How to choose indoor planters for Swedish homes
Buying a planter online is harder than it looks. The photo shows a beautiful object on a white background, but it does not tell you whether the base will leave a ring on your floor, whether the glaze will crack in a cold hallway, or whether the scale will work next to your sofa. This guide covers the things worth thinking through before you order.
Material: terracotta, stoneware, or steel
Terracotta is porous, which means the soil dries out faster. Good for succulents and herbs, less good for ferns or peace lilies that want consistent moisture. Unglazed terracotta also leaves a white mineral ring on wooden floors over time, so a saucer is not optional. The planters we stock from the Alentejo workshop have a sealed interior that slows moisture loss without changing the breathability of the exterior.
Stoneware is denser and holds moisture longer. The grey-green glazed planters from the Algarve studio have a sealed base with no drainage hole, which makes them suited to indoor use where you control watering carefully. They are heavier than terracotta at the same size. The 22 cm version weighs 1.4 kg empty.
Powder-coated steel planters are the lightest option and the most frost-resistant. They work well on balconies and in hallways where temperature swings are larger. The coating can chip if knocked hard, so they are better in low-traffic spots.
Drainage: with or without a hole
Most outdoor planters have a drainage hole because overwatering is the most common way to kill a plant. Indoors, a drainage hole means you need a saucer, and the saucer needs to be emptied after watering. If you forget, the standing water can damage floors.
A sealed base with no drainage hole works well indoors if you water slowly and let the soil dry between waterings. It is not suitable for plants that need very free-draining conditions, like cacti or lavender. For those, use a terracotta pot with a hole and a saucer.
Scale: how to get the size right from a product page
The most common complaint about planters bought online is that they arrived smaller than expected. Diameter is the key measurement. Height matters less because you can adjust soil level. A 22 cm diameter planter holds a standard 17 cm nursery pot with room for a layer of decorative gravel on top.
When reading a product page, check whether the diameter is the interior or exterior measurement. We state exterior diameter on all our planters, with a note of the interior usable diameter where it differs by more than 1 cm.
- 14 cm exterior: suits a 10-11 cm nursery pot, good for windowsill herbs
- 22 cm exterior: suits a 17 cm nursery pot, the most versatile indoor size
- 32 cm exterior: suits a 25 cm nursery pot, works as a floor planter
- 42 cm exterior: a statement piece, needs a plant with presence to match
If you are unsure which size works for a specific plant, email us with the plant name and the space you have in mind. We will give you a straight answer.