When adding greenery to new construction or updating an existing space, many designers turn to modular planters. Whether you’re bringing an outdated hardscape to life or softening an interiorscape — there are endless ways to incorporate modular planters into the design plan.

Before choosing a modular planter, however, it’s always a good idea to learn about the product in order to determine which type of modular planter is right for your particular project.

What Are Modular Planters?

Because modular planters are made to fit together, they can be configured without gaps. This can produce the illusion of a cohesive extra-long container.

Durable and lightweight, modular planters can join together in any number of ways to create an upscale, customized look for any type of environment.

Whether you need one large, long planter to border a rooftop wall or a custom shape to fit along a stairway, these custom planters deliver extremely flexible commercial and residential design solutions.

With modular planters, it’s easy to add plants and trees to an interior or exterior space, rooftops, and terraces when a solid division is needed. Typical uses of modular planters include:

Creating privacy by separating a seating area from a walkway
Creating an oasis of foliage for events such as wedding receptions or corporate functions
Bringing the park to the rooftop by adding pops of color and greenery to entice patrons to relax and unwind

Benefits of Using Modular Planters

A modular planter system can elevate your planting plan and help you manage your budget.

Benefits for your planting plan and overall design outcomes:

The interior of open trough modular planters allows more space for root growth.
Make watering easier with a sipper or irrigation system on smaller-width modular planters.
The continuous nature of a modular planter system can create a wall or secluded oasis of green garden space.
Planters can play double duty by becoming a place to attach lighting or benches.
The modular nature of this type of system makes installing a rooftop garden much more manageable.

The right commercial-grade planter system can also deliver benefits for your budget:

Opting for marine-grade aluminum or COR-TEN weathering steel produces a durable lifelong planting plan and eliminates the need to replace your planting system every few years.>
The right modular planter option can be value engineered to fit the project budget requirements.

According to the UN World Commission on Environment and Development, sustainable development “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

When 5052 aluminum is used to fabricate a modular planter system, there are several sustainability benefits:

The planter is a lifetime product. This means fewer planters making their way to landfills.
Aluminum alloy is easily recycled, which reduces resource consumption and environmental pollution.
Plus, most stock sheets of 5052 aluminum are made of at least 20% of recycled material.

What Modular Planter Options Are There?

At PureModern we have the Connect Modular Planter System that comes in four basic configurations which we can fabricate to your unique specifications.

The planting plan will dictate which planter configuration will look best.

But it’s the layout of the space as well as the planting plan itself that will determine which Connect Modular Planter System option is right for your project.

This continuous planter system can be as versatile as you need it to be. We can join individual planters together in one of four ways:

Open Trough Modular Planters: Bolting together open trough planters
Bottomless Retaining Edging Modular Planters: Joining bottomless edging planters together at the sides (this option is like retention edging in landscaping)
Bolted Butt-Joined Modular Planters: Securely bolting planters together by butt joining the sides
Non-Bolted Butt Joined Modular Planters: Butt joining planter sides together on a level surface without bolting the planters

How to Decide Which Modular Planter Is Right for Your Project

When deciding which Connect Modular Planter System option is best for you, remember to keep the planting plan, budget, and the project's completion date in mind, as each option comes with its own requirements.

In addition, your modular planter system must be properly installed to ensure installation aligns with the intended design appearance. Remember that a few of the modular planter configurations require bolting of planters, which can only be done with fabricated metal.

For proper installation, we suggest the following:

A landscape contractor on-site to assemble the chosen planter model
A detailed set of drawings with a plan view and section view for each section of planters

Choosing the Right Modular Planter For Your Design

Once you have determined your project requirements, now it’s time to choose which Connect Modular Planter System option works best.

1. Open Trough Planters

Open Trough Planters are a long continuous channel of planters that are bolted together on-site at the time of installation. They are connected below the fill-line, and with this configuration, you’ll see a tighter vertical joint.

To make these planters we precision-cut the required pieces of metal and pre-drill any necessary holes with a CNC fiber laser. The cut sheets are then fully welded into the specified shape and then made smooth using a grinder. The metal planters are finally powder coated (with the exception of COR-TEN weathering steel).

