Very cool. how big is it? Drainage?

It is 12 x 5 1/2 x 6. There are no drainage holes.

It would need drainage to grow plants.

tj

If it's not where rain will fill it and you are careful it's possible to use it as a planter w/o holes but not advised. A mound of double impatiens or a tuberous begonia would be beautiful in it.

Plant papyrus in here as an annual. They can grow in standing water so won't mind that there is no drainage. They are tall and umbrella like in form, so even though this is a small planter, you can still get something majestic and showy going on. Some places sell them as King Tut.

Your garden looks great so far.

LAGUNA® DARK BLUE Lobelia or BLUE MY MIND® Evolvulus

or...Purple Verbena...

Yes...both are annuals...will bloom ALL Summer!

But none will survive long in a planter with no drainage!!

happy2b -- I just bought a 'Prince Tut' papyrus to place in my fountain pool which gets more than 6 hours of very hot sun. This particular papyrus is smaller than 'King Tut' and may be a better choice for you. (There is also a 'Baby Tut', I believe, but it is very small and likely wouldn't produce much of a visual impact.)

I am planning to put it in a bigger pot than it came in and set it on some rocks to lift it to the water level. Therefore, it will be growing IN water, no drainage. According to what I have researched online, this will suit it very well. (Think how it has grown in Egypt for eons!)

I like your iron planter! And I think you might be happy to try 'Prince Tut' as it won't care about drainage holes...

Something like salvia or portulaca which don’t need a lot of water might work. I would put a layer of bark mulch in the bottom and then add a couple of pots with the plants in them in the planter instead of adding dirt in the entire pot.

I’ve used this Portulaca ’Mojave Pink’ in a couple of my containers and it trails beautifully. There are other colors as well.

Link

I just came from Lowes. They have baskets with a mix of RED Verbena which hangs down a bit...and pink petunias with red centers.....a nice combination!

All I can picture in that cute pot is Lily of the Valley. Not the right time of year for getting blooms now, but maybe stick some bulbs in there with whatever else you plant and they will bloom in the spring.

I would drill some holes for drainage. Not that hard to do if you read up on how to do it.

I would get a couple of plants in small-sized pots and put the pots in the planter. I have done that in pots with no drainage holes and it works wonderfully.

There are so many pretty and interesting taros that can thrive in standing water. I vote that you leave the pot as is. I love rust in the garden! just toss a quarter of a mosquito dunk in once a month to avoid becoming a breeding ground.

I like cyn427’s suggestion.

Yeah I would do that thing that people were doing years ago, where it's a combination? Thriller filler spiller? You could use Nicole's evolvulus or verbena for the filler. A spiller could be dichondra or sweet potato vine... You get the picture

It’s a very small container, to be sure. I wouldn’t set it in the sun because it will dry out super fast. (You said it’s metal, after all.) It is lovely, though.

Three small plants in three small pots would work well in shade. Choose shade-lovers. Impatiens maybe.

Since it's outside, I'd do as others have suggested and use plants in smaller nursery pots with drainage holes, so they can be taken out to pour off excess water after it rains, etc...

Perfect!👍🏻

After the first flush a severe clipping over will produce new flowers.

Floral, since the lobelia is still in small pots, I can replace them with something else while the blooms grow back.

Lobelias look great in that cast iron planter. I have mine in shallow planters with drainage holes drilled on the bottoms. If you’re handy, get a drill bit for metal to make drainage holes in the cast iron planter then don’t have to empty the standing water in it.

Palisades, so pretty

I’m glad the individual pots worked so well for you. The lobelia is lovely!

Happy, the lobelias are perfect, lovely (and happy) in your planter. So glad it worked.