I have so many empty walls in my house that I would love to decorate but I don’t want to just put framed art and pictures everywhere. Then, I saw metal wall planters and I’ve been obsessed with them ever since. I love the look, I love the idea of decorating your walls with something less traditional, and I love that it matches my industrial decor style. I was hesitant to purchase them because you only see them with either fake plants or air plants in them. I don’t mind air plants but I have so much wall space in my home I want big wall planters and air plants just aren’t practical for that. I could have gone the fake plant route and high end fake plants, but I just don’t enjoy them like real plants.
So what to do? Well, I finally caved in and bought a set of 3 metal planters and decided I would figure out the best way to add real plants to them. While you may be thinking, “Why not just add soil and plants?” and that’s a logical question. However, every metal wall planter I’ve come across is not in the least bit water tight nor did I want to risk rust over time. Despite that, I’ve come up with an easy (and super quick) way to solve this problem. So if you are like me and love having real plants, this is the project for you!
Materials:
- Plastic Sheeting (at least 3.5mm thick)
- Metal Wall Planters
- Duct Tape
- Scissors
- Spanish Moss
- Potting Soil
- Small Slow Growing Plants

The key to this project is selecting the right materials for you. This will mostly depend on what size wall planters you select and where you are hanging them. In our home we selected a wall that goes to our back door, giving some natural light but not much. Due to this, we selected low light plants that would thrive with the little available sun light. We also wanted plants that don’t need a ton of water, are easy to grow, are slow growing, and like the temperature that our house is set at. Due to all these factors, we decided to go with Juanita, Pan Am, and Berry Allusion Arrowhead plants for this project (we did 3 planters total). This selection is completely dependent on what you like and how much sunlight your location gets.
Once you pick out your plants (trust me, that is by far the hardest part) it’s time to start putting it all together. The first step is cutting the plastic sheeting. This plastic is thick enough to be used as equipment cover and moisture barriers, making it perfect to protect our planters and prevent a mess every time you water your plants. You want to start by cutting a piece of the plastic sheeting large enough that you can line the inside of the planter in one continuous piece. This will make it so that when you water the plant, you don’t have to worry about water slipping though any seams in the plastic. Don’t worry if it looks messy right now, it will come together quickly.
Empty Wall Planter Line With Heavy Plastic Sheeting
Now you want to trim off the excess plastic, leaving about 1-2 inches extra over the inset part of the planter. Next, fold the extra plastic down to about 1/4″ under where the inset ends, allowing you space for the duct tape without making it visible when it’s hung on the wall. You will then duct tape the plastic to the metal. Repeat this all the way around until all the plastic is secured. Don’t worry if it doesn’t look perfect, it’s difficult to get this to look clean since the opening is so narrow.
Fold Over Plastic & Secure With Duct Tape Tape All Around Inside Planter
Now add the potting soil, leaving room for your plant, up to about 1/2″ from the top of the planter. Add the plant and water well. This will allow you to add more soil if necessary since it will compress once wet. You also want to choose the best soil for your plants (potting soil v. cactus soil, etc).
Add Soil Add Plant & Water Well
Now for the final touches before hanging on the wall. I used some Spanish moss to cover the soil and to cover any visible tape. This gave it a nice finished look and made it so you couldn’t even tell that you had to line the inside of the planter.

Now it’s time to hang it on the wall and enjoy your handy work!
