Best Planters For Indoor Plants

Top Picks Roundup

Best Ceramic Planter: West Elm Mid-Century Turned Wood Leg Planters

Best Outdoor Hanging Planter: Home Depot 12 in. Devon Hanging Basket with AquaSav Coconut Liner

Best Indoor Hanging Planter: Etsy Macramé Dip Dye Dyed Ombré Colors Plant Hanger

Best Terracotta Planter: Terrain Bergs Palace Pot + Saucer

Best Terrarium: Amazon Deco Glass Geometric DIY Terrarium

Best Wall Planter: Wayfair Addison 3 - Piece Steel Wall Planter Set

Best Statue Planter: Wayfair Funon Cement Statue Planter

Best Tiny Planter: Amazon 3.15 Inch Plastic Small Succulent Pots

Best Self-Watering Planter: Amazon Mkono 3 Pack Self Watering Planter

While style is certainly a factor, indoor plant experts advise that drainage and size are the most important factors when picking a planter. According to Vanessa Jovel Byrnes, Co-Owner and Founder of Living with Green, “ Drainage helps to ensure that the plant roots are never sitting in moist soil for too long, which can cause root rot issues and prevent the plant from adequately drying out in between watering.”

And even with new plants that you buy in beautiful planters, repotting eventually becomes necessary. When choosing a new pot, Vanessa cautions against going too big. She says that, “When purchasing a new plant, choose something only 2” wider and about 2” deeper than the previous planter. Upsizing too big can cause the plant to go into shock. The plant may shift resources to filling the planter with a solid root system before reverting energy to top growth.”

With those tips in mind, here are some of our favorite planters for when your houseplants need a new home or upgrade.

Best Ceramic Planter

Ceramic pots are excellent planters for houseplants because they are durable and can be painted a variety of colors and patterns to match any decor.

Planters that have rough ceramic on the inside absorb water to help balance the moisture level in the soil. If the planter is glazed on the outside, the soil will retain more moisture. Unglazed pots, like terracotta, help water evaporate and the soil dry out faster between waterings.

Why is this important? According to Vanessa, “In terms of planter types and materials, it does depend on the type of plant. For Arid plants (succulents and cacti), they do prefer a more porous medium since they are used to drought-like conditions in the desert. For cacti and succulents, terracotta is best. For Aroid and tropical plants, they aren’t partial to one type of planter over another so ceramic or terracotta can work. With terracotta however, since it is so porous, you may be watering a bit more frequently.”

West Elm has a huge collection of ceramic planters, from sleek, minimalist styles to traditional cachepots with matching saucers. We particularly love the floor planters for your larger houseplants, like fiddle leaf figs. These mid-century modern-inspired glazed pots with turned wood legs come in several colors and sizes.

West Elm

Mid-Century Turned Wood Leg Planters

Starting at $39

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Best Outdoor Hanging Planter

When choosing a hanging planter, intent matters. Planters meant for outdoor use could be plastic pots or made from a natural fiber, like coco coir.

The Devon Hanging Basket sold by Home Depot for just under $15 is meant to hang outside with your summer flowers displayed.

Home Depot

12 in. Devon Hanging Basket with AquaSav Coconut Liner

$14.93

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Best Indoor Hanging Planter

Depending on the size of the plant, small ceramic and terracotta planters work well in a macrame hanger. If you need a large planter, you may want to opt for a high-end plastic one so it’s not so heavy.

Do you have your own favorite pot? You can find beautiful handmade macrame hangers on Etsy. We love these brightly colored, ombre dip-dyed hangers for around $20. The seller uses recycled fibers to make them, and they’re made in the USA.

TheFlowerPotHeads

Macramé Dip Dye Dyed Ombré Colors Plant Hanger

$20.95

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Best Terracotta Planter

Sometimes a simple clay pot is what you are looking for. Terracotta pots are frost resistant, allow air flow, and help balance moisture levels in the soil to prevent problems such as root rot.

These pots are ideal for succulents, cacti, aloe vera, and any plant that benefits from moisture control. Small terracotta pots are perfect for propagating cuttings from your favorite plants, and plain pots can be decorated and given as gifts.

A terracotta pot can be very inexpensive. You can find an 8” pot for less than $4 at a local hardware store. You can also find designer pottery. These pots are handmade in Italy and retail for up to $126.

Terrain

Bergs Palace Pot + Saucer

Starting at $26

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Best Terrarium

Terrariums allow you to grow small plants that thrive in higher humidity. If you are looking to purchase your first terrarium, consider buying a kit that includes everything you need to get started.

This terrarium kit from Etsy is only $35 and includes a glass bowl, soil, drainage and pebble rocks, a misting bottle, succulents, and locally grown moss.

If you already have everything, you can find a lot of cute choices on Amazon. We love this Geometric DIY Terrarium that can display your plants either hanging or on a tabletop.

Amazon

Deco Glass Geometric DIY Terrarium

$34.99

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Best Wall Planter

Those with limited tabletop or counter space might find a wall planter best suits their needs. It is also worth noting that some plants are toxic to pets, so wall planters keep them out of reach without taking up valuable bookshelf space.

There is a huge selection of wall planters available online to suit every home decor style—from rustic to chic. We love this Williston Forge Addison 3 Piece wall planter set from Wayfair. The galvanized steel, round planters are perfect for a rustic or farmhouse living room and show off your green thumb. These planters won’t accommodate tall plants, but they’re perfect for air plants, succulents, or vining plants like English ivy, string of pearls, or Pothos.

Wayfair

Addison 3 - Piece Steel Wall Planter Set

$120

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Best Statue Planter

There are many types of statues that double as an indoor plant stand. Statue planters combine art and nature and provide visual interest to a room. Rather than pick only one favorite, let us highlight a couple different styles in three different price ranges.

• Faux Stone Dog Statue: Perfect for any animal lover, this cute pup has flower pots on each side of it and sells through Plow and Hearth for $49.95. Adorable with greenery or flowers, it’s the perfect addition to a porch or outdoor space.

• Dakota Fields Funon: This planter from Wayfair retails for $99.99 and features a face with hands on each side of it. Your plant that grows out of the top of the stoneware planter becomes the statue’s ‘hair!’ Snake plants, lemon lime Dracaena, and other tall plants will give this statue planter a strong masculine look, while something soft and trailing like string of hearts or Pothos will be more feminine.

Best Tiny Planter

Some plant parents focus on planting little guys in order to save space and create attractive groupings or plants. Amazon has a set of six tiny plastic pots with drainage holes for less than $17. The Mandala 3.15 inch pots are brightly colored and perfect for growing succulents in the windowsill of a bohemian-inspired room.

Amazon

3.15 Inch Plastic Small Succulent Pots

$16.99

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Best Self-Watering Planter

Self-watering plant pots are the perfect solution for lazy (or overly-enthusiastic) plant parents. These indoor planters feature a hidden reservoir that allows your plant to absorb watering from the bottom of the planter at their own pace. This keeps excess water away from the roots, and is a healthier way to water plants that don’t like wet foliage, like African violets.

This three pack set of self-watering planters from Mkono is the perfect way to get started with the low-maintenance houseplant lifestyle.

Amazon

Mkono 3 Pack Self Watering Planter

$24.99

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