So I bought some new plants recently and a few more have since arrived since then. They came in small pots and are meant to be re-potted as soon as possible. However it still took me days to do so, not because of lack of time but rather I was mulling over which pots to use.
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| Aloe suprafoliata |
Also, with it being late summer already I was considering whether it would be worth it to put them in nice pots now for display. Or just pot them on into any pot on hand and let them grow more and keep them as pristine as possible during the winter. Then come early next year pot them on into nicer containers for display in the garden.
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| We do have stacks of them (even broken ones are handy)... |
I wasn't doing the new plants a favour by hesitating, the sooner they get repotted the better while the weather is still warm so they grow more and settle in nicely. The right and nice looking pots that I had in mind was not on hand and the risk of wasting time looking around during our days off was very high. It's the wrong time to look for nice pots anyway as options are low especially with retail industry very eager to move on to the next season looming ahead.
So with reluctance I repotted them all and decided to go with terracotta....
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| Almost all terracotta, some plastic got used too. But it's for growing on so doesn't really matter |
So what's wrong with terracotta pots? Not much really, in fact it has so many merits.
Unglazed terracotta pot is the LBD of container gardening, it's difficult to get it wrong with it. It is a simple, timeless, and an elegant material for a pot. Terracotta pots are readily available and they age beautifully with moss, algae, limescale, and of course dirt adding character to the pot as time passes by. And they look classy and effortlessly expensive. Yes they do come in a wide spectrum of quality and price bracket but they are one of the cheapest pots you can buy in any garden (or DIY) shop around and yet always look a lot more expensive especially compared to plastic ones within the same price range. Terracotta pots versus plastic pots? The former almost always wins hands down in the aesthetics department.
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| Made in La Bella Italia! We often joke how these inexpensive terracotta pots are actually 'posh' because they are made in Italy (tongue in cheek). |
So with all the merits I just mentioned why me going terracotta was with reluctance?
Because I'm bored with them that's all. Terracotta is fab but it's also too safe.
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| To abandon plain terracotta pots would be a very impractical thing to do... |
But boy it isn't easy to find these' colourful and interesting' pots that's for sure, especially personal tastes are a great influence. Actually I do have some already and this post will be tied in to another one I'll post a few days from now.
So for now terracotta pots will do, with the promise that next year I may give them more interesting homes to be in....
Or new clothing perhaps? Sometimes LBD just won't do.
Mark :-)
This gardening blog follows our journey as we create our Tropical and Exotic themed garden. We hope you'll enjoy the journey as much as we do. We started our Exotic Garden in 2005 and this site will show its development, as well as our travels, both abroad and within the UK to gardens, nurseries and friends.
I've gone through the pot dilemma many times. The latest rather funky design has tempted me and I have succumbed only to realise a few years later that they are not very nice. Terracotta for me or black plastic but nothing else. Anyone using those horrid "plastic terracotta" lookalike things should be imprisoned :-) Send me a visiting order Mark and I will be there :-)
ReplyDeleteLol, anytime Don :) Those trendy, funky ones tend to go out of fashion quickly too, and later on when your tastes change they can quickly fall out of favour. I'm thinking more along the lines of glazed terracotta pots in bright colours similar to the ones we have already but in smaller sizes. Annoyingly that range seems to have been discontinued.
DeleteI love LBD, hehehe. I like terracotta but also think it ends being boring, especially for urban or modern gardens. I think they are great in the countryside. I don´t spend money in beautiful glazed pots because as I don´t live where my garden is I´m afraid they could be stolen.
ReplyDeleteThere is another thing I like about terracotta...all the protagonism goes to the plant...and those aloe are sexy...but what also caught my eye are those aeonium with green-purple leaves in the corner of the picture :)
LBD is very nice Lisa :) And so true, with plain terracotta pots the attention almost always goes straight into the plant and the pot just becomes a supporting role. Perhaps in the future when you decide to settle down in your garden in Spain you can get more glazed pots? But have to say your stint at Peru sounds absolutely wonderful!!
DeleteWhen I settle down I will :) either in Spain or Peru or both.
DeleteI like terracotta specifically because it is nondescript (so you can focus on the plants), and because they're heavy (I like big plants that start to get topheavy by end of season).
