DIY · Outdoor

How I Fake Filled a Giant Pot for Free (And Nobody Can Tell)

By Jill | Desert Chic · June 29, 2026 · 3 min read

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I have a thing for oversized terracotta pots. The problem? Filling them properly costs a fortune in soil, rocks, or floral foam and if you’re using a faux plant, you don’t need any of that. After staring at this giant empty pot for longer than I’d like to admit, I figured out a way to fake fill it using nothing but a cardboard box, some yard gravel, and a little glue. Total cost: $0. Well, except for the faux agave which I found on Amazon and is so realistic it’s already fooling people.

Here’s exactly how I did it.

What You’ll Need

A large pot
A cardboard box (tall enough to reach near the top of your pot)
Extra cardboard for the circle insert
A box cutter or scissors
Glue or any strong adhesive
Gravel, pebbles, or decorative rock from your yard
A faux plant — mine is linked on my Amazon storefront

Step 1: Find Your Box

Find a cardboard box that fits inside your pot and sits close to the top when placed inside. It doesn’t need to be perfect it just needs to be tall enough to act as your filler base. Cut a hole in the top of the box slightly smaller than your plant’s stem. This is where the plant will eventually sit through.

Cardboard box with a hole cut in the top, placed inside a large terracotta pot, viewed from above — The box inside the empty pot, ready for its hole.

Step 2: Cut Your Circle Insert

Cut a circle of cardboard that fits just inside the opening of your pot, sitting on top of the box. Cut a small hole in the center for the plant stem, then cut a straight line from the edge to the center hole. This line lets you bend and flex the circle to fit down into the pot without fighting it.

Round cardboard insert with a center hole and a straight cut line to the edge, resting on a marble countertop — The circle insert, cut and ready for glue.

Step 3: Glue and Add Your Filler

Apply glue across the top of your circle insert in a swirling pattern, you want good coverage so your filler stays put. Then pour your gravel, pebbles, or decorative rock on top while the glue is still wet. Let it dry completely before moving on.

Cardboard circle insert covered in swirled white glue before gravel is added — Glue applied in a swirl pattern across the insert.

Step 4: Set It All Up

Once dry, drop your box into the pot. Set your circle insert (gravel side up) on top of the box. Then slide your faux plant stem through the center hole.

That’s it. You’re done.

Hands placing the gravel-covered cardboard circle on top of the box inside the terracotta pot — Setting the gravel-topped circle into the pot.

Faux agave plant stem being inserted through the center hole into the pot — The faux agave, finding its new home.

The Result

It looks like a fully planted, properly filled pot. The gravel on top reads as natural. The faux agave is so realistic I’ve already had people ask me if I water it.

I won’t tell if you won’t.

Finished faux agave plant in a large decorative terracotta pot on a tiled patio — The finished look — nobody has to know.

Shop This Look

Faux Agave → linked on my Amazon storefront