We offer a number of different types of garden planters in our range and this article will further explain the pros and cons of the different materials used, hopefully helping you decide which steel planters best suit your needs. Firstly though, we’d like to illustrate the alternatives out there in the marketplace so that you have the full spectrum of choice.
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Window Boxes – Alternative Garden Pots
What if you don’t have any outside space but you’d love to see plants through your windows? The answer lies in window boxes: containers that sit either
on or just below your windowsill. Read more here …… Read More
How Metal Planters Can Prove A Selling Point for Builders
A new government scheme is encouraging large scale house builders such as Barratt, David Wilson and Persimmon to plant more green space in an effort to enhance living environments for new householders. This includes the strategic placing of metal planters, specifically those made using galvanised steel, trees and other forms of living ‘greenery.’
Metal planters are ideal for adding an attractive finish to a building project, read on for more details.
The ‘green’ agenda fits into one of the criteria of the government’s ‘Building For Life 12’ (BfL12) initiative which states that the design of new homes and their neighbourhoods should be as “attractive, functional and sustainable as possible.”
In February this year, five of the first developments in England were accredited under the scheme, which is backed by the Home Builders Federation and is the result of collaboration between house builders, councils, architects, planners and academics. The ‘12’ stands for the number of criteria which makes housing schemes “good places to live.”
As such, putting in painted steel planters and other green options to new build developments doesn’t just mean that house builders are pleasing the government and the Home Builders Federation by abiding by their rules. No, the developers are also improving their own chances of making a sale by ensuring the houses are attractive to look at (or, in terms of house developer jargon, “boosting kerb appeal”).
Meanwhile landscaping in new housing estates has other benefits too such as:
+Increasing the value of a property
In a world of concrete, greenery with living shrubs and plants doesn’t just enhance the environment but also adds to the selling price of the property when a family is looking to move on. That’s because a touch of greenery will make a property or development more attractive to look at and encourage people to spend time there.
+Doesn’t take a lot of time to maintain
In our increasingly hectic lives these days many people can’t afford the time to maintain a garden, or pay for the services of a gardener, but they could manage a few hours tending to a small patio, balcony or terraced garden. House builders are becoming increasingly aware of this and as a result the use of planters, in particular large cubes or tapered pots for new housing estates is growing in popularity.
+Planters are a flexible option
Unlike having to chop down a tree or unearth a huge bush, new homeowners who don’t like the terrace or patio arrangement they’ve inherited can simply unearth the current shrubs or flowers in the planters and put in their own, move the planters around or even replace them with planter designs of their own choice.
And you don’t have to feel restricted to just placing planters on the balcony, terrace or patio either. Other areas where a touch of greenery does no harm and can in fact enhance existing features by adding drama (or disguise unwanted features) include:
+Entrances – two planters either side of a front door can add a regal touch
+Walls – lined along a wall a group of identical planters mirroring each other can look extremely effective and even make the wall look longer
+Indoors – container pots inside a dull unused fireplace can really brighten up a room and add character
For more ideas on how planters can enhance your landscaping project take a look today through our collection via the gallery to obtain some inspiration!
Interior Designer Tips When Using Steel Planters
Large containers for plants always seem to have been around in gardening terms, whether we’re talking galvanised steel planters, fibreglass pots or coloured planters. The fact is though these living containers are becoming even more pronounced for landscaping as time goes on – thanks to the fact that our gardens are becoming smaller. Many apartments for instance only have a balcony so that the green-fingered resident’s garden is restricted to what he or she can design via a range of planters in a limited space.
In this way then, often the steel planter itself is more important to the design than the actual greenery that’s about to go in them. It’s all about perspective in a limited space and using tricks such as repetition and texture.
Repetition
Today the trend is for simplified rather than elaborate designs. In other words, one single plant in a container rather than filling it to the brim with different species.
This simplistic theme lends itself well to the other favourite theme of contemporary landscape and interior design, which is repetition. The simpler the items the better this looks eg each planter and item of greenery should mirror its neighbour perfectly. A design like this can also make an area seem longer than it actualy is.
Another way of bringing in repetition and adding drama is to group together similarly coloured and textured small to medium-sized containers. This creates a far larger impact than if the containers were displayed individually, especially if they contain foliage which is matching in colour. It can also provide a sense of harmony and perspective in a small space, dividing areas in a simple way.
Admittedly a single planter can make an excellent focal point but there is no doubt that it can get lost in the overall scheme of a design.
Texture
In most cases the steel and coloured planters will blend in to the existing environment rather than make a statement in their own right.
Often the colour of the planters will be chosen to match a particular element of the landscape such as the patio paving or a fence. The choice of plant too is crucial. For instance, large flamboyant grasses would overwhelm a stark, minimalist theme – which is fine if you wanted to make the planter and grass the focus of your design but a failure if you were looking for it to just blend in.
