The Benefits of Terracotta Pots