9 of the Best Watering Cans for Houseplant Care

When it comes to keeping your cherished houseplants hydrated, not just any old watering can will do!

There’s no reason to settle for some unattractive plastic model that needs to be hidden out of sight. On the contrary, there are many charming options that a discerning decorator would be happy to leave in plain view.

But we’re not going to content ourselves merely with appearances, are we? Embarking on an indoor gardening adventure means we need a watering can that will offer control over where we let the water flow.

A close up vertical image of a small watering can on a white surface with a houseplant in soft focus in the background. To the top and bottom of the frame is green and white printed text.

We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission.

Most models designed for outdoor use have a shower nozzle that just won’t cut it for use in the living room, not to mention, most of these are too large for tending to small specimens such as succulents.

So I’ve curated a selection of nine of the most visually appealing (and functional!) options that are safe to use indoors – and there’s one for every decorating style.

I’ll fill you in on all the features of these models so you can make an informed selection, and choose the one that inspires you. These also make excellent gifts for the indoor gardener in your life!

Ready for a sneak peek? Here’s the lineup:

Before you start perusing our selection, I invite you to think about what you need and want in a watering can.

Are your plants mostly small, mostly large, or does your collection include an assortment of sizes?

A close up horizontal image of an indoor gardener using a brass and ivory watering can to irrigate houseplants.

Are you comfortable hefting a large vessel – or would a smaller, lighter model be easier on your wrists?

Finally, if you’re hoping to let your watering can become a visually pleasing part of your home decor, what’s your decorating approach?

Would you describe your style as minimalist? Or do you cultivate an eclectic ambiance?

A close up horizontal image of a white watering can set on a wooden stool with a selection of healthy houseplants in the background.

Are you drawn to futuristic design? Can’t get enough shabby chic? Or perhaps vintage flair is what really tugs at your decorating heart strings?

Now that you’ve started thinking about your needs, let’s look at the options!

1. Alcott Hill Karissa Copper

With a hammered copper body, the bohemian flair of Alcott Hill’s Karissa watering can, available at Wayfair, will not go unnoticed!

Its dramatically curved copper handle feels comfortable in the hand, and it is embellished with decorative flourishes.

And its long, narrow, copper spout doesn’t just look fanciful, it is fully functional, allowing the gardener to easily reach the plant’s soil with great control, instead of splashing moisture on the foliage.

A close up square image of a copper watering can set on a wooden board on a wooden side table.

Karissa by Alcott Hill

Weighing two pounds when empty, this stylish model is seven and a half inches tall, with a capacity of 1.8 quarts.

This sturdy and well-constructed top-pick comes at a medium price point, and is made in India.

Features

  • Material: copper
  • Weight: 2 pounds
  • Dimensions: 12”L x 6.5”W x 7.5”H
  • Capacity: 1.8 quarts

Pros

  • Long spout offers good control
  • Sturdy construction

Cons

  • Narrow spout pours slowly

This option works best for gardeners with small to medium-sized houseplants, who would appreciate the boho stylings of this eye-catching piece.

Get pricing and read reviews at Wayfair.

2. Bangerz Sunz Gray Elephant Novelty Plastic

If cuteness is the deciding factor when you bring something new into your home, this Gray Elephant Novelty Watering Can, available on Amazon, might win you over.

This budget option is made out of silvery gray plastic that has a lovely sheen. Empty, it weighs only six and a half ounces, but it has a capacity of two quarts.

Bangerz Sunz Gray Elephant Novelty

Water pours from the elephant’s trunk into the plant pot, a feature that is sure to win over kids as well as the young at heart. However, the flow from this model is not as well-controlled as it is with our other selections.

This highly affordable watering can is eight inches tall, and is Made in the USA.

Features

  • Material: plastic
  • Weight: 6.5 ounces
  • Dimensions: 13”L x 4”W x 8”H
  • Capacity: 2 quarts

Pros

  • Very lightweight
  • Affordable
  • High capacity

Cons

  • Lower control from spout

If you can’t resist the cuteness and affordability of this option, keep in mind that it will be put to best use with larger houseplants that don’t require the irrigation provided by a precision aim.

Read customer reviews and see current prices now at Amazon.

3. Bee Skep Metal

What I consider one of the very best picks on this list, my favorite larger-sized indoor selection is the whimsical Bee Skep, available at Gardener’s Supply.

Offering the dual benefits of both form and function, it’s adorable, and it also gets the job done.

A close up square image of a yellow watering can in the shape of a beehive pictured on a soft focus background.

Bee Skep Steel Watering Can

Made from low-carbon steel and shaped like a beehive, this yellow model has a circular handle and weighs two pounds when empty.

Thanks to its long spout, the Bee Skep offers excellent control over where your stream of water goes.