Thinking about the type of plants and planter you want in your design – whether for a garden or balcony – right from the start, will ensure your containers and greenery look integral to the overall design, rather than a hasty afterthought.
You can learn more about how planters can boost interior design and take a look at the various types of galvanised steel planters on offer at Precious Design.
Interior Design Big Ideas – why don’t designers use plants and garden planters more?
We were looking at www.interiordesign.net’s 100 Big Ideas issue recently, to see how designers and architects are using garden planters, and particularly metal planters. But to our surprise, none of the top 50 Big Ideas really seem to include plants or planters at all! And that set us wondering why interior designers and architects don’t seem to want to make more use of garden planters in their work. After all, we’ve discussed before that having plants around not only looks good, but can also make us feel good.
And although we really don’t know the answer to the question, we decided to look at some of the ideas, and consider how we would have used our metal planters to enhance them even further.
Choosing the right material for metal planters
We offer a range of materials and finishes for our metal planters.
These include stainless steel, pre-coat steel, powder-coated steel, galvanised steel, and stucco or crimpol (aluzinc). Confused? Read on, and all will become clear…
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Buy British: metal garden planters designed and made in Great Britain
At Precious Design, we’re very proud that all our metal planters, whether stainless steel, coated steel, or galvanised steel, are designed and manufactured in Great Britain.
Our expertise in designing, cutting and manufacturing steel products has been built up over many years of working with sheet metal at our factory in Nottingham. Our plant list is extensive and includes high quality laser cutting and CNC folding machines.
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Taking Garden Planters to INDEX Dubai International in May
We’re really excited to report that we’re going to be exhibiting our range of large planters and garden planters at INDEX Dubai, which is being held at the Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE, in May.
GARDEN PLANTERS WITHOUT PLANTS
So you think garden planters can only be used for plants? Well, think again! Metal planters in particular can be used in lots of ways to enhance your garden.
For example, galvanized steel planters and stainless steel garden planters from Precious Design make great ponds and water features. A shiny metal surface will act as a mirror, lighting up small dark spaces, as light glints off both the water and the plant container, and the galvanisation will stop any corrosion. Make sure you order a garden planter without drainage holes though!
If you really feel a garden planter should have plants, then how about a planted pond? Use a large planter, and include a few bricks to vary the height inside. Add a small water-lily such as yellow-flowered Nymphaea x helvola, some vertical plants such as iris or rushes, and some oxygenators to keep the water healthy. You can even keep a few fish, though you will have to protect the plant container against frost in winter, and you’ll also need to choose one of our stainless steel garden planters, perhaps a stainless steel cube, or line it with pond liner, as the zinc in galvanised steel can be toxic to fish and invertebrates. Your container pond will need a bit of attention to keep the plants to a reasonable size, but nothing you can’t handle!
Alternatively, if you prefer, you could relax to the gentle sound of splashing water, with the addition of a small solar-powered fountain to your water-filled garden planter, or top it with pebbles, and add a purpose-built small stone water feature with pump, available from most good garden centres. The tapered garden planters would make wonderful water feature fountains, with light reflecting off the water drops and the faces of the pot.
Or how about a row of small stainless steel garden planters in the shape of cubes, each containing a light, to extend your evenings outdoors? Settle the light into the cube, putting the electricity cable through the drainage holes, and top with pebbles for an attractive finish. Look for unusual lights that will complement your beautiful garden pots and sit back and enjoy your plant-free plant containers!
And why stop there? You could use garden planters as stands for modern sculptures, or for beautiful, architectural displays of dried flowers or gold-painted twisted willow, or for anything else you want – the list is endless. Or even have them stand alone so that you can enjoy the elegance and simplicity of the galvanised steel planters themselves: after all, Precious Design really does do metal planters extremely well!
Large Planters for your Office, Building or Showroom
Are you looking for a selection of beautiful garden planters to enhance your office environment or to add a new touch to your hotel reception or your showroom? Look no further. Precious Design can supply a range of designs and sizes to suit any space. You could choose from a single range, perhaps the galvanised steel planters in the shape of a cube, and available in a range of eight different colours?
Select your colour to suit your environment, or mix and match for a happy, vibrant look.
Alternatively, you could select from several different ranges, but match the finish on each pot: for example, you could have polished stainless steel planters in a triangular prism shape, and match with stainless steel planters in the shape of a cube in a range of sizes.
And if none of our off-the-shelf designs is quite what you’re looking for, why not consider our custom design service, to create your own unique range of bespoke metal planters?
Our design team can help you decide what you want, and you can choose size, colour, and virtually any shape. All your metal planters will be precision-made to agreed requirements. Contact our design team today by email info@precious-design.co.uk or call us on 0115 961 4200