ReplyDeleteIf you're worried about them drying out too quickly, line them with plastic sheeting. It helps with the water retention -- but I don't think you need to worry about that with most of the new plants you received. :)
So true Alan! I used to line our big terracotta pots with plastic before I put bamboos in them, worked a treat. But for succulent its porosity is actually for their benefit. Also as I tend to go for inexpensive terracotta pots it's not a great deal if I have to break them to release a plant that won't budge easily when the time comes to plant them out/repot into a bigger one :)
DeleteTerracotta is usually my last resort too. Still, yours look great with the rock mulch.
ReplyDeleteActually I'm pleased too with the end result Kris. When I finished it off with the mulch I remembered how nice it was too with plain terracotta pots. Still a few more coloured ones won't go amiss :)
DeleteI agree with Alan. Terracotta fades into the background so the focus is on the plants. I also like the calcium stains, the discolorations, etc. All part of the charm.
ReplyDeleteTrue Gerhard :) I like them better when they've aged a bit, with stains and all. Not a big fan of brand new looking, pristine ones but that can be remedied sometimes by being painted with yoghurt, and even smudged with soil.
DeleteTerra cotta is my fallback too, I love it, and I can always find other more edgy or stylish pots that go with it, although sometimes it is hard to make my mind up about those. I put mostly drought tolerant plants in them since they dry out so quickly.
ReplyDeleteHi Alison, I find that with edgy, stylish pots they tend to be something you acquire in passing through the years, finding and collecting them as you visit different places. But like some cosmic force when you go about setting yourself to find them at a specific time you're almost guaranteed you won't find them.
DeleteI've recently acquired lots of old terracotta pots and they are perfect for my Auriculas and Sscented Leaf Pelargoniums. They also blend beautifully with our Suffolk Red brick wall. But I do have a few very large bright shiny blue glazed planters which stand out and brighten up the garden. I think you have an excuse to visit some pottery studios and shops and treat yourselves to some special planters ready for next year.
ReplyDeleteThat would be a wonderful thing to do Celia, if only we had lots of spare time we'd definitely indulge in visiting lots of pottery studios for those unique and stylish pots! Just saw the photo of your newly potted succulents and they look great huddled like that with the auriculas. And they associate well too especially in terracotta pots :)
DeleteHello Mark and Gaz,
ReplyDeleteWell, we think that your little treasures look exceedingly stylish and at home in their terracotta pots. It wins over plastic every single time for us. How well we remember being sold plants, freshly dug from the ground, and then wrapped in newspaper to carry home. At the time we remember thinking how this seemed the epitome of gardening style with not a plastic pot in sight!
Just a thought.....in our gardening days we often painted our terracotta pots with masonry paint. Of special note were ones we painted black and filled them with grey leaved Hostas. When we felt particularly creative, with the judicious use of masking tape, we constructed two tone stripes on our pots!
Thank you Jane and Lance! I have been thinking about painting terracotta pots before and such thoughts never really left my mind. I ought to give it a try really. There are so many suggestions out there with what paint to use but I suppose masonry paint should do the job nicely and likely to stand the test of time and weather.
DeleteBlack paint, masking tape, contrasting paint, sounds like a very enticing creative thing to do! You got me thinking now, hmmm....:)
Terra cotta was once my standard, and it certainly can't be beat for drainage!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely Loree! I don't even put crockery at the bottom anymore with terracotta pots :)
DeleteI like the simplicity of the collection of Terra cotta together and as other said because it complement the greens in the plants. I have been slowly working towards glazed except for a few cactus that need good drainage. I love all the beautiful colors glazed pots come in but limit my color scheme to 3 colors maroon, cream and indigo or cobalt. And then there are several galvanized containers. I am fortunate because they can stay out almost all year with just a few hard freezes during winter. The painting tip is cool!
ReplyDeleteNice choices with those three colours Laurin. Terracotta is still the most reliable pot for succulents and can't go wrong with it really :)
DeleteI like terra cotta pots too and the good news is that they go nicely with most of the cool glazed pot colors! Your new plants look fab in their LBD's!
