19 Unexpected Objects to Turn into Hanging Planters

Keep an unusual container recognizable while giving its plant a root pot and watering route. Nineteen hanging displays range from colanders and drawers to fabricated frames, with a different fitting decision in each. If you would rather hang ordinary pots from rings, rails or beams, see indoor hanging planter ideas.

Choose the Object, Inner Pot, and Hanging Position First

Start with an intact outer object and choose the growing pot and catch container together. For example, a nursery pot 140 mm across inside a catch container with a 160 mm maximum diameter needs a clear lift out opening wider than 160 mm; a 180 mm opening leaves 10 mm on each side. Check the rim, handles and foliage as well as the pot base. Assess old coatings before cutting or sanding reclaimed wood.

Choose the cradle, suspension and structural fixing for the whole wet assembly and future growth. Keep loaded connections independent of decorative skins, handles or thin mesh. Check level and retention at a low supported height, including removal of one pot.

Indoors, water the removable pot elsewhere, drain it and empty collected runoff before returning it. Keep wood, leather and paper cord dry. Outdoors, use weatherproof materials and unobstructed drainage. Select plants for the light at their hanging height and preserve safe care access.

A Colander Planter with Drainage Already Built In

A colander already has drainage built in. Ellen Miles’s small space planters for the RHS line a metal colander with a coir liner and peat free compost and hang it from a porch or balcony support. That suits a spot where runoff is acceptable; the indoor version below keeps the plant in a removable pot and catch container instead.

The RHS article gives no overall duration or cost. For lining and planting one undamaged colander, allow 30 to 45 minutes and £10 to 20 for liner, potting mix and small plants, with the colander and tools already available. A new supporting cradle, suspension and structural fixing are separate purchases. Fit and weigh the watered assembly before choosing those parts.

1. Give a Metal Colander a New Role as an Herb Holder

A metal colander retains its kitchen outline around a small herb group. Fit separate pots for herbs with different moisture needs and removable drip protection indoors. Use a surrounding cradle rather than assuming utensil handles are hanging points.

2. Wrap a Plain Pot in Curved Timber Ribbons

Repeated curved strips form an open timber bowl around a plain pot. Trial a paper ribbon, then use flexible veneer suited to the curve. Keep the plant on an underlying carrying hanger and leave its inner pot able to lift free.

3. Use a Lampshade Frame as an Open Plant Surround

An open lampshade skeleton outlines a pale pot between trailing stems. Clean undamaged rings and joints, then provide an independent cradle beneath the pot. Check the top opening before allowing foliage to weave through the ribs.

4. Create a Rough Stone Look Around a Lightweight Pot

A rough mineral looking shell contrasts with soft leaves. Build the decorative texture around a light retained shell on a holder. Keep suspension out of thin coatings or foam and preserve the removable plant opening.

5. Turn a Wire Grid Into a Vertical Pot Display

A vertical grid holds several pots without projecting like separate baskets. Lay the grid flat and arrange the empty pots before marking their positions. Use holders that support each pot from beneath and prevent it tipping. Stagger foliage so lower pots remain visible and reachable for removal.

6. Suspend a Shallow Drawer as a Plant Box

A painted drawer and old pull give a pot group its furniture detail. Inspect the bottom and corner joints and add a supporting cradle where needed. Keep the pull decorative and balance removable pots across a fitted watertight tray.

7. Build a Tall Display With Terracotta Colored Bands

Clay colored bands repeat down a narrow plant column. Plan the pot positions on a purpose designed tiered hanger before adding lightweight rings. Leave room between levels for independent watering and pot removal.

8. Adapt a Woven Lid Into a Floating Plant Platform

A broad woven surface gathers small pots into a horizontal group. Fit it above a carrying platform, with pot retaining rings or other designed stops. Test level as one pot is removed rather than only when fully loaded.

9. Shape a Perforated Metal Sleeve Around a Pot

Fine perforations give a warm metallic sleeve its pattern. Fit an existing finished container around a removable pot, supported beneath. A fabricated sleeve needs a finished seam and deburred edges, with cleaning suited to its coating.

10. Weave a Leather Lattice Around a Removable Container

Reddish brown strips reveal a pale pot through square openings. Weave consistent vertical and horizontal bands around a structural hanger. Keep crossings neat and straps dry, leaving enough top opening for the full insert.

11. Frame a Plant With Faceted Plywood Profiles

Angular plywood profiles make a lantern like surround. Check one cardboard profile around the pot before cutting matching pieces. Connect them with planned spacers above a supported platform and leave the removal route open.

12. Use a Kitchen Sieve for an Open Mesh Basket

Fine mesh nearly disappears beneath trailing leaves. Support its bowl in a cradle rather than through individual mesh wires. Use a pot and catch container insert indoors, or a drained liner where outdoor runoff is acceptable.

13. Contrast a Dark Cage With a Pale Inner Pot

Black ribs outline a smooth pale container. Choose a holder retaining the pot beneath rather than balancing its rim. Leave a visible gap between the two layers and enough opening to remove the nursery pot.

14. Turn Small Shutter Panels Into a Suspended Box

Louvered panels face a rectangular planted box. Build the base and corners for the wet load, with shutters as cladding. Attach suspension to that framework and keep removable pots drained after rain.

15. Add Striped Paper Cord to a Structural Basket

Dark and pale cord bands give a basket graphic texture. Mark stripe depths before wrapping an undamaged metal hanger. Keep carrying joints visible and the paper dry around a removable catch container.

16. Arrange a Dish Garden in a Shallow Wooden Bowl

A shallow wooden bowl gathers fern like foliage, flowers and a succulent rosette into one display. Their moisture needs can differ, so keep the plants in separate removable pots and water each as needed. Fit those pots on a waterproof removable tray, with the bowl supported from beneath rather than by holes through thin sides.

17. Stack Two Pots in an Open Ring Hanger

Two pale pots share a sparse vertical ring frame. Choose a tiered hanger meant for both filled containers and trial their removal clearance. Keep upper trails away from the lower pot and runoff outside it.

18. Repurpose a Fluted Baking Mold as a Plant Holder

A fluted metal mold preserves its baking tin character beneath the foliage. Fit a removable catch and growing pot arrangement, adapting around any central tube. Use a surrounding cradle and keep the ridges visible rather than burying them in growth.

19. Combine Several Holders Into a Botanical Installation

A broad timber ring connects separate holders into an overhead composition. Draw every pot, support and removal route before planning the loaded installation. A smaller group can use separate structural points and repeated pot colors without the large central frame.

Keep the Planter Easy to Water and Inspect

Trial the whole care routine at working height before final hanging. Change any arrangement requiring awkward overhead lifting or pulling foliage through a tight opening.

Inspect cords, joints, wood and metal during care. Take down loose, fraying or cracked assemblies for repair and reassess capacity when pots or plants grow larger.