Create Urban Retreats
The addition of planter boxes enhance any streetscape or public space by adding colour, texture and landscaping elements. Plants, flowers and trees provide a welcome contrast in our urban jungles. As a result, they soften the surroundings, creating inviting pockets that encourage people to stop, unwind and enjoy being outdoors.
With this in mind, Draffin has developed a range of planters with integrated benches. The Hamilton series are portable planter boxes that can be used to create permanent or pop up garden retreats. Filled with climate friendly plants, they can transform rooftop areas, courtyards, or dead space in between buildings. When used strategically, they can divide zones, define pathways, act as a physical access barrier and direct pedestrian traffic.
Second Generation Hamilton Planter Series
Second generation Hamilton planters come in rectangle and square styles and are available in two different heights. Materials include rustic weathering steel, powder coated and galvanised mild steel in a range of contemporary colours, or stainless steel. Mix various heights and materials to create urban gardens that are visually interesting and add architectural value.
The popularity of Hamilton Planters have spurred our engineers to re-design the original planter, with the intention to realise all standard rectangle and square planter sizes available.
The standard width and depth sizes are:
- 400mm
- 500mm
- 1000mm
- 2000mm (width only)
Available in the following planter heights:
- 500mm
- 750mm
- 1000mm
All New Mounting Bracket
All New Mounting BracketRevisiting the design allowed our engineers to improve the surface mounting system. A new ground bracket was employed that is positioned and bolted in place. The planter is then placed on the bolt-down bracket and then easily bolted together through the side of the footing assembly.
The bolt down bracket also has an end plate that conceals the ground anchors and provides a sleek finished look to the footing. Whether freestanding or bolt-down mounted, Hamilton Series Planters are reliable and easy to use.
The Benefits of Self-Wicking Planter Boxes
Self-wicking planter boxes like the Hamilton are gaining popularity as a water-wise garden bed alternative. What is a self-wicking planter box? Essentially it’s a ‘self-watering’ garden. The soil or “growing medium” wicks up water from an underground water reservoir by capillary action. The plants draw water up from the lower soil in the planter, going directly to the roots. The thirstier the plant is, the closer the roots will get to the wicking water.
There are a number of environmental and horticultural benefits from using wicking planter boxes. Firstly, they are great for thirsty plants – like flowering plants in areas known for low rainfall, or areas with water restrictions. Other watering methods, such as sprinkler systems are often prone to water wastage through evaporation or over-watering. However, wicking-beds minimise water wastage by delivering water right where it is needed. Finally, it is said that water wicking produces less atmospheric carbon than traditional garden beds – another win for the planet.
Watering Management
The planter boxes come with a standard overflow drain, to prevent over-watering in the enclosed planter. And Hamilton Planter Boxes are also fitted with WaterUps self-wicking systems as standard.
Standard WaterUps Configuration
The WaterUps Self-Wicking system is a cost effective, no fuss self-watering solution that come as standard with all Hamilton Planters. There are a number of different ways to create wicking garden beds, but from our experience, the WaterUps system is easiest to set up. Especially when they are already pre-installed. Simply fill the planter with your growing medium, plant the tree or shrub and top with mulch to further reduce water waste through evaporation. The fill tube makes it even easier to fill the reservoir, and excess water will drain from the overflow pipe. The WaterUps design ensures water continues to wick into the soil even when water levels get lower.
Alternative Wicking Solution
You can set up this wicking watering system yourself by first adding a layer of aggregate at the base, filling it just above the overflow. A geo-textile is spread across the aggregate to stop the soil from mixing with the aggregate, and the the growing medium is then placed over that. Adding mulch again will reduce evaporation. This method requires closer monitoring of water levels to ensure water continues to wick into the soil.
No wicking system
This is the traditional way of planting in planters, and while proven in most cases to work, is also proven to be inefficient in water usage. The overflow pipe is still in use if needed, but can be plugged if required. Beware of over watering the planter if plugging the planter overflow. Roots can be drowned, ultimately killing the plant. Even closer monitoring of water levels is required if using this method.
Hamilton Planter Benches
Draffin Street Furniture offer a flexible array of bench seating arrangements for the Hamilton Planter Series. Cantilevered benches can be added to planter boxes with mitred or straight ends depending on your application. Alternatively a bench top can be added over the planter box, providing a flush and uniform appearance for integration with standard planters.
The battens for the bench seat come in your choice of beautiful spotted gum, composite timber, anodised or powdercoated aluminium, and timber-look aluminium. All batten types can be seen in greater detail within our handy batten guide.
Hamilton Planter Bar
A Planter Bar is a concept new to street furniture design. Bar height furniture provides a higher seating/resting position to the user, in order to take in a view from a lookout or vantage point. Draffin Street Furniture combines bar height tables with Hamilton Planters. The table is 1 metre high, and can be installed on any or all sides of any sized planter, with either straight and/or mitred corners. Hamilton Planter Bars have the flexibility to be manufactured to suit your application.
Hamilton Round Planters
Hamilton Round Planters come in two diameters and two heights for a total of four standard sizes, and can be made in three materials depending on your application. Hamilton Round Planters still come equipped with 2nd generation mounting systems and WaterUps wicking cells as standard. These compact planters look great anywhere, indoors or outdoors.Hamilton Tapered Planters
The latest development for Hamilton Planters, tapered planters provide another shape to the line, complete with all cantilever bench and table options found on square and rectangle variants. Sizes available from smaller 500mm cubed units through to larger planters with 1900mm sides and 3 heights available at 500mm, 750mm and 1000mm. Applying cantilever benches to any of the three heights determines whether the planter has a bench seat, standard table height or bar height table.
The Hamilton Planter Series is an evolving design. With so many options available, Hamilton Planters inspire new ways they can be used, and the greatest ideas are then offered as standard products. Stay tuned for more standard options as the Hamilton Planter Series grows.
Or if you have any questions about customising the Hamilton planter boxes contact our sales team.