Gimme Five! Metal planters

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selection of galvanised metal planters

Lots of the plants in our garden are in need of potting on. In the past couple of years, some of the plants have become pot-bound, crying out for a bit of leg room. We used to have lots of lovely terracotta pots but after a couple of harsh, cold winters most of them have cracked and shattered.

Little by little, we’ve been replacing the terracotta with more hardy galvanised versions. We’re in the market for quite a few more metal planters. We love vintage dolly tubs but they can be quite dear – some fetching about the £50 mark.

Galvanised metal planters looks great in groups of different sizes and shapes and some have lovely corrugated patterns. Here are some of the best ones we’ve found.

  1. Fallen Fruits balcony zinc rectangular planter: £13.99, Wayfair
  2. Two aged zinc troughs – £45, Cox & Cox
  3. Single galvanised pot: from £2.99, Crocus
  4. SOCKER plant pot: £6.50, IKEA
  5. Galvanised iron planter: £7.95, by Ella James on Notonthehighstreet

Galvanised Garden

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stacks of of vintage galvanised zinc florist's pots

We’ve just added a dozen of these galvanised metal containers to our garden – the tall shape is a give-away as to their original use.

vintage galvanised zinc florist's pot with drainage holes drilled

They’re actually vintage flower sellers’ tubs that once housed the long stems & blooms. A few holes drilled into the bottom and they were ready for their new role as garden planters.

vintage galvanised zinc florist's pot used to grow herbs

Over the years, we’ve replaced most of our terracotta pots with galvanised containers. We just love the colour of the metal and the small details such as seams & rivets. There’s a great variety in size & shape which makes a collection visually interesting. Dolly tubs, tin baths, water tanks and buckets all make great planters. Another huge advantage is that they don’t break or frost shatter like terracotta and pottery.

collection of vintage galvanised zinc florist's pots used to grow herbs

We decided to grow all our culinary herbs in this batch of pots – and they’ve taken very well to their new homes!