This modular design provides a continuous open trough, so you can space ornamental trees or other foliage more evenly over the entire run.
Rubber feet and shims (if requested) are provided to help with the leveling process. Plus, the joint locations can be adjusted to customize the spacing.

When to use:

More space for root growth is required
A long continuous planter is needed
There is a need to space plantings equally across planter space
A connecting watering system is required such as the Ollie Plant Sipper Linkable Tanks
When a watertight configuration is NOT required
There is an on-site installation team

Planter material:

Marine-grade aluminum
COR-TEN weathering steel

*Open Trough Planters at Roosevelt Parc in Jackson Heights, NY*

2. Bottomless Retaining Edging Planters

These modular planters are similar to Open Trough Planters, but are manufactured without a full bottom. This configuration fits spaces that are truly unique and spectacular, and enable freedom and flexibility to be creative in your design.

Understanding the manufacturing process for Bottomless Retaining Edging Planters can help determine if this planter is right for your project.

To make these planters we precision-cut the required pieces of metal and pre-drill any necessary holes with a CNC fiber laser. The cut sheets are then fully welded into the specified shape and then made smooth using a grinder. The metal planters are finally powder coated (with the exception of COR-TEN weathering steel).

Bottomless Retaining Edging Planters do not have a full base. This is a wall-only planter configuration. The walls are reinforced using gussets and internal stiffeners. The various sections are then assembled on site.
For some designs, it’s best to anchor the baseplate. In fact, in some unique cases, anchoring is required for proper alignment and stability.

When to use:

For a large open planting bed area
Cost management purposes (costs can be significantly less than a planter with a full bottom— especially when planting a wide area)
Looking to create multiple terraces of foliage
Endless options of creative layout
Designing a park-like space on a rooftop
There is an on-site installation team

Planter material:

Marine-grade aluminum
COR-TEN weathering steel

***Bottomless Retaining Edging Planters for 150 Charles project.***

3. Bolted Butt-Joined Planters

Identical in size and shape according to your specifications, Bolted Butt-Joined Modular Planters are individual planters but are bolted together rather than just placed next to each other.

When complete, Bolted Butt-Joined Planters look like one long planter from a side view. However, because the planter tops are visible, it will be apparent that the planter is made up of several individual planters.

These planters have pre-cut holes in the side, near the top, of the planter. The hole placement aligns with the joints and helps installers level and align the planters through the project location. We can provide rubber feet and shims (if requested) to help with the leveling process.

At PureModern, we typically pre-cut holes to help with leveling and add stability about two inches from the top. The holes are evenly spaced widthwise depending on the planter size and your specifications. Holes are generally created prior to powder-coating.

When to use:

Semi-permanent planter installation
Desire the look of individual planters
Looking for a watertight modular planter system for interior applications
There are budget constraints

Planter material:

Powder-coated marine-grade aluminum
COR-TEN weathering steel

4. Non-Bolted Butt-Joined Planters

For less permanent applications where planters don’t need to be bolted together, the Non-Bolted Butt-Joined Planter can be used.

If the subbase is a bit unlevel, shimming of each planter is possible using our Lift N’ Level Kit. The kit contains small square hard rubber pieces in various thicknesses that can be placed under the planter for elevation purposes.
Designed to custom size and shape specifications, these modular planters can be installed exactly as your plan requires.

Because the planters are not bolted together, you have complete design flexibility. So should the needs of the space change, the design can pivot accordingly.

When to use:

A watertight planter system is required, such as for interior applications
Provides flexibility to create different configurations in the future
There are budget constraints
Desire the look of individual planters

Planter material:

Fiberglass
Marine-grade aluminum
COR-TEN weathering steel

Assessing Floor Level

Remember that modular planter systems require a level floor. But what if your space is sloped or slightly uneven? We recommend contacting PureModern to work through this issue. Together, we’ll discuss the space to come up with an answer. For example:

With a shorter planter, the solution may be as simple as using a few rubber risers.
For a longer run of modular planters, the solution may involve accounting for the precise elevation change, much like fence installation.
We recommend avoiding quick-fix solutions like adding furniture coasters, as this often cheapens the look of your install.

