Large planters and compost

[Symposium]

I'm quite a novice gardener. I'm getting 2 large wooden planters for my front garden. I've already bought a load of compost. Probably should have asked advice beforehand but hopefully the type I chose is ok, it's a general peat free . Each container will hold around 180 litres. I'm thinking of adding some perlite to it to aid drainage. Is that a good idea?

Perlite mixed through will help drainage, yes.

Whether it's the right compost depends what you're planning to plant. General peat free will be fine for the majority of bedding plants, but if you're going for heathers, azelas, lemon trees or other acid-loving plants you'll need ericaceous compost.

It'll be fine for most plants. Very few plants need ericaceous compost. Drill extra holes in the planters and cover the holes with crocks which will allow water to drain but stop the compost leaking or blocking the holes.
If you can get hold of some twigs or woodchippings to go in the bottom of the planter it'll need less compost (it's expensive!) and will eventually break down to provide more nutrients.

Thank you both. I'm not planning to plant anything fancy in them so hopefully the compost will be ok. If I use perlite any idea how much I should use? Would a 10 litre bag mixed through be enough? So 10 litres perlite 170 litres compost?