At ten and a half inches tall, this model can be filled easily under the deepest kitchen sink faucets, but it will be more awkward to fill in shallower sinks.

It holds two and a half quarts of liquid, enough to serve as a convenient option for hydrating a sizeble houseplant collection.

Features

  • Material: low-carbon steel
  • Weight: 2 pounds
  • Dimensions: 15”L x 7-1/4”W x 10-1/2”H
  • Capacity: 2.5 quarts

Pros

  • Controlled flow
  • Sturdy design
  • Large capacity

Cons

  • May not fit easily under faucets in some sinks
  • When filled, may be heavy for some indoor gardeners

The Bee Skep offers a cheery design, a large capacity, and sturdy construction. It will be sure to please pro-pollinator gardeners, who will appreciate this nod to our friends, the bees.

Check prices and read reviews at Gardener’s Supply now.

4. Blomus Modern Stainless Steel

If minimalism is a style you aspire toward, consider the Blomus Mod Stainless Steel Watering Can, available at Terrain.

This no-frills model in brushed stainless steel has a simple shape – and its silver surface won’t show fingerprints or smudges, meaning it will always look clean and tidy.

Weighing in at 1.39 pounds, this model has a capacity of just over a quart and a half.

A close up square image of an elegant minimalist Blomus Modern Stainless Steel watering can set on a dark wooden surface.

Blomus Modern Stainless Steel Watering Can

Its narrow spout is seven and a half inches long and provides excellent control, while the fill opening is two and a half centimeters wide.

This designer option from Blomus is eight inches tall, and comes in at a higher price point.

Features

  • Material: stainless steel
  • Weight: 1.39 pounds
  • Dimensions: 11”L x 4.5”W x 8”H
  • Capacity: 1.59 quarts

Pros

  • Controlled flow
  • Lightweight

Cons

  • Handle is quite thin, possibly shortening the life of the product
  • Higher price point

This model from Blomus will be sure to appeal to those who appreciate both a compact option and a minimalist aesthetic.

Check it out at Terrain.

5. Flora Bunda Ivory Rainbow Ceramic

The watering can as art piece is certainly an intriguing idea, but what about a piece of art that happens to be a watering can?

If you find delight in this notion, you might fall in love with this model from Flora Bunda, available at Amazon.

The Ivory Rainbow model from Flora Bunda is an artisanally crafted ceramic affair that looks like a sculpture.

A smaller model, this lovely piece is ivory colored and decorated with rainbow designs, but not colors. It has an organic, eclectic look to it.

Shaped like a Y, it is essentially an upside-down cone with two “branches” emerging at the top. One “branch” is a fill spout, and the other is a pour spout. The neck of this objet d’art makes it easy to grasp.

Flora Bunda Ceramic Watering Can

This option from Flora Bunda weighs 1.34 pounds. At seven inches tall, it is a smaller model, with a capacity of three-quarters of a quart.

Its small size makes it easy to fill at the kitchen sink.

Features

  • Material: ceramic
  • Weight: 1.34 pounds
  • Dimensions: 6”L x 4.5”W x 7”H
  • Capacity: 0.75 quarts

Pros

  • Blends nicely with home decor
  • Easy to fill from a faucet

Cons

  • Breakable
  • Small capacity
  • Short spout affords less control

This option would be perfect for a houseplant parent with an eclectic decorating style, who would also be happy with a smaller watering vessel.

Check customer reviews and see current prices now at Amazon.

6. Garrett Wade Copper and Brass

If you love the vintage vibe of warm-hued metals, have a look at this Copper and Brass Indoor Watering Can from Garrett Wade.

With a clean, updated nod to vintage style, this model features a brass handle and brass spout on a copper body.

Its handle is circular, allowing more flexibility to reach out-of-the-way spots. And its long, narrow spout offers great control over your flow.

A close up square image of a brass and copper watering can set on a concrete surface with plants in the background.

Garrett Wade Copper and Brass Watering Can

This vision in warm, polished metal is six and a quarter inches tall, and holds one and a half quarts. It comes in at a slightly higher price point.

Though we have reached out to the company’s customer service department for further information regarding the weight and other specs for this product, we are still awaiting a reply at the time of this writing.

Features

  • Material: brass and copper
  • Dimensions: 6 1/4”H
  • Capacity: 1.5 quarts

Pros

  • Controlled flow
  • Circular handle offers flexibility

Cons

  • Small capacity

This copper and brass model will delight any vintage-loving gardener who has small houseplants, or prefers a compact option.

Read reviews and get pricing now at Garrett Wade.

7. H. B. Design Black Metal

If you’re looking for a small model that is as subtly attractive as it is useful, check out H. B. Design’s Black Metal Watering Can, available at Amazon.

