Best window sill planters: keep your windows bright with these plant boxes

If you live in a small flat or house, you needn’t give up on the dream of growing your own fruit, veg or herbs, or tending to small plants. Anyone with a window or small balcony can set about creating a miniature green space without having access to a proper garden.

Designed to sit on your sill or hang outside your window using hooks, there are plenty of window boxes and planters to breathe life into your home. Aside from looking pretty, if you choose to grow your own veggies, you'll have the added benefit of having a ready supply of fresh food for next to nothing.

Prefer the idea of growing bright flowering plants instead? The right planters can help you do that too, housing and nurturing small seeds until they’re in full bloom.

Window planters are also a great way to teach children about growing plants, helping to instil a healthy respect and understanding for food and flowers at a young age.

From pots to adorn your windowsill to deep fill baskets that allow plenty of room for roots to breathe and grow, scroll on to see our edit of the best planters for your windows.

Noor Galvanized Iron Free Standing Rectangular Plant Stand, Stone & Black

A sleek and elegant design, this planter would look fantastic in city and country gardens alike. With a white tub and black metal frame, the low-standing design is ideal to partition your outside space or simply bring some greenery to a balcony. Measures 70 x 70 x 20cm.

Buy now £75.00, MADE

Lechuza Colour Balconera 80cm Slate Self Watering Balcony & Window Box

You may not have enough room to swing a cat, but you can transform the look of the tiniest balconies or windows with this smart plant box, which has a self-watering system to keep plants hydrated to exactly the right level.

The only downside is that brackets are sold separately so you’ll need to spend a bit extra if you pictured this sitting outside your window. However, it does a superb job growing herbs and things like strawberries and chillies on the windowsill.

Measures: 78.7 x 17.8 x 17.8cm.

Buy now £50.83, Amazon

H&M Metal Window Box

Painted in a chic light grey, this metal window box is the perfect tool to help your modest gardening ambitions. The main compartment sits inside a detachable hooked frame, which can attach easily to a balcony rail or trellis and there are three holes in the base to help with drainage. A smaller version is also available for £19.99.

Dimensions: H16.5cm x W47cm x D13cm.

Buy now, H&M

Zinc Metal Tray

Give the slimmest ledges a green makeover with super skinny trays, great for holding tiny pots of succulents or young herbs. The long troughs are finished with a protective powder finish to ensure they’re completely watertight.

Measures: 61cm x 9cm x 4cm.

Buy now £21.99, Crocus

Sol 27 Outdoor Calkins Plastic Balcony Planter

This low-investment planter is perfect for anyone considering adopting a green-fingered hobby this year. The small and simple design is weather resistant, holds 4.9L and comes with drainage holes - just add your plants or seeds with some compost and you’re good to go. As well as grey, the planter also comes in brown and white colours.

Dimensions: H13cm x W38.3 x D21.2cm.

Buy now £10.99

Ferm Living Raised Metal Plant Box - Rose

Designed to sit on the wall next to your window or brighten up a small balcony, this planter comes on a narrow metal stand that’s sturdier than it looks. Fill the inside with pots of houseplants and herbs or fill with compost to allow flowering plants to fully bloom.

Buy now £208.00, Amara

Red Candy Greenhouse Planter

No space for a greenhouse? No problem! This cute planter turns the tables (and the dimensions) on having a full-size hot house of your own by being decorated like one instead. Fill with fragrant coriander, rosemary or mint and set by your kitchen window, ready for plucking when the recipe calls.

Buy now £12.00, Red Candy

Gifts Tomorrow Novelty Indoor Herb Gardening Allotment Planter Gift Set

A fun gift for a friend, or perhaps just something to encourage you to cook more, this mini herb house offers you the chance to grow some ingredients without the need for a garden or allotment. It comes with soil pellets and seeds so all you need to do is set it up on your kitchen window sill and watch your fragrant garden grow. Charlie Dimmock would be proud.

Buy now £32.95

The Little Botanical New Home Bundle

For a quick and easy way to inject greenery into your space, John Lewis’ bundle is just the ticket. You’ll get five stylish pots filled with houseplants and succulents to create an instant green gang. The pots are all different sizes, giving you the option to place them inside or out.

Buy now £74.00, John Lewis

Oliver Bonas Yucca Long Ceramic Plant Pot Yellow

You can always count on Oliver Bonas to deliver in the home accessories department. Take this darling planter for example: in a warm ochre hue, it would look as pretty standing on a sideboard as it would on a window ledge. Add plants, real or faux, to create a stunning little display. Perfect for anyone short on space or first time gardeners.

Dimensions: H12cm x W24.3cm x D9.4cm.

Buy now £13.50, Oliver Bonas