite ways to decorate my outdoor space is by using planters.

Not only do they add a pop of color and texture, but they also help to bring a sense of nature to my patio.

That’s why I’ve put together a list of 20 outdoor planter ideas that are sure to inspire you.

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Whether you have a small balcony or a spacious backyard, there’s a planter idea for every space.

From hanging planters to vertical gardens, there are so many creative ways to display your favorite plants.

I hope these ideas will help you to create a beautiful outdoor oasis that you can enjoy all season long.

1.Create Some Herb Appeal

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Rethink your porch planting with a container that proves there’s elegance and purpose in simplicity.

Fragrant rosemary, basil, and lemongrass accent soft blue plumbago in this tabletop setup.

Start with a young lemongrass plant positioned in the center of the pot.

Then add the flowering plumbago around that.

On the outermost edges, fill in the gaps with basil and rosemary, alternating the two if you wish or placing them on opposite sides of the container.

Clip and use the basil frequently—this will help it grow and keep it from overtaking the rest of the display.

2.Develop An Orange Crush

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Make bold foliage the focal point for a late-summer container that steals the show.

This easy-care, end-of-season planter uses vibrant ‘Rustic Orange’ coleus, identified by its rusty-hued leaves that will last until the first frost.

The filler in this space-saving pot is ‘Compact Hot Coral’ SunPatiens, which has tiny tangerine blooms and dark, shiny leaves that contrast nicely with the bronze-toned coleus.

Finally, the ‘Yellow Moon’ wishbone flower adds even more lush greenery to the arrangement and offers petite yellow petals with purple throats.

This is a thirsty container, so make sure it stays well watered. Place it in full or partial sun.

3.Plant A Pot Of Pansies

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For a low-effort, high-impact look, Mark Thompson—owner of Shoppe, a garden store and nursery in Birmingham—filled an eye-catching, shallow urn with a combination of violas and pansies.

Opting for an arrangement that’s composed entirely of these blooms makes a bold addition to the front porch during cooler months. “You can mix colors to your liking or do all one hue,” says Thompson.

“They create a mound of flowers that’s really full.” The plants are also inexpensive compared to fillers such as ornamental grasses, explains the gardening expert. “You can get a lot of bang for your buck.”

4.Get Made For Shade

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A simple-to-follow formula is all you need to create drama in a container for the shade.

Here, it takes only four plants to convey the sweeping illusion of a floor-length gown.

The key to pulling this off is starting with an elevated planter, so the vibrant ‘Celebration’ and ‘Florida Sweetheart’ (C. bicolor ‘Florida Sweetheart’) caladiums pop at eye level.

Clusters of white wishbone flowers fill the empty spaces between the caladium stems and conceal the actual container, meaning you can use just about any freestanding vessel.

The final attention grabber is the graceful creeping Jenny spilling over the sides.

Position this planter in the shade for a gorgeous, easy-to-maintain display, and remember to water regularly.

5.Incorporate Evergreens

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Designer Mark Thompson anchored these complementary vessels with evergreens in the centers: blue juniper in the smaller arrangement and dwarf arborvitae in the larger one.

He then filled in the gaps with viola, pansy, and Panola (a pansy-viola hybrid with medium-sized blooms).

In the bigger pot, he also included lamb’s ears (a semievergreen perennial).

“Traditionally, it does pretty well through winters in the South,” says Thompson. “In colder climates, it may die back but will return in the spring.”

While the shrubs are hardy enough to last the season, that’s just one of the reasons the plant pro likes them. “They offer a nice contrasting texture to those soft pansy leaves,” he says.

6.Decorate Porch Steps

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These porch-step containers begin with bright pink and yellow zinnias—’Zowie! Yellow Flame’ and ‘Magellan Salmon’ are some of our favorites.

Cool-colored filler flowers, such as purple verbenas and blue calibrachoas, were added to create contrast with texture and color.

To make this container garden even simpler, opt for inexpensive plastic planters that are weatherproof and easy to move around.

