Garden Planters are a great way to spruce up the backyard, a window sill or even the inside of your home. Far less messy and more compact than typical gardens, planters can be moved around and placed in aesthetically pleasing displays. Plus, they come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are made from various materials, so you can find one that matches your home's motif. Here are just a few.

Fiberglass is a great material for garden planters for a few different reasons. First of all, they are lightweight. Secondly, being a malleable material, you can find them in all different sizes. Paired with the lightweight quality, that makes fiberglass garden planters an ideal choice for larger planters, trees and bushes. It is also a very durable material that will last throughout the years. Finally, fiberglass can be molded to emulate a bunch of colors and finishes, including glossy, metallic and matte. These planters can be made also to resemble stone and ceramic. If you go with fiberglass, make sure to regularly clean and wax you garden planters. On the downside, fiberglass is not recommended for outdoor use in that it can fade over time when exposed to direct sunlight. However, the material is proven relatively strong against other types of weather damage, and with proper drainage these garden planters so not need to be emptied in winter.

Plastic is general has gotten a bad rap as being flimsy and cheap. On the contrary, polyethylene is an extremely durable and good-looking plastic polymer that works great with outdoor furniture and garden planters. Like fiberglass, polyethylene is lightweight, but it is also impervious to cracking and falling apart. This material is often used for commercial garden planters seen in hotels, malls, etc. Another good thing about plastics is that more and more polyethylene used is recycled, so you can make a great buy while being eco-friendly. Plastics are good for indoor and outdoor use, and hold up against weather damage and temperature fluctuations.

When you think of those beautiful old-fashioned and antique garden planters ornately painted and on display in palaces and whatnot, you're thinking about ceramic. Often hand-cast, ceramic planters are some of the elaborate and exotic types available. You can find ones imported from China, Indonesia, Vietnam and Mexico, to name a few. With these garden planters, the colors and designs are virtually endless, and nearly all ceramic holders come with a high-gloss finish. There are some negatives, though. Ceramic does not hold up well under prolonged outdoor exposure. Colors will eventually fade, plus the fragile material is apt to crack, especially when the temperature changes quickly. Plus, they're heavier than their peers, so moving ceramic planters can be tricky. However, for indoor or temporary outdoor use, ceramic is a fine choice.

Wooden garden planters are the most natural looking variety, and often made by hand by the industrious home gardener. Typically, these planters are limited to rectangular shapes, but their sizes can be small to large. Some woods work better than others, especially for outdoor use. Teak and cedar in particular hold up well outdoors. The wood can either be left finished or unfinished, and these planters usually come with a sort of drainage system.