Darwin rectangular fiberglass planter, planted, in a sunlit interior

Tall Privacy Planters

(14 products)

A screening planter is one you line up. Placed in a run, tall rectangular planters make a green wall that divides a terrace or screens a boundary without the permanence of a built structure. These are the models we carry that work in a run: rectangular, reaching 24 inches or taller and 36 inches or longer.

Tall privacy planters that line up into a screen

A screening planter is a planter you line up. Placed in a run, tall rectangular planters make a green wall that divides a terrace, hides a boundary or gives a seating area some privacy, without the permanence or the planning constraints of a built structure. This collection holds the planters we carry that work in a run: rectangular, reaching 24 inches or taller and 36 inches or longer.

Why the dimensions matter more here than anywhere else

For most planters, size is about the plant. For a screen it is about the wall you are building.

Length decides how many you need. A 6 foot planter covers twice the run of a 3 foot one, and the joints between planters are the weak point in any screen, so fewer and longer is usually better. Our longest is 100 inches.

Height decides what the planter screens before the planting does. A 24 inch planter puts the soil line at knee height, so the plant does all the work. A 42 inch planter starts the screen at waist height, which means shorter planting and a faster result.

Width decides stability. A narrow planter with a tall hedge in it is a sail. The 10 to 12 inch narrow models suit tight walkways but need more thought about wind and ballast than the 24 inch deep ones.

We publish all three for every size, along with the interior opening and the nursery grow pot each accepts.

What a planter screen does not do

This is the section worth reading before ordering, because a planter screen is a compromise and the compromises are predictable.

It is not instant, and it is not solid. You are buying the vessel; the screen is the planting. Until the plants knit together you have a row of planters with gaps. Bamboo, columnar evergreens and tall grasses close that gap fastest, but none of them do it on delivery day.

It is not a fence, and it does not stop sound. A planted screen filters sightlines and softens noise. It does not block either the way a solid barrier does, and it will not satisfy a requirement for a boundary treatment.

Wind is the real constraint. A tall planter with a dense hedge presents a large sail area on a narrow base. On exposed terraces and roofs, plan for ballast in the base, choose the wider models over the narrow ones, and group planters so they support each other. On any elevated installation, settle the load and wind questions with the building's engineer before choosing the planter. Our rooftop planter weight guide covers the arithmetic.

Maintenance is continuous. A screen only screens if the planting stays dense, which means irrigation, feeding and clipping on a schedule. A row of planters is a longer maintenance commitment than the same plants in the ground, because the soil volume is finite and dries faster.

Choosing between the models

The narrow models at 10 to 12 inches deep suit walkways, balconies and anywhere floor space is tight. They hold less soil, so they dry faster and need more attention, and they benefit most from ballast.

The deeper models at 17 to 24 inches hold considerably more soil, which means a more stable base, better drought tolerance and room for larger root balls. They are the better choice for a permanent screen and for anything windy.

Heights reach 24 to 42 inches. If the screen has to work from a seated position, 24 to 32 inches plus planting is usually enough. If it has to work standing, start at 32 inches and choose the planting for the rest.

Drainage, delivery and finish

Drainage matters more in a run than in a single planter, because one blocked planter in a line of six is the one that fails and breaks the screen. We drill drainage free of charge on request. It is not drilled by default, since interior and liner-based installations often need the planter sealed. Drilled planters are final sale.

All of these are fiberglass composite in one of twenty finishes. The finish is an automotive-grade, UV-resistant paint system, the material is non-porous and the finish is UV-resistant, and because the shell is non-porous it does not absorb the water that cracks porous planters in a freeze. Jay Scotts covers them with a three year manufacturer warranty. Ordering a run in one production batch matters here: a set bought together arrives in one finish batch rather than assembled from stock of different ages.

These are made to order, so allow two to ten business days of production. Standard sizes ship free by ground within the contiguous United States; larger units ship by freight at a flat 495 dollars, free on orders over 2,000 dollars, which a multi-unit screen usually clears. Each product page states which mode applies to each size.

Related collections

If you want height as a single statement rather than a continuous run, the tall outdoor planters collection covers the full range of tall pieces including round and tapered forms that do not line up into a screen.

A screen is a run of long rectangles, so if you are choosing by form rather than by job, rectangular and trough planters holds the full set of straight-sided lengths. And if the run is going on a terrace or a roof, settle the load question first: rooftop and pool deck planters filters to what can actually be carried up and positioned.

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

What is the best planter for privacy?

A long, tall rectangle you can line up into a run. Length matters most, because the joints between planters are where a screen fails, so fewer and longer beats more and shorter. Height decides how much work the planting has to do: a 24 inch planter starts the screen at knee height, a 42 inch one at waist height. Depth decides stability, and a narrow planter with a tall hedge in it needs ballast.

How tall should a privacy planter be?

If the screen has to work from a seated position, 24 to 32 inches of planter plus planting is usually enough. If it has to work standing, start at 32 inches. Our models reach 24 to 42 inches. Remember the planter height is the starting point, not the finished screen height, which is the planter plus the mature planting.

How many planters do I need for a screen?

Divide the run you want to cover by the planter length, then add one. Our models reach 36 to 100 inches in length, so a 20 foot run needs roughly four 60 inch planters or three at 100 inches. Fewer joints means a better screen, so choose the longest model that fits your access route and your budget.

What should go under a screening planter on a finished surface?

Something that takes the water away, and a surface that tolerates it arriving. Water coming through the base will run across pavers, decking or a membrane unless it has somewhere to go.

In a run this matters more than for a single planter, because the water arrives along a line rather than at one point, so it is worth planning the drainage for the whole line rather than planter by planter. On bare ground or a bed, free drainage into the ground is usually simpler.

Do privacy planters blow over in wind?

They can, and it is the main failure mode. A tall planter with a dense hedge is a large sail area on a narrow base. Reduce the risk by choosing the deeper models over the narrow ones, adding ballast to the base, grouping planters so they support each other, and keeping the planting in proportion to the planter. On roofs and exposed terraces, treat wind as an engineering question rather than a judgement call.

Are planter screens as good as a fence?

No, and they solve a different problem. A planted screen filters sightlines and softens sound; it does not block either the way a solid barrier does, and it will not satisfy a requirement for a boundary treatment. What it does offer is no groundworks, no permanence, and the ability to move or reconfigure it later.

How many drainage holes does each planter in a run need?

One every 12 inches of planter space, at 1 to 2 inches across, which is the manufacturer's specification. A 60 inch planter takes at least four or five, a 100 inch planter more.

Observe it on every unit rather than the ones that look like they need it. In a run of six, one planter holding water is the one that fails, and a gap in the middle of a screen is the whole screen. We drill to that spec free of charge on request; damage from holes cut outside the manufacturer's guidelines is not covered by the warranty.

Do screening planters need drainage?

Yes, and more than a single planter does. In a run of six, one planter holding water is the one that fails and leaves a gap in the screen. We drill drainage free of charge on request. Interior or liner-based installations are the main case for leaving them sealed. Drilled planters are final sale.

Can I use these on a rooftop or terrace?

Often, but the load question comes first. A planted screen concentrates significant weight along a line, and only your building's engineer of record can tell you what the roof carries. Settle that before choosing the planter, then favour fiberglass for its low empty weight and plan for wind at height. Our rooftop planter weight guide sets out the point load method.

Will a set of planters match if I order them together?

Yes. These are made to order, so a set ordered together is produced in one batch and arrives in one finish batch rather than assembled from stock of different ages. If you add to a run later, the model and finish codes stay the same, though a later batch is a later batch.