ReplyDeleteIndeed Peter, they terracotta and glazed complement each other :) I'm pleased with the end results even if my intentions were just to grow them there temporarily.
DeleteClay is my default too, since my plant buying habit is expense enough. Also I like to plunge pots directly into the garden and wouldn't want to abuse anything other than old clay. We are getting a lot of cheap glazed pots from Vietnam lately though that don't break the bank. What I can't keep on hand is enough gravel for mulch -- such a nice effect it has.
ReplyDeleteGravel mulch does look great doesn't it Denise? Especially with succulents. Funny you mentioned about glazed pots from Vietnam as I've noticed in the past few years most of the pots and ornamental garden vases sold in Ikea here came from there. Have to say they are very nice though, and as you've said doesn't break the bank :)
DeleteAt Sissinghurst we only use terracotta pots and do have some lovely old ones. However, the really big ones in the Top Courtyard are much newer and look rather out of place. We're puzzled by their refusal to age gracefully as they still look as bright as the day they were bought and have no signs of any nice patina etc. Anyone got any thoughts on the ageing process of terracotta? Thanks, Helen
ReplyDeleteHi Helen, in such a grand and period property terracotta pots would be absolutely at home in it and would look great! We must visit Sissinghurst soon really...
DeleteTo age pots we sometimes paint them with live yoghurt and then leave them to it. It has varying success though. Sometimes we mix in garden soil too, or just smudge them on the pot after being painted with yoghurt :)
I love the look of succulents in terra cotta pots. It's timeless and attractive. But I understand your desire to do something different. I put my succulents that I display on the driveway in all different glazed blue pots. Different sizes, shapes and even different blues I like the look of that.
ReplyDeleteBlue glazed pots sounds good Deanne, especially displayed like you do with yours :)
DeleteI love the way terracotta allows the plants within to shine, and the way the pots themselves develop a wonderful patina as they age. But a few more dramatic pots, carefully chosen for their contents, or to provide landscaping interest, are fun too. Look at your front garden! Plain terracotta wouldn't have the style or impact. I actually saw some rather attractive dark grey plastic pots at a garden centre recently, if we ever get around to sorting out our patio I may go back, they are much less hassle to keep well watered, but usually look too naff.
ReplyDeleteThank you Janet, have to say I'm really pleased with the blue pots at the front of the house. For extra impact coloured pots does do the job. Plastic pots have their merits, can look naff yes but some are better looking than others. They are much better indeed in retaining moisture :)
DeleteYes they are the LBD of pots: great analogy. I have been able to get some character on a couple of mine (moss, lichen) by setting them in the few tiny places in my arid garden where there is moss & such growing. It appears on the pots after a while (here, it takes a long while).
ReplyDeleteYour new plants look great--and the plant's health is the important thing, isn't it?
Definitely Gail!
DeleteTerracotta pots looks even better isn't it once moss and lichen start growing on it :)
I have an embarrassing quantity on hand of terra-cotta in many sizes. Since I have an employee discount at a garden center I get them at very low prices and can never resist a few more. The glazes pots here in the US are primarily from China,Thailand or Vietnam , and I do think the Vietnamese have the edge when it comes to shape and color. I use mostly terra cotta for the succulents with glazed ceramic for focal point plants.
ReplyDeleteYou can never go wrong with terracotta pots Kathy, not a bad idea to stockpile on them if you have the chance to do, they'll come in handy later on :) Have to say I'm impressed with the pots coming from Vietnam, with some designs on the contemporary side. Have just recently seen a new batch coming from China and have to say they don't look too bad either.
DeleteThe plants look lovely in their temporary new homes. I love terracotta aesthetically, but as I'm always hauling the plants round to change the look of the various parts of the garden, plastic is easier. Seeing stacks of empty plant pots waiting to be filled always fills me with joy!
ReplyDeleteStacks of empty pots actually looks nice in their own right Ingrid :) big plus for plastic is their light weight
DeleteYour succulents look great in the terra cotta pots, and the terra cotta ties the collection together. Take your time finding more esthetically pleasing pots, but don't be surprised if in the end the classic look wins out. Whatever the final result, I am sure it will be wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI suspect the classic terracotta will win Debs but a few nice and accent pots won't go amiss :)
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