As summer peaks, there is no better time to refresh your garden with bold colour, texture and scent. Whether you have a small balcony, a patio or a cosy courtyard, our planters offer instant impact, serving both practical and aesthetic purposes. From growing your own herbs and fruits, to creating a luxury vertical display, the right planter can completely transform your space.
Explore our top garden tips below for creating the perfect planter set up.
Finding the right planter for your space
Once you have assessed your space, it’s time to start thinking about where your planter will live and what role you want it to play.
For balconies, choose our small planter size to maximise space. For taller, more spacious balconies, choose the option of adding a narrow decorative screen to your planter for a more modern look.
For patios, choose a slightly bigger size to add privacy, structure or style to your space. Pair our medium planters with our smaller or large planters for added dimension.
For larger garden spaces and courtyards, use multiple sized planters, paired with our decorative screens. Fix the screens at the back or in the centre of the planter. Our planters can also be ordered with a wheeled base, making them the perfect, convenient option for versatility in your garden.
Styling your planter
A well-styled planter creates impact, even before anything blooms! Try these expert tips:
Group for impact: Odd-numbered grouping or different sized planters tend to give your garden a more natural and balanced look. Pair our medium planters with our large or smaller planters in odd numbers, such as groups of three or five.
Stick to a palette: Sticking to two or three complementary colours gives your garden a more sophisticated, sleek look.
Play with texture: Mix smooth succulents with leafy ferns or soft petal flowers, creating depth.
What to plant
Summer offers a generous planting window. Add pops of colour and invite nature into your garden with the following choices:
Sun-loving blooms: Petunias, verbena, geraniums, and marigolds
Shade-friendly plants: Impatiens, coleus, hostas, and fuchsias
Fragrance-first options: Lavender, sweet peas, jasmine, and lemon thyme
Bee & butterfly magnets: Salvia, cosmos, snapdragons, and scabiosa
Don’t forget, regular deadheading and watering early or late in the day will help keep blooms coming.
Grow your own fruit
A planter garden isn’t just about flowers. You can grow fresh, delicious produce too - even in the smallest space. Strawberries are great for hanging or raised plants and dwarf tomatoes are perfect for compact sizing and manageable growth habits.
Herbs such as basil, chives, mint and rosemary all do brilliantly in planters. Chillies and peppers are easy to grow, and lettuce and salad leaves grow fast and don’t need deep soil.
Top Tip: Place fruiting plants in full sun and feed with a high-potash fertiliser every 10–14 days.
Seasonal Styling
Our planters are not just for summer, they’re an all year round feature when styled right. Unlike wooden planters, our composite planters are low maintenance and will not be needing a repaint in the future.
For autumn, add ornamental cabbages, heuchera, mini pumpkins, and trailing ivy to bring autumnal charm and colour to your space.
In winter, go evergreen with holly, dwarf conifers, pansies, or skimmia. Add fairy lights for festive charm.
Spring is the perfect time to pre-fill your planters with bulbs like tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths so they can bloom over the spring and fill your garden with colour come summer.
Think ahead - You can swap inserts or rotate planter contents to keep your display fresh year-round. Choose our wheel-bases for easy movement all year round.
Ready to create your perfect planter moment? Explore the full Charles and Ivy planter collection and discover how a few well-placed blooms can transform your space. Shop our planters now.