Grouping your containers in a tight space can help to create a homey, mini-garden vibe.

Plus, all of these incredible colors intensify when placed side by side.

7.Hang A Wicker Container

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This woven wicker basket is a natural way to decorate a bare wall in an outdoor space, and it will look just as beautiful whether you set it against brick, timber, or concrete.

Pink zinnias and yellow tuberous begonias are the focal points of thrillers.

You’ll love the variation between the tighter, round zinnias and the softer, open petals of the begonias.

Blue Cape plumbago (Plumbago auriculata) and golden lantana add a hint of drama—these are the fillers.

Finally, with its delicate, trident shape, English ivy cascades over the side. This spiller gives the beautiful hanging container a sense of movement.

8.Brighten Tabletops

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If you need proof that a plain and straightforward planter has the power to brighten up what could be a dull backyard side table, then look right here.

This container’s copper sheen complements the fuchsia zinnias rather than competing with them.

Yellow calibrachoas spill over the container’s edge.

Subtle splashes from purple verbenas create another unexpected yet robust focal point in this outdoor garden conversation space.

If you want your planter to have this beautiful feeling of flow, select a trailing calibrachoa that grows lower than the mounding version.

9.Plant A Modern Urn Container

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A planter in a faux-lead finish is a timeless choice, but the cylindrical shape of these tall fiber clay urns gives them a distinctly modern, clean, geometric feel.

This styling can work well in any decor because it focuses on familiar forms.

Choosing a neutral tone or texture for your container helps bring out the unique natural beauty of the color of the flowers and foliage pop.

Here, a string of pearls creates plenty of architectural drama through their unique shape, while purple calibrachoa and blue ageratum add just the right dose of brightness to add depth to this subtle arrangement.

10.Combine Succulents In A Hanging Container

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Hanging containers work well in limited spaces and add beauty to your area in simple yet unexpected ways.

For this unique design, a mix of structural succulents gives the arrangement a bold internal architecture and takes center stage in a simple hanging fiber clay planter.

A purple fan flower punctuates the lush greenery.

The fan flower is unique because all its blossoms have petals on one side. In the Tropical South, these plants can also be evergreen.

Given their bold, bright color, they offer a refreshing contrast to the deep, dark container suspended in the air.

11.Decorate An Outdoor Fireplace

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This ingenious arrangement contrasts modern containers’ strong, stark lines with the plants’ soft, ripple-in-the-breeze movement.

The carefully curated selection of beautiful containers has warm, rich metal tones to complement the outdoor oasis.

The handsome planter on the mantel has a slate-like finish and blends various succulents with the pink plumes of ‘Joey’ Ptilotus (Ptilotus exaltatus ‘Joey’), a bottlebrush plant native to Australia.

Large-leaved kalanchoes and dwarf golden arborvitaes sit at the base of the fireplace, and a Boston fern represents a cool, summer-time version of an outdoor fire.

12.Fill A Rustic Washtub

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This sturdy galvanized metal washtub—a flea market gem—is filled with an overflowing mix of lantanas and impatiens.

Arranged with maroon Joseph’s coat, green coleus, and yellow creeping Jenny, this dense container greets guests or highlights a back porch with a sense of joy.

Coleus varieties, first introduced into Europe during the 1700s, are popular as plant choices.

Given their tropical history, they are not particularly cold-hardy, so don’t plan to add them to a container too early in the spring.

13.Convert A Bucket Into A Hanging Basket

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This weathered, rusty metal bucket—another great flea market find—is studded with periwinkles, profusely blooming Rieger begonias, coleus, and other annuals.

But what it is not is overcrowded, which could keep the plants from getting adequate light.

Try suspending this arrangement on a branch for rustic, Southern-inspired charm—this will add to the casual, easy-does-it feeling.

14.Design A Toolbox Planter

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A simple galvanized-metal toolbox is an unexpected container-gardening vessel that fits into an all-natural springtime setup.

