“What sets Cor-ten apart from regular steel—and one of its biggest benefits in the garden—is that it becomes harder and stronger when exposed to weather over time,” writes Meredith.
“Cor-ten is the trade name of a material manufactured by US Steel. But, like Kleenex, the copyrighted name is now commonly invoked to refer to a whole category of products. In Cor-ten’s case, that’s any steel that develops a protective layer of rust when exposed to weather,” she says.
Frost- and crack-resistant, this metal will develop an attractive surface patina but will never rust through. We’ve rounded up 10 stylish hardscape and garden elements—from planters on wheels to metal frames for raised garden beds.
Above: A Nice Corten Square Planter has drainage holes, comes in two sizes and can be customized, with or without casters. Prices range from $199.99 to $349.99, depending on the model at Nice Planter. Above: A 13-inch-deep Corten Steel Raised Garden measures four feet square; $229.99 from Veradek. Above: A portable 16-inch Corten Steel Planter Box on wheels comes with a set of four casters; $480.99 at All Modern. Above: A 40-by-40-inch square Nice Corten Steel Planter Bed is 14 inches deep. “Corten Steel planter beds do not ship pre-weathered and will arrive with the bare steel finish which will have to weather over time to develop a golden brown rust color and texture,” says designer Dimitri Shein of Nice Planter; $289.99. Above: A rust-colored Corten Steel Long Box Planter comes in three sizes; starting at $119.99 at Veradek. Above: A Corten Steel Planter Box designed for extra deep roots has drainage holes and comes in two sizes (16 and 20 inches); $179.99 to $217.99, depending on size, at All Modern. Above: A 20-inch diameter Cor-ten Steel Cylinder Planter measuring 18 inches high has casters mechanically fastened to a recessed bottom, creating a 1/2 inch- to 3/4-inch reveal between the deck and the bottom edge of the container; $805 at Yard Art. Above: Corten Steel Fully Welded Cubes are available in a range of sizes and shapes. For more information and pricing, see Bespoke Planters. Above: A Metal Planter Trough by Plantercraft is available in six lengths, from 40 to 72 inches; $449.95 to $1,399.95 at Amazon. Above: A True Square Planter Box is available in a Cor-ten steel finish in two sizes (16 and 20 inches) is currently out of stock at Planterworkx. For more information, see Planterworkx. See more of our favorite uses for Cor-ten steel in 10 Genius Garden Hacks with Rusted Metal and Landscaping Ideas: 8 Surprising Ways to Use Cor-ten Steel in a Garden. If you’re planning a hardscape project for spring, see:
When you register as a free Member of the Remodelista family of websites (Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home), you gain access to all current posts plus 10 archived posts per month, our internal bookmarking tool, and the community bulletin board.
Access 10 archived posts (older than one year) per month on each site
Use of our internal bookmark tool, so you can save products, posts, and other pages for quick reference
Access to our community bulletin board so you can ask and answer design-related questions
Unlimited access to the Product Catalogs, Design Travel sources, and Architect & Designer Directory listings
Choose from our ten newsletters to keep up with the latest on the sites
Or Subscribe for Maximum Value!
For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.
Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
×
Subscribe to the Remodelista family of websites
For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.
Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
×
Sorry! As a registered member you get 10 free posts from our archive (posts more than a year old) every 30 days. You have reached your limit for this 30-day period. If you would like to access unlimited posts from the archive (ad free, too), become a subscriber today, and keep reading as many articles as you want.
Full Access Individual Subscription
Benefits include:
Unlimited access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home sites
Ad-free browsing environment
Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
Receive the full-text daily newsletters
All features that Members have access to
Annual subscribers pay just 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
Sorry! You have reached your limit of three (3) free posts from our archive every 30 days. You can increase this to 10 posts by joining as a free Member, or read unlimited posts with no ads by becoming a paid Subscriber.
Subscribe to the Remodelista family of websites
For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.
Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
Become a Member at no charge
When you register as a free Member of the Remodelista family of websites (Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home), you gain access to all current posts plus 10 archived posts per month, our internal bookmarking tool, and the community bulletin board.
Congratulations on becoming a Subscriber to Remodelista, Gardenista and The Organized Home! You now have access to many great features across the sites:
Unlimited access to all three sites
Ad-free browsing environment
Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
Receive any of the newsletters, including the the full-text daily Remodelista and Gardenista newsletters
Use of our internal bookmark tool, so you can save products, posts, and other pages for quick reference
Access to our community bulletin board so you can ask and answer design-related questions
Congratulations on joining as a free Member of Remodelista, Gardenista and The Organized Home! You now have access to many great features across the sites:
Access to all posts published in the past year
Access 10 archived posts (older than one year) per month on each site
Use of our internal bookmark tool, so you can save products, posts, and other pages for quick reference
Access to our community bulletin board so you can ask and answer design-related questions
Unlimited access to the Product Catalogs, Design Travel sources, and Architect & Designer Directory listings
Choose from our ten newsletters to keep up with the latest on the sites
If at any time you want to become a Subscriber and enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to all our content, just go to the My Account link and choose Subscribe.
Advertising funds our work at Gardenista and helps us provide you with a daily dose of garden inspiration & design. We hope you’ll consider disabling your adblocker for Gardenista so we can continue our mission: a well-designed garden for all.
Have a Question or Comment About This Post?
Join the conversation (0)