The Heritage Planter French Provincial Cast Iron Trough, Weathered Grey 35cm

A Georgian trough planter, swags and all, at window box scale.

The Heritage Planter is a long oval trough cast in solid iron and finished in a weathered grey stone patina, the front face worked in relief with a central lidded urn flanked by draped swags hanging between fluted posts. It weighs 6.8 kg empty, which is the difference between cast iron and the resin and fibreglass troughs that copy this pattern.

At 35cm end to end and only 12cm tall it is a window box rather than a floor planter: long, low and heavy enough to sit on a sill or a wall cap without fixing down. Built for outdoor life, and the finish deepens with weather rather than wearing away.

Why we love it

• ◆The relief, a central lidded urn with draped swags between fluted posts, cast crisp rather than softened
• ◆The proportions, 35cm long and only 12cm tall, which is exactly the shape a sill or a wall cap wants
• ◆The weight, 6.8 kg empty, so a full trough of soil is not going anywhere in wind
• ◆The finish, chalky whitish lime bloom on the raised mouldings dropping to cool slate in the recesses, and it only improves outdoors

How to style it

Long and low, so plant it low and let the trough do the talking.

• Set it on a windowsill or a wall cap and plant it with trailing thyme or ivy
• Run it along the back of a kitchen bench with herbs in it
• Use it dry indoors as a holder for pens, cutlery or a run of small candles
• Line it with moss and plant succulents for something that needs almost no water
• Group it with the rest of our garden sculptures

Care & Keeping

Wipe with a soft dry cloth to lift dust out of the swags and the fluting. The finish needs no sealing. There is no drainage hole, so either drill one, plant into a liner, or use a good layer of gravel in the base and water sparingly. On indoor timber, set it on a saucer or felt pads.

Because The Heritage Planter is hand-finished, slight variations in patina, texture, and grain are natural and add to the unique character of each piece. Colour may also vary slightly between screens, all photography is taken in natural light.