Make a Tall Clay Pot Tower Planter

Elevate an entryway or brighten a dull patio corner with a striking clay pot tower. Inexpensive and easy to find, clay pots stack to create vertical color. Fill with favorite container plants—trailing varieties like calibrachoa spill beautifully over the edges.

Feed weekly with slow‑release liquid fertilizer when watering to sustain blooms all season. If plants become leggy by late summer, cut back by one‑third to encourage fresh growth. After frost, swap plants for mini pumpkins and gourds; in winter, fill with evergreen branches, dried hydrangeas, and other textural clippings.

What You Will Need

• One 16‑inch clay pot (base)
• One 12‑inch clay pot
• One 10‑inch clay pot
• One 8‑inch clay pot (top)
• Quality potting soil
• Assortment of container‑garden plants

Step 1: Set the Base

Gather materials at the final location—the assembled tower is heavy. Place the smallest pot upside down inside the largest pot; it will support the upper tiers.

Step 2: Add Soil and Second Pot

Fill the base pot with soil until level with the bottom of the inverted pot. Set the 12‑inch pot on top of that inverted pot’s base.

Step 3: Fill Base Pot

Continue adding soil to the base pot until ½ inch below the rim.

Step 4: Fill Second Pot and Add Third

Fill the 12‑inch pot to within 1 inch of its rim. Gently pat soil to remove air pockets. Place the 10‑inch pot on top.

Step 5: Plant the Top Pot

Fill the top pot with soil and plants. The example uses yellow melampodium, trailing variegated vinca, and chartreuse sweet flag. Other excellent trailers: bacopa, calibrachoa, licorice plant, dichondra. For colorful accents, choose low‑growing annuals (6–12 inches) like ageratum, begonias, bidens, impatiens, geraniums.

Water thoroughly from the top down to wash away spilled soil.

Container Gardening How‑To: Design a Container