Plant pots with drainage: what to check before you buy
Updated: 22 October 2026
A saucer in the photograph is not a hole, and a 15 cm six-pack will not take a plant that already fills a 20 cm nursery pot. Plant pots with drainage are the first filter: the Royal Horticultural Society treats a hole as essential in a planting pot. The [flower pots comparison](/hub/plant-accessories/flower-pots) rows the twelve listings. This page is the order of checks. Peter F. checked the amazon.co.uk listings and public UK sources on 19 October 2026. This is not a laboratory test. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
A saucer in the photograph is not a hole, and a 15 cm six-pack will not take a plant that already fills a 20 cm nursery pot.
A saucer in the photograph is not a hole, and a 15 cm six-pack will not take a plant that already fills a 20 cm nursery pot. Plant pots with drainage are the first filter: the Royal Horticultural Society treats a hole as essential in a planting pot. The flower pots comparison rows the twelve listings. This page is the order of checks. Peter F. checked the amazon.co.uk listings and public UK sources on 19 October 2026. This is not a laboratory test. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Drainage | Saucer | Stated use | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  SG Traders SG Traders (30 cm pair) | Yes, four holes | Not stated | Outdoor | 8.8 | about £19.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  CSYY CSYY (6 sizes) | Yes | Tray in the title | Indoor (title also says outdoor) | 8.7 | about £10.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  B2C B2C (30 cm) | No, drill yourself | Yes (not on 9.5 cm) | Indoor | 7.7 | about £11.87 | View offer |
On this page
Hole first, colour last
Start with the plant, then the hole, then the colour. The RHS says a container must have drainage holes because compost in a pot stays wetter than open ground. A matching tray is useful on a windowsill. It is not proof that water can leave. B2C’s 30 cm graphite pot at about £11.87 ships a saucer and states Has Drainage: No. Straame’s 50 L barrel at about £13.99 is sealed until you drill. A planting pot holds compost in the vessel that has the hole. A cache pot is a shell: you leave the nursery pot inside and empty the surplus. If you will plant into the pot, the hole has to exist before you pay, or you accept drilling and the split risk UK reviews already describe. That problem sits on plant pot with no drainage holes.
Four jobs in this folder
This set splits into four jobs. An indoor set with holes and trays is the windowsill pack. CSYY is about £10.99 for six sizes titled 19 cm down to 11.5 cm. A 15 cm pot will not take a peace lily that already fills a 20 cm nursery pot.
A holed 30 cm plastic pot is the patio job. SG Traders is a pair at about £19.99 with four holes and no saucer in the spec. Straame is the sealed 50 L barrel. LE TAUCI is the ceramic pair, with a hole, a plug and no saucer in the included list. B2C is the cache pot. Best plant pots in this set names one listing per job. This page only tells you which job you are in.
Size and the words on the label
A UK buyer’s guide from Potty for Plant Pots treats 3–5 cm wider than the rootball as a rule of thumb, not a lab figure. Pot on one size, not three. A plant in a 12 cm nursery pot wants something near 15–17 cm, not 30 cm of wet compost around a small rootball. WSMKSZ is 25 cm across and 19 cm tall, so the headline diameter is not the depth. CSYY’s title sizes run 19 cm down to 11.5 cm; the spec also prints 3 × 10 × 6 cm, which does not match.
CSYY’s title says self-watering. UK texts split, and several describe holes and a tray, not a reservoir. Fyne-Finds writes frost-proof on plastic. That is a seller word. PROFIKLA’s piece count is six because the saucers are counted; you still receive three pots.
What to check before you pay
Open the listing at the drainage field, then the diameter, then the pack. If Has Drainage is No, or the bullets say drill your own holes, you are buying a cache pot or a drilling job. That is not automatically a reject under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22, when the listing already says so. Section 22 gives you 30 days, starting the day after delivery, to reject goods that are faulty, misdescribed or unfit. A disclosed sealed base is not a hidden defect. A cracked arrival is the sort of gap that right is for.
Shelf prices here run about £10.50–£14, then about £15–£20, then about £26–£29. That is not a market census. Check the base for holes before you add compost.
Common questions
Do I need a hole if there is a saucer?
Yes, if you will plant into that pot. The RHS treats a base hole as essential in a planting pot. A saucer only catches what leaves. B2C ships a saucer and no holes; that listing is a cache pot unless you drill. A tray without a hole outdoors will fill in the rain.
What diameter should I buy for a houseplant?
A UK guide rule of thumb is a pot 3–5 cm wider than the current rootball, not a leap of two sizes. A plant in a 12 cm nursery pot sits more comfortably in a 15–17 cm pot than in a 30 cm patio planter. Measure the nursery pot you already have, then read the centimetre line on the listing.
Is a 15 cm six-pack enough for a peace lily?
Only if the lily still fits a pot near 12–15 cm. SQOKHT and Muzattwi are 15 cm packs. A plant that already fills a 20 cm nursery pot needs PROFIKLA’s 20 cm pot, CSYY’s 19 cm pot, or a larger outdoor size. Do not jump from 12 cm to 30 cm in one go.
Plastic or ceramic in this set?
Most of this folder is plastic. LE TAUCI is the ceramic pair, about £28.99, with a hole and a plug and no saucer in the included list. Plastic holds moisture longer and is lighter on a balcony. Ceramic looks heavier on a shelf; UK texts also describe water soaking through onto wood on this ASIN. There is no frost-proof ceramic in the twelve listings.
What if the listing says drill your own holes?
Then you are buying a sealed pot. Straame and B2C disclose that. You can keep the nursery pot inside and empty the shell, or you can drill and accept that some UK reviews describe a split base. Drilling may count as use if you later want to reject the goods.
Does self-watering mean a reservoir?
Not on CSYY. The title and special features use that phrase. UK texts split, and several describe holes and a tray rather than a reservoir with a level window. If you need a specified well, look at a product that names the reservoir and the indicator, which this comparison does not include.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources used for this comparison. Shelf prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures captured for these twelve listings. Last checked 19 October 2026.
- RHS: Growing plants in containers (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- RHS: How to plant up a container (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- RHS: How to water containers (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- RHS: Roof gardens and balconies (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- RHS: Peat-free tips for gardeners (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- BBC Gardening: Plant up a container (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 19 October 2026)