How to make an artificial patio planter

We’re here to help you create your dream patio flower planter with a little help from our faux plant pals. Watch our video guide below, where Rachel will walk you through how to make an artificial flower tub or read on for full step-by-step instructions.

What you’ll need:

• An empty planter
• A plastic bag
• Stones or sand
• A trowel
• A knife
• Oasis foam
• Artificial flowers & foliage

Weigh down your planter

You can use any size pot to make an outdoor patio planter as long as it’s designed to be used outside, otherwise, you might see the colour fade in the sun. We’ve got a selection of pots that you can use.

We don’t want your patio tub to be rolling around in the wind, so start by filling an empty bag with some sand or stones and add it to the bottom of your planter to hold it steady.

Fill your pot with oasis

Before you can add in your flowers and bushes, you'll need something to hold them firmly in place. We recommend oasis or floral foam for this as it doesn’t retain water.

Depending on the size of your pot, you’ll probably want 2-3 blocks of oasis which you can press firmly into your pot, so that they’re tightly packed and not moving about inside. You can cut the blocks down to size with a Stanley knife if you need to.

When you’ve filled your pot with oasis, add a light layer of stones or gravel on top to hide it away and add a little extra weight.

Add flowers and foliage

The beauty of making your own artificial patio tub is that it can be whatever you want it to be! We've got a selection of flowers and shrubs from lavender, geraniums and more. Just push the plastic spike on each bush straight into the oasis.

You can check the measurements of each bush on its product page to work out how many you’ll need. We'd recommend around six of our geranium bushes.

Final adjustments

At this point you should have a beautiful long-lasting patio planter ready to go into position. Just give your flowers a little extra attention by adjusting the foliage so that they aren’t clumped together, then go ahead and move your patio planter to its new home! 🥳

If you have any questions about creating a faux flower tub, get in touch and we'll be more than happy to lend a hand.

Summer patio tub ideas

Beautiful bold flowers rule summer and should be bursting from your patio planter for a colourful outdoor space. Mix and match different colours for a wild look, or keep it uniform with consistent shades that tie in with your colour scheme.

We recommend our geranium bush, lavender bush and vanilla grass this time of year.

Winter patio tub ideas

Come winter, colourful blooms will start to look a little out of place, and although our fauxs are good, flourishing hydrangeas in January may look a tad suspicious.

Instead of vibrant flowers, opt for pansies along with lots of greenery and trailing foliage to add colour to your garden without giving away our little secret! Go for our ivy bush, fern hanging bush, sword fern or pansy bush for a long-lasting winter patio planter.