Made from powder-coated stainless steel and featuring a wooden handle made from pine, this petite vessel is just the right size for watering a collection of small houseplants.

H. B. Design Company Black Metal Watering Can

With a matte black finish and a long spout, it weighs just under a pound when empty, and has a capacity of just over a quart.

About the size of a large coffee mug, this option is just over four inches tall, making it supremely easy to fill.

Its long spout offers excellent control, but with no spill guard on its fill hole, it works best when it’s only filled halfway.

Features

  • Material: stainless steel and pine
  • Weight: 15.8 ounces
  • Dimensions: 10.24”L x 5.51”W x 4.13”H
  • Capacity: 1.09 quarts

Pros

  • Easy to control
  • Great for small plants
  • Easy to fill from a sink faucet

Cons

  • Quite small
  • Should only be filled halfway due to top-spill risk

This model has an understated style that would easily blend with a variety of decorating styles. It works well for hydrating small houseplants, and is available at a lower price point than some of the other recommended options.

See it now on Amazon.

8. Ikea Vattenkrasse Ivory and Gold Galvanized Steel

This is a model that doesn’t hide its identity, but nonetheless has a rather posh vibe – the Vattenkrasse by Ikea, available at Amazon.

This model has a galvanized steel ivory body, a stainless steel ivory spout – and a gold-colored stainless steel handle that brings a bit of bling to top it all off.

Ikea’s Vattenkrasse Ivory and Gold Watering Can

Weighing slightly under twelve ounces when empty, Vattenkrasse has a capacity of just under a quart.

This model is just shy of four inches tall, making it easy to fill at a kitchen sink faucet.

Vattenkrasse’s long, narrow spout affords excellent control of the water flow, and it comes at a moderately low price point.

Features

  • Material: galvanized steel, stainless steel
  • Weight: 11.7 ounces
  • Dimensions: 1.97”L x 5.91”W x 3.94”H
  • Capacity: 0.94 quarts

Pros

  • Lightweight
  • Good control

Cons

  • Small capacity

This selection makes an excellent choice for someone who’d like a smaller model with a more traditional look – but with a touch of sparkle.

Read customer reviews and find pricing now at Amazon.

9. Umbra Quench Stainless Steel

If you like the idea of letting your watering can go incognito but prefer a more modern, futuristic vibe, you’ll want to check out Umbra’s Quench, available at Wayfair.

Made out of polished stainless steel, Quench looks like a piece of futuristic artwork – or perhaps some mysterious device straight out of a science fiction story!

A close up square image of a modern Umbra Quench Stainless Steel watering can set on a white surface with a succulent houseplant in the background.

Umbra’s Quench Metal Watering Can

Quench has a shiny metal surface that doesn’t become streaked or spotted with use, as well as a 360-degree handle and spout combo. It weighs just one pound.

Its circular handle design makes it easy to carry, and provides flexibility in reaching spots that are hard to get to.

A modern and quirky option, Quench is just over ten inches tall, has a capacity of just over a quart, and is available at a moderate price point.

Features

  • Material: stainless steel
  • Weight: 1 pound
  • Dimensions: 4.33”L x 5.91”W x 10.16”H
  • Capacity: 1.06 quarts

Pros

  • Lightweight
  • Easy to carry
  • Easy to pour when full

Cons

  • Small capacity

Quench has so many excellent features, it will become a fast favorite of any indoor gardener who digs its surprising and unique design.

Find it now at Wayfair.

No More Eyesore, It’s Part of Your Decor

There you have it, houseplant lovers – nine sensational watering cans that you can use to hydrate your plants without making a mess, and which will jazz up your home decor to boot.

A close up horizontal image of an indoor gardener using a metal watering can to irrigate a selection of houseplants.

Which of these is your favorite? Or do you – like me – see more than one of these options that would be well situated in your plant care routine, as well as in your home?

Perhaps one of these jumping out at you as the perfect gift for a fellow gardener? Let me know in the comments section below!

And if you can’t get enough indoor gardening, we’ve got more tips and inspiration for you right here:

Photo of author
Kristina Hicks-Hamblin lives on a dryland permaculture homestead in the high desert of Utah. She is a Certified Permaculture Designer, holds a Certificate in Native Plant Studies from the University of North Carolina Botanical Gardens, a Landscape for Life certificate through the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and the United States Botanic Garden, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in liberal studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Kristina strives towards creating gardens where there are as many birds and bees as there are edibles.
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

2 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Janet
Janet (@guest_21903)
1 year ago

The last photo in your list of water cans shows a stainless steel version that I do not see info…It is similar to the copper and brass. from Garrett Wade..but I do not find the stainless version when I go to the company website…I like this design but do not want the copper/brass which might tarnish over time. can you supply me info on the version pictured at the end of the article