31 Planter Ideas and Inspiration
Planter Ideas can completely transform any space, adding freshness, texture, and personality to both indoor and outdoor settings. Whether you prefer modern, rustic, or eclectic styles, planter ideas offer endless ways to showcase plants creatively.
Choosing the perfect planter ideas depends on space, aesthetics, and plant type. Hanging planters, vertical garden setups, and tiered arrangements maximize small spaces, while large decorative pots create focal points in yards or entryways.
Planter Ideas and Inspiration
I just love having flowering planters with constant blooming flowers at my front door!

Enjoy these beautiful planters! I talked to the owners of these planters, and they shared their main tips. I will share those tips at the bottom of the post. Many planters follow the thrillers, fillers, and spillers recipe. I’ll quickly review what each term means.

Did you know most planters follow a planting guideline by having thrillers, fillers, and spillers? I’ll explain below, and you can look at the rest of the planters to see if they all followed the rules.
Thrillers
Thrillers are the first part of the traditional planter plant formula. Those are usually the taller plants. Think of the tall spikey plant you often see in the middle or towards the back of the planter. Sometimes a plant is a thriller because it is the center of attention due to its color, or something unusual.

Fillers
The filler normally fills the planter with flowers. I often use geraniums, marigolds, or mounding varieties of petunias and alyssum. The picture below is a good example of red geraniums used as fillers.

Spillers
It’s the spillers I personally love. The plants that drape over and down the planter. I have often used sweet potato plants (love the colorful foliage), and Wave petunias (specifically wave), and I also like and look for alyssum that spills over the planter.

A Succulent Garden in a Birdbath
The container itself can sometimes be the fun part! This is one of my container gardens. It’s a succulent garden in a vintage-looking birdbath. Take a look at my DIY for My Succulent Birdbath. I share exactly how I put this birdbath together as a planter.

Here is a pretty close-up of this succulent garden in the morning sun.

Outdoor Flower Pot Ideas
If I could hand out awards, I would give the Best Planter Patio award to my neighbor. She always has beautiful flower pot ideas and arrangements.

Diane does such a good job of choosing interesting plant pots and interesting flowering plants. Plus, many combinations of traditional patio plants always do well. Sometimes it is better to use what you know works, rather than always trying to find the new ‘thing’ or combination.
You need to look closer to see how pretty the petunias and sweet potato vine look. The green leafy plant on the left is a type of sweet potato plant.

The taller plant in the front container looks like the herb rosemary. Don’t be afraid to mix herbs into your container gardens!

Technically, this is not a planter, but I love how this clematis (a perennial) was planted in the little spot where the patio post is set. I need to add flowering perennials to my outdoor patio/deck areas. It’s a much wiser financial investment than annuals.

Have a birdhouse and need a place to put it? I love putting something into my pots to give additional height to my planters. My frustration has been the poles tend to lean.
Often planters are used in the backyard to add some pretty color to that outdoor space. Concrete patios are often boring in themselves but such a nice neutral backdrop to patio planters.
Adding height and color
Often, planters hug the ground around homes. Move them out into your yard with tall accent pieces like this birdhouse. It adds some visual interest, height, and color to areas with low-growing plants.

Here is another area where perennial plantings are used to showcase a planter. The grasses really make the colors of the flowering plants and the plant pot pop.

Pretend the hibiscus below is blooming. My timing was never good when I went over to check! I do love the hibiscus and ivy combination. Most people buy a hibiscus plant in the spring and don’t decorate the planter! Keep this one in mind.

Tabletop flower planters are also wonderful for a splash of color. Look at the one below!

And, the front door. Red geraniums always look great!

Patio Planter Ideas
My neighbor and I often discussed our summer planter plans. Putting flower planters on our back patios was fun to plan too!

The planter below contains red geraniums, purple petunias, yellow million bells, and purple fountain grass.

These patio planter ideas are beautiful! I know my neighbor makes all of her own planters because I’ve often shopped for flowering plants and other appropriate patio plants with her.

Below is her super cute front door planter.

If you haven’t noticed, all of these outdoor flower pot arrangements have a little piece of ‘decor’ in them. Pretty glass poles, metal flowers, and other cute items just finish off the look of the planter.
Potted plant arrangement ideas
One of my favorite “Welcome” planters. I love seeing pretty planters by a walkway. They add a little splash of elegance! I love the little ½ barrel planter container.

I know it was purchased like this, but the planter works in its location. Plus, it’s pretty—and right in the scorching sun. So, I’m impressed it keeps looking this good!
Window Boxes – another outdoor planter option.
Here is the window box I showed being planted in a previous post. Isn’t it pretty and full now? Ingrid shared her secrets for successful window boxes in this Window Box Planter Tips post. She is the only person I know who grows her petunias from seed!

Look at the pretty color it adds to the house!

How smart to have the builder add window boxes when the house was being built!
Below are my favorite windowboxes! I’m glad I live near them.

Don’t forget we saw the shade-tolerant window boxes a few planters ago.
I have a few more to show you! I just love looking through my flower pictures in the winter. It helps cheer me up then. This is a simple petunia arrangement, but the trellis adds some height and visual interest. I’m planning on doing something similar, but I am thinking about having a climbing plant in the middle.

This is so pretty because of its simplicity. Plus, I like the little ceramic frog :)!

Are you looking for tips and hints on putting together beautiful flower planters? As I was taking pictures, I chatted with these green-thumbed people. Are you surprised I was chatting? Well, you shouldn’t be : ).
Seasonal front door planters.
Planting containers can be placed at your front door to increase curb appeal and welcome guests every season. Below are summer, fall, and winter (Christmas planters) planters. They add a little interest and color to your front porch area.

My favorite fall outdoor planters

Let me show you my fall container garden from last year. I painted this container, and if you want to see how to make your own black and white planters, click on the colored link. It was fun to do, and it has held up great! I love it when the grasses start drying in the fall (the thriller grass is purple fountain grass). And who doesn’t love adding pumpkins, gourds, and mums to fall containers?

Here is one more fall container that I recently did.

I’m going to show you one more! We have to get a winter/Christmas planter into this post, right?
Christmas Planters

I usually put lights on my holiday planters. It really helps make the long dark nights so much more cheerful!
