Best Self Watering Planters For Urban Gardening

A self watering planter is an ideal addition to your home, office, or outdoor space. Self watering planters are just what they sound like—planters that provide water to the plants within with little or no work from you. Self watering planters are excellent for people who want to brighten up their spaces with a little bit of living color but don’t have the room or the expertise to plant a full garden. They're also great for people who don’t have the time or can't remember to consistently water a plant in a traditional planter.

Because self watering planters give plants constant exposure to water, the best types of plants for self watering planters are those that live in traditionally moist soil. Some of the best plants for self watering planters are as follows:

​Perennials

A perennial plant will keep coming back over time, so in addition to loving moist soil, the following perennials are the perfect plants for people who love plant life but don’t want to put a lot of time and effort into plant upkeep. Hostas are some of the most popular perennials—they are easy to grow and maintain, their leaves are large and multi-colored, and they thrive in the shade.

If you’re looking for a perennial for your self watering planter that features multi-colored blooms, try Japanese Iris. These large container-loving plants produce beautiful flowers and do best in the moist soil a self watering planter can provide.

Annuals

Some varieties of annuals (plants that you have to plant each year—they will not come back on their own like perennials) also thrive in moist soil. Lobeila features enough brightly colored blooms to fill a container, and it can grow in the direct sunlight!

Snowy meadowfoam is also a perfect annual for a self watering planter. Because of the plant’s tendency to spread quickly and overgrow areas, it is an excellent plant for a self watering container. Fill the reservoir with water, put your snowy meadowfoam-filled plant in the sun, and watch it grow!

Vegetables

Herbs and vegetables are excellent plants to house in self watering planters. The only thing you need to consider before planting is the eventual size of the plant. Some vegetable plants require a lot of room to grow, so potatoes probably aren’t the best choice for a self watering planter. Other edible plants, such as carrots, cilantro, basil, cherry tomatoes, and carrots, will thrive!

Tropical Plants

If you live in a frost-free environment or are planning on keeping your self watering planter indoors, a tropical plant may be the perfect choice. Known for their brightly colored blooms, tropical plants make a bright addition to any home. Make sure you research your variety of tropical plant before purchasing and planting. While they should all thrive in the moist soil of a self watering planter, they all prefer different levels of light and some of them grow to be over four feet tall.

Self watering planters work by creating a system in which the plant itself can draw water from a hidden water reservoir whenever it needs. Many self watering planters contain a strip or segment of wicking (porous and water-saturating) material under the soil that keeps the soil consistently moist without running the risk of over-saturating and drowning your plant. This means that as long as your water reservoir is full, your plant will have easy access to all the water it needs to thrive.

The largest benefit of a self watering planter is that you are not required to water your plant frequently. A self watering planter gives people in small spaces or with lots of time commitments the ability to bring plant life into their homes. Depending on the self watering planter model you choose, you may only have to fill up the watering section of the planter once or twice a month and your plant will still thrive!

Self watering planters are also incredibly healthy options for your plants. Because the planters are designed to let the plants get water from the planter reservoir when they need, it prevents the soil and the plant’s roots from becoming over-saturated, which is easy to do if you are watering manually and aren’t careful about the amount of water your plant is receiving each day.

Many self watering planters on the market today are not only healthy options for your favorite plant life, but they are design centerpieces in and of themselves! These planters will feature your plants in beautiful, original, and creative ways, unlike the terracotta plant pots of old.