A key component of sustainable garden planter design is adaptability: good design allows for the replacement, or reworking, of components to preserve the value and materials of an earlier design when a situation requires it. Even if that situation arises early in the life cycle of a design.
Nowhere is the need for the design adaptability aspect of sustainable garden planter design more apparent than when an error has been made on large complex projects. Simple miscalculation between initial measurements and “as-built” dimension means that components ordered months earlier in a project do not fit when finally installed.
You can see in the example of sustainable garden planter design adaptability below, exactly how DeepStream’s modular planter design allowed us to cut down the lengths of planks in the middle section of a multi-section planter to accommodate an unrecorded change in dimensions at very little cost in dollars, labor, or materials.
While the wood will take a week or so to fade to the match the color or the original wood, the same design feature allows for replacement of parts, or further adaptation, for the decades long life of the planter.
Ooops! Sustainable Garden Planter Design allows for low cost corrections
Was it an error on the plans or an installation variance? It won’t matter who was to blame when the adaptability of DeepStreams sustainable garden planter design makes it quick and easy to make even major changes. DeepStream is American craftsmen hand building custom planters that reduce your stress and allow for a successful project to come in on budget and on time.
Sustainable Garden Planter Design modular rectangular wood planters joined by a new infill section
As an experienced condo developer and GC, we designed our products to make it easy for you to specify our sustainable garden planter designs. Just call Sheila at (305) 857-0466 and enjoy a successful stress free out of your garden planter, screen wall, or custom fixtures. As the hands-on president of Deepstream, with thousands of product installations, Sheila and her team are a vast wealth of current industry knowledge and resources.
Sustainable Garden Planter Design: rugged waterproof liner inside wooden planter box contained by trademark aluminum legs
All of DeepStream’s sustainable garden planter designs use a rugged waterproof plastic liner inside of the planter box, resting on marine anodized aluminum frames and legs, to ensure that planters last for decades. There is no paint or powder coating to fail.
Unlike carpenter built planters DeepStream planters carry a Lifetime Structural Warranty and all parts are replaceable and available at factory cost under DeepStream’s unique “Core Replacement Program”.
This type of liner inside of a wooden planter box, sustainable garden planter design also prevents solar gain from overheating the planter root ball which affects any single wall planter or pot. This design also creates a space to run drip irrigation lines and directed drainage.
measuring solar gain on the exterior of a planter
To find out more about how the principal of Sustainable Garden Planter Design can work to make your project stress-free and successful go to www.DeepStreamDesign.com
Boston’s Green City Growers working with the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Park brought Fenway Farms container garden to Red Sox Nation and give back to the Community.
With the 2025 baseball season just around the corner it’s time to visit a container garden that was installed and launched for opening day of the 2015 season,. Fenway Farms’ 5,000 square foot roof deck over the Front Office provides fresh, organically grown vegetables and fruit to Red Sox fans dining at Fenway Park’s EMC Club restaurant.
Not just for show, a meaningful 5,900 pounds of fresh produce – everything from kale to broccoli to hot peppers – are harvested from the container garden each growing season at innovative Fenway Farms to give back to the community!
Fenway Stadium Container Garden
Green City Growers partnered with Recover Green Roofs, to bring farming to the roof of Fenway Park. Recover Green Roofs is the Somerville-based green roofing company that installed Fenway Farms. Recover Green Roofs was responsible for getting the soil on the roof, while Green City Growers is responsible for the farming operation. Donations to the community are handled by Lovin’ Spoonfuls.
Around the corner on the Strega Deck, more produce is grown in an upscale event space behind the private corporate suites. DeepStream Designs, founded to provide an alternative to the wasteful use of tropical hardwood lumber, was selected to provide the light-weight, cost saving multi-section aluminum planter frame system fitted with recycled HDPE lumber planks, recycled from milk bottles.