Planter Drainage

Adequate drainage is another important consideration when choosing the right planter.

Drainage holes serve several purposes:

Enable excess water to drain away. This way, the soil retains only the necessary amount of moisture.
Save the plant from drowning. If excess water does not drain away, plants can drown or rot.

Plants will thrive best in planters with drainage holes. However, in some cases, drainage holes are not an option, e.g., indoor applications or covered patio areas. In those cases, proper drainage is still possible as long as the planter is properly filled.

Can Modular Planters be Used Indoors

This is a frequently asked question. The answer is yes, modular planters can be used indoors.

Modular planters create a unique design for the space you’re working with. Plus, indoor modular planters are easy to maintain.

The critical consideration is that a modular planter that will be used indoors must be watertight. This means there may be some design limitations:

We can’t guarantee a planter is watertight if it’s bolted together.
Open trough or bottomless planters won’t be watertight, but Bolted Butt-Joined Planters or Non Bolted Butt-Joined Planters will be watertight.

Modular Planter Four-Step Project Process

Once the design is finalized and you have selected the best modular planter option, we will provide detailed shop drawings for your approval before fabrication begins. This ensures you’re getting the exact sizes, shapes, configurations, and finishes you need.

From the start of your project to the end, we are determined to ensure your project is completed to your expectations. That’s why we developed our Four-Step Project Process. It ensures that you know what is happening every step of the way.

And because you’re buying a custom product with many variables, we provide a Done-Right Guarantee so you have the confidence that we will provide the product as specified.

PureModern Modular Planter Projects

Rockefeller Center - New York, NY

Iconic Rockefeller Center in Manhattan is a Tishman Speyer property. It’s also a beautiful example of how modular planters create gorgeous design.

Tishman used the Bolted Butt-Joined Planter Model to flank a seating area on two terraces. Positioned next to each other, the planters are watertight and bolts located about two inches below the planter rim keep the planters from moving.

This semi-permanent row of planters enables planter removal for maintenance when necessary.

To see images of the Tishman Speyer project at the Rockefeller Center, use this link: https://www.puremodern.com/pages/rockefeller-center-new-york-ny

Garden City Bar - Shaker Heights, OH

Garden City Bar is a unique and stylish space. Located in the Van Aken District of Shaker Heights, Ohio, the bar serves hand-crafted cocktails on a popular rooftop that has an outdoor terrace as well as open-air indoor seating.

Dimit Architects carved out cozy seating arrangements for guests by utilizing Connect Modular Planters to add elements of nature and structure to the seating area. With the new privacy booth seating, guests can’t help but stay awhile, which is why the bar now must clarify that seats are first-come-first-serve on its website

To see images of the Garden City Bar use this link: https://www.puremodern.com/pages/garden-city-bar-shaker-heights-oh

Roosevelt Parc - Jackson Heights, NY

Residents at Roosevelt Parc’s luxurious apartments have access to 40,000 sq ft of multi-use space complete with a 5,000 sq ft garden, a rooftop club, fitness center, and even a green lawn to enjoy in the middle of the city.

Werber Real Estate, Socius, and Marvel Architects came together to create an oasis for busy patrons using Connect Modular Planter System. G&M works, a landscape contractor, installed PureModern’s marine-grade powder-coated aluminum planters throughout the landscaped rooftop gardens on the 3rd and 14th floors. Complete with fabricated cutouts to fit pathway lights, the planters were further customized into specific shapes.

To see images of Roosevelt Parc click here.

Learn More

The Connect Modular Planter System is a terrific solution for projects where a high-impact, customizable, and flexible planter design is needed. PureModern has over ten years of experience designing commercial planters and our team is more than happy to help you with your next modular planter project.

Call PureModern for your next Modular Planter plan. To learn more about custom planters or request a quote, click here.