Here, it showcases a classic arrangement of bright green spearmint, red geraniums, and white sweet alyssums for a container that feels both light and fresh.

Thanks to the built-in handle, you’ll also love the ease of moving this around the garden.

What you’ll love the most, though, is the rustic charm of the weathered metal contrasting with the soft and subtle colors of the flowers.

This arrangement is a beautiful study of hard and soft elements in container garden design.

15.Make A Romantic Freestanding Urn

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Sit back and imagine this classic cast-metal urn in a dreamy garden or on a light-filled screened porch.

The pot itself is styled with classic Victorian lines, giving it a romantic element, but it is the arrangement that truly makes it magical.

The key to designing this look is combining contrasting textures.

The combined arrangement creates a cascade and crescendo of bright colors. This selection includes a loud celebration of grassy cordyline, puffy pink dianthus, dainty blue lobelia, and bold trailing sweet potato vine.

Set against the beautiful shape, the simple monochrome tone of the vase creates a show-stopping container for your home garden.

16.Arrange An Untamed Hanging Basket

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This romantic container captures the feelings of magic and mystery through its bright colors and beautiful sense of movement.

To achieve these effects, you’ll want to try varying the scale of flowers and greenery to produce the wildly untamed, “growing in a garden” feel that keeps this basket relaxed.

Beginning by selecting this sphagnum moss-lined metal hanging basket, larger dianthus blended with smaller petunias and variegated English ivy, and tiny baby’s tears dangle over the sides.

The effect is the sense of beauty in bloom, bursting forth in wonder from this colorful basket.

17.Pile Flowers In A Tabletop Container

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Planting in layers is an integral part of putting together this stunning container.

The handmade bowl, made of concrete and recycled materials, provides a delicate addition to this gorgeous centerpiece.

The wide shape accommodates many of the same flowers and plants used in other romantic containers, just in a more whimsical display that looks like a flourishing flower arrangement.

If you select flowers like dianthus, you will undoubtedly be starting this container with the right colors, tones, and shapes.

Its impact will be elegant and beautiful. Settle in at the table for an evening drink or a casual conversation, and let the romance blossom.

18.Create A Wall Swag Container

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This abundantly vibrant design puts the flowers in the spotlight.

The sleek container, perched atop a painted brick wall, is covered by overflowing blooms, which include sweeping pink petunias, super-delicate baby’s tears, and rounded clusters of rose pink dianthus.

This arrangement focuses entirely on the flowers—the hidden container merely offers grounding support.

Depending on your design, you may even wish to consider a series of these containers as a way to highlight a garden wall and bring color and emphasis to something you might have previously wanted to ignore.

19.Use Geraniums Built For The South

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Southerners used to have to choose between geraniums that could handle high temperatures and humidity and those that produced lots of flowers.

But this sad state of either-or is no more since developing the Calliope-series geraniums (Pelargonium interspecific Calliope®), offering the best of both worlds.

This one’s called ‘Dark Red,’ and it forms the centerpiece of a container filled with bright color and subtle greenery.

Here, the filler forms a backdrop to the bold geraniums and adds height, while the weathered container gives a sense of contrast against the masonry-and-mortar design elements of the courtyard.

Let these geraniums burst forth with color in your Southern garden—temperature and humidity are no problem.

20.Bring On The SunPatiens

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Bring it on—a beautiful container in the sun, that is.

This high-drama, low-maintenance container spotlights ‘Variegated Spreading Salmon’ SunPatiens (Impatiens x hybrida SunPatiens®), but leaves room for a foxtail asparagus fern and a six-inch pot of ‘Neon’ pothos.

Everything is set in a glazed-ceramic container, its bright green finish complimenting the natural colors of the plantings—a beautiful example of a container garden aesthetic that keeps it simple.

Let the SunPatiens, a strain that resulted from a cross between a New Guinea hybrid and a wild species, be this arrangement’s bright, central focus.

Then, let everything else help them shine.