Because Recycled Plastic Lumber Planters are the perfect environmental choice saving maintenance costs as well as the environment their sales have overtaken those of natural tropical hardwood. Environmental Stewardship is at the heart of many green roof projects.
large recycled plastic lumber planters growing produce on Fenway Stadium Strega Deck
These attractive container garden planters have an internal plastic liner and hide drip irrigation lines, and their aluminum structural design ensures the planters will last for decades. The liner-within-the planter design also provides a thermal break so that the root systems never overheat from solar gain.
large rectangular planters growing produce on Fenway Stadium Strega decklarge rectangular planters growing produce on Fenway Stadium Strega deck
The Strega Deck opened in 2016. It is a Fenway Farms-inspired event venue that is rented out as part of ticket packages and for special events. The produce grown on the Strega Deck in container gardens is donated to the community by Green City Growers’ food rescue partner, Lovin’ Spoonfuls.
Fenway Park Garden in Deepstream rectangular recycled plastic lumber planters
DeepStream Designs is a Miami-based design and manufacturing company using American craftsmen to build these durable planters for container gardens, as well as recycling and trash bins, and a host of custom products, all of which feature a Lifetime Structural Warranty.
DeepStream’s modular planter design is a result of DeepStream’s commitment to Environmental Stewardship which uses the principles of Sustainable Design. This approach ensures the lowest total impact on the environment over time as well as the lowest total cost of ownership while making it easy to install, correct mistakes, and adapt to changing needs.
Growing vegetables in DeepStream planters at Fenway park Strega Deck
DeepStream has partnered with Trees for the Future to plant 50 trees for every planter sold and 100 trees for every bin. DeepStream has now planted more than 375,000 trees through this extremely efficient non-profit. For more information check out Trees.org.
Lightweight, cost-effective, long garden planters by DeepStream Designs are specified by Landscape Architects to integrate green roof and balcony landscaping into new construction and existing historic projects with strict weight load limits.
Using lightweight planters reduces the weight of structural components allowing for more plants and planting medium.
The engineered structural integrity of DeepStream’s 3-component commercial planter system is backed by a Lifetime Structural Warranty and will last for decades. The marine anodized finish on the proprietary aluminum legs keep them looking great. There is no paint or powder coating to fail.
800 feet of DeepStream Designs lightweight modular multi-section planter system, shown on a roof deck in midtown Manhattan, made with maintenance free recycled plastic lumber
More than a planter, DeepStream’s Commercial Planters are a complete 3-part engineered system. Proprietary anodized aluminum legs are engineered to contain the wooden planter box as it expands and contracts through endless wet and dry cycles. The legs support a hidden aluminum frame that allows for hidden drip integration systems and drainage while holding the waterproof liner with advanced drainage options.
Fiberglass planters are easily cracked and painted or powder coated Aluminum Planters finishes soon fail and are easy to dent.
Fiberglass planters are brittle, corners and middle section are the first to go. the top flange is what stiffens them and once they crack it leads to catastrophic failure. this is why even the best fiberglass planters only have a 3 year warranty.
800 feet of DeepStream Designs lightweight modular multi-section planter system, shown on a roof deck in midtown Manhattan, is made with maintenance free recycled plastic lumber
Marine anodized aluminum legs and aircraft aluminum frame backed by a Lifetime Structural Warranty assembles in just 15 minutes per section with all tool included.
DeepStream Commercial Multi-Section planters are perfect for urban roof decks where its expensive to maintain and replace planters standard planters.
A lightweight structural aluminum system for long planters allows for long straight runs of unlimited length while accommodating right-angle corners.
These garden planters with a structural aluminum frame have optional gates, trellises, privacy screen walls, parapet railings, large panels, or any combinations of features.
DeepStream Designs garden gate mounted on two recycled plastic lumber Mariner planters
Lightweight Mariner Commercial Planter Anchored Screen Walls adds natural colorful privacy to roof decks without requiring problematic roof membrane penetration.
Designed with modern architectural lines, these modular lightweight planters are available in standard 21”, 31” & 42” heights, with economical custom options available.
Engineered to last for decades, DeepStream’s lightweight garden planter systems use separate rugged waterproof plastic liners and filter packs that prevent drain blockage.
Lightweight wood planters need liners. Here you see 16 stock sizes of rugged waterproof, food safe, plastic planter liners with advanced drainage Custom welded planter liners are available in any size.
DeepStream Designs creates an advanced 3-layer drain pad out of drain board, filter fabric, and Biobarrier for you so all you have to do to maximize drainage is to place the pad over the DeepStream linner sidewall drain port and hold in place with the appropriate material to slow the flow of water to the drain.
The liner-within-a-planter design not only provides a crucial thermal break to prevent root ball stress, but they also facilitate hiding irrigation, modern advanced drainage, and lighting infrastructure.
The tapered design of DeepStream’s stock liners not only provides critical irrigation, they make it easy to replant, or trim root, as part of a spring conditioning that will allow plants to flourish for years.
DeepStream Design’s multi-section lightweight wooden planters reduce roof loading and do not require roof membrane penetrations
DeepStream Designs lightweight wood multi-section planter and plastic liner detail. Liners contain the soil, provide optimal drainage, hide drip irrigation, electrical, and directed drainage systems.
DeepStream’s lightweight multi-Section Modular Planters are an engineered planter system with proprietary marine anodized legs forming a wood planter box that hides an internal structural aluminum frame that supports a waterproof planter liner with advanced drainage and drip irrigation. Lifetime Structural Warranty.
DeepStream’s Commercial Wood Planters with a Lifetime Structural Warranty are lightweight self-contained engineered system comprised of a wood planter box, structural aluminum frame, and waterproof planter liner with advanced drainage.
Planters are quickly assembled on site, 10-15 minutes per section, even by inexperienced sub-contractors using just a screwdriver. Landscape contractors can pre-plant liners to speed installation while reducing labor, cartage, and clean-up.
DeepStream Designs lightweight multi-section garden planter aluminum frame detail. Proprietary T-Legs allow for cost saving planter runs of unlimited length
The speed and neatness of the DeepStream planter system is especially important for your customers in high rise urban condominiums where approval by condo boards must be obtained before projects can begin.
No cranes and street closing permits are necessary as the modular design and packaging allow these lightweight planters to be brought up elevators or even carried up stairs by day laborers.
DeepStream Designs lightweight wood multi-section planter and plastic liner detail
Each project has custom assembly instructions using keyed versions of your drawings and photos of your actual planters taken during test assembly at our manufacturing facility.
DeepStream Designs lightweight wood multi-section planter with plastic liner and Lifetime structural warranty
When placed up against walls non-visible planks can be left off the back to save both weight and expense.
DeepStream’s long food safe plastic Planters are perfect for urban roof decks where it’s expensive to maintain and replace planters standard planters. HDPE is UV resistant, requires no maintenance, and last for decades. The aluminum frame has a Lifetime Structural Warranty.
Your project is custom manufactured to your exact needs, erected, labeled, disassembled, bundled, and crated to allow for cost-effective delivery to even the hardest to reach construction sites.
With thousands of installations, and planters of every type, DeepStream is ready to be your planter expert. Call Sheila at (305) 857-0466 for more information and a 32 point checklist to ensure that your project is successfully completed ontime, on budget, and without stress.
Long garden planters for restaurants in dark grey recycled plastic lumber creates a no-maintenance barrier wall to control access around a chic modern restaurant seating area. They may be sanitized with a pressure cleaner as there is no paint or powder coating to fail. Lifetime Structural Warranty.
Recycled Plastic Lumber Planters: Helping the world’s Rainforests.
In 2009, DeepStream started offering low maintenance Recycled Plastic Lumber Planters (RPL) as an alternative to tropical hardwood planters.
DeepStream’s Large square Commercial Planters made with recycled plastic lumber are strong enough to hold trees thanks to their hidden structural aluminum frames and plastic planter liners.
Over the past 12 years more and more DeepStream customers have been choosing recycled plastic lumber planters over tropical hardwoods harvested from rainforests. By 2017, RPL was specified more often than natural wood thanks to the concern of our customers and their commitment to the environment.
High profile green roof projects such as Boston’s Fenway Park have chosen DeepStream’s planters as the perfect combination of sustainable design, recycled, and recyclable content providing both the lowest total impact on the environment and lowest cost of ownership over time and low maintenance.
Sales of DeepStream Designs’ Recycled Plastic Lumber products exceeded those of Tropical Hardwood by 2017
Recycled Plastic Lumber Planters reduce maintenance costs while enhancing your properties and brands through the timeless beauty and environmental statement that DeepStream Recycled Plastic Lumber Planters, trash and recycling bins make with your customers.
Recycled Plastic Lumber Planters and combination Commercial Trash and Recycling Receptacle
Like many successful companies, DeepStream was created in a response to a need. While building a condominium project and reviewing the “universe” of garden planters, we found that what we wanted was not available elsewhere.
Wood planters were all carpenter-built with wood-on-wood construction, and as I’ve detailed in my Planter Selection Blog and, like many other construction techniques and materials, they just don’t last and waste a precious resource and your money. They give your business a bad image of low quality and lack of care, it’s better not to use any at all.
Rickety planter with carpenter built techniques soon fall apart as the planter goes to wet and dry cycles
The valuable wood harvested from the world’s rapidly diminishing rainforests is wasted, as the planters tear themselves apart and are thrown away in a few years (typically 3-4 years here in Miami).
Wood Planters using carpenter built techniques soon fall apart
If your project absolutely must use tropical hardwood, then specify DeepStream’s Mariner Planter System as it is engineered with the principles of Sustainable Design to use, or even reuse, hardwood or recycled plastic lumber in a design that honors the wood, allowing construction that extends wood life by decades.
While not as environmentally friendly as recycled plastic lumber planters DeepStream Commercial Wood Planters will last for decades and create a bright natural sidewalk café while absorbing carbon, giving off oxygen, cooling the sidewalk, and creating business for the restaurant inside that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Harvesting tropical hardwood destroys important habitats around the world, even if “sustainably harvested,” as hardwood trees take 50 years or more to reach maturity. A recent article in the New York Times put the percentage of tropical hardwood illegally harvested but sold with counterfeit documents at 50% for Brazil and 90% from Peru.
According to the Yale School of Forestry, while estimates vary, it is thought that between 30 and 50% of all certified Tropical Hardwood shipped into the United states has been “Greenwashed,” meaning that shipments have been provided with falsified and counterfeit documentation. In some countries like Peru, it’s estimated that 90% are illegally logged, devastating their Amazon watershed.
Planters made with non-structural Recycled Plastic Lumber planks (RPL) inside DeepStream’s unique structural aluminum frame are a perfect choice for outdoor placement, while making a strong environmental statement.
Recycled Plastic Lumber 5 color samples of standard embossed woodgrain Recycled Plastic Lumber
Separate from the environmental concerns about using real tropical hardwoods, we highly recommend RPL Wood Planters, especially in locations such as shopping centers and parking lots, locations serving food and drinks which stain natural wood and make a mess, or anywhere sanitation and easy maintenance are a concern. Because DeepStream’s trademark planter legs are anodized, not painted or powder coated, RPL planters can be pressure cleaned.
All natural tropical hardwood planters will turn a light gray color and show stains and mold spots if not treated with a waterproofing and UV protector several times a year. This treatment will make all wood darker over time.
Given the time and expense necessary to keep natural hardwood looking good, and the damage done to the rain forests to harvest it, versus the “set and forget” ease of using recycled plastic lumber, you should give serious thought to which you will select for your project. RPL comes with a 50-year manufacturer’s limited warranty, and DeepStream’s aluminum frame makes up for the fact that is non-structural.
DeepStream makes it easy and cost effective to go Green and stop contributing to climate change. See the comparison between natural hardwood and recycled lumber on this informative page and decide for yourself. By selecting recycled plastic lumber for your order, you will be preserving the world’s rainforests, the cooling lungs of the earth, while creating a sustainable market for post-consumer and post-industrial plastic waste.
Recycled Plastic Lumber 5 color samples of premium woodgrain Recycled Plastic Lumber, so real you have to touch it to tell its not wood plus black and white smooth, planks. 50 year warranty, low maintenance and pressure cleanable for sanitation and to remove graffiti.
Please discuss saving this diminishing resources for future generations with clients that specify tropical hardwoods. Our recycled plastic lumber requires no maintenance and lasts for decades without fading, saving your clients money while looking better over time than wood ever will.
If you do order natural hardwood, unlike carpenter-built planters, with DeepStream’s trademark anodized aluminum extrusions you know that your purchase will last for decades and not waste this precious resource.
Like offsetting your carbon footprint by buying carbon credits, another way to reduce this impact is to replant far more trees than are used in crafting our products. We do so in our customers names through Trees for the Future.
Eliminate needless rainforest destruction by specifying DeepStream RPL planters and fixtures. The RPL DeepStream uses is backed by a 50-year limited warranty by its manufacturer.
Please call Sheila at DeepStream Designs 305 857-0466 to discuss your needs.
Trees for the Future Logo and Link
For every product DeepStream’s American craftsmen create for our clients using wood or recycled plastic lumber, we plant between 50 and 100 trees in your honor through Trees For The Future. By mid-2021 our program has planted more than 500,000 trees. Their Forest Garden program has many positive benefits for the earth and its people, in addition to planting trees.
DeepStream’s commercial wood Mariner planter system with a hidden aluminum frame, advanced drainage, and Lifetime Structural Warranty
Planters help reduce global warming by providing more environments for plants to absorb carbon and release oxygen while reducing both water usage and the solar gain that heats building walls, roofs, and surrounding pavement.
DeepStream’s Modern Audubon Slate Planter with Trellis act as a privacy screen on a Miami roof deck. Lifetime Structural Warranty.
Plants significantly reduce the energy needed to cool buildings. This is a virtuous cycle of environmental stewardship that reduces the fossil fuels used in electricity generation used to provide artificial cooling to the same buildings.
According to the American Institute of Architects (AIA), buildings are the leading source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. According to estimates in the AIA’s Architects and Climate Change report, buildings represent 48 percent of carbon dioxide emissions, with transportation and industry representing 27 percent and 25 percent respectively.
Rooftop planters shade a building in Miami preventing it from adding to the urban heat island. Roof gardens clan the air, reduce carbon and energy usage, all are essential ingredients of environmental stewardship.
Estimates in the AIA’s Architects and Climate Change report, are that buildings represent 48 percent of carbon dioxide emissions, with transportation and industry representing 27 percent and 25 percent respectively.
Environmental Stewardship can be as low tech as railing mounted planter box on parking garage walls
While science deniers argue global change is normal state and that there is no proof of human impact on climate change, that it is just a normal process humans have no impact on, an overwhelming number of scientists and even industrial leaders and nations disagree.
Climate change may have normal cycles, but there is nothing historically normal about the human population explosion and the impact that their energy consumption and pollution has on the earth’s bio systems.Many people believe that the individual CAN make a difference.However, working in conjunction with Architects we could do a lot more.
DeepStream Wood Garden Planter with Trellis as a privacy screen
Not only do high concentrations of people in mega-buildings concentrate greenhouse gas, but building these high-density buildings also increases the surface area on, if not of, the earth that can absorb heat.
It is not just office towers; residential condo towers are creating increasingly dense urban and coastal areas that contribute to the formation of “heat islands” and global warming by adding heat-retaining surface area. Any city resident knows that it is often 10 degrees warmer in the city than the suburbs or rural areas around them.
Green Wall Planters provide oxygen, sequester carbon, and cool cities. Tournesol green wall available through DeepStream.
The Green Roof movement is great, but the ratio of wall to roof area is much greater on high-rise buildings. If Architects designed balconies with drainage and water spigots built into their clients’ high-rise buildings, it would allow residents and offices to help offset their impact to a far greater degree both in terms of cooling and exchanging oxygen for carbon and absorbing other pollutants.
Green Wall Garden Planter cools the building while cleaning the air and giving off oxygen
Successful landscaping and gardening on balconies and rooftops, especially of condo towers, has many challenges that residents with terrestrial gardens in homes don’t share, especially if the building Architect is not on the same page.
DeepStream Designs has created a planter system specifically to address all these issues today and make them easy to incorporate even with out architectural help:
Planters that generate contribution to Trees for the Future to grow more trees and build food independence around the world at a grass roots level
Balcony and rooftop gardening, on any scale, is not only fun and beautiful but it really does help offset the greenhouse gas emissions and helps in cooling these heat island and saves on your electric bills. Environmental stewardship is a worthy endeavor within the grasp of individuals using low tech, renewable resources.
A large installation of Custom Welded Waterproof Planter Liners on a roof top are compartmentalized to isolate drainage problems. Drip irrigation lines are inserted through the top of liner walls below soil level.
Waterproof liners with advanced drainage and automatic drip irrigation make commercial roof top “farm-to-table” gardens possible.
When planters, fixtures and site amenities are constructed with recycled plastic lumber it helps the environment in 2 major ways:
They create a sustainable market for recycled plastic.
The replace the use of rot resistant tropical hardwood helping to eliminate the destruction of the World’s Tropical Rainforests, preserving many reliant species, and the ability to act as the lungs of the earth, cooling the world and providing clean oxygenated air.
Large recycled plastic planters at Fenway Park create a farm-to- table environment where you can watch your salad grow
Taking farm-to-table to its ultimate expression DeepStream recycled plastic lumber planters with advanced drainage and drip irrigation at Fenway Park Strega Deck
DeepStream’s ergonomic, weatherproof, maintenance free, recycled plastic lumber Perfect Bench. Anodized aluminum and 316-stainless steel, no rust and no paint or powder coating to fail. Lifetime Structural Warranty.
If you have any questions, or there is anything DeepStream’s dedicated American craftspeople can design and build for you using Recycled Plastic Lumber, check out the DeepStream Website or contact us to discuss your project.
Modern no-maintenance Recycled Plastic Lumber Commercial Combination Trash and Recycling Receptacle with a Lifetime Structural Warranty. No paint or powder coating to fail. RPL will not absorb stains and may be pressure cleaned to remove graffiti and for sanitation..Recycled Plastic Lumber 5 color samples of premium wood grain Recycled Plastic Lumber, so real you have to touch it to tell its not wood plus black and white smooth, planks. 50 year warranty, low maintenance and pressure cleanable for sanitation and to remove graffiti.
The latest generation of wood grained Recycled Plastic Lumber, with variegated color, is so realistic you have to touch it to tell it’s not real. Because it requires no maintenance, won’t absorb stains, is UV resistant with a 50 year warranty from its manufacturer, and can be pressure cleaned for sanitation and to remove graffiti, it’s the perfect replacement for tropical hardwoods in almost all uses.
Recycled Plastic Lumber 5 color samples of standard embossed woodgrain Recycled Plastic Lumber
There is never a fee for design or quotes. Sheila Boyce has designed thousands of installations, so she is a great free and friendly resource at your disposal. Call her at: 305 857-0466 or email dsdmiami@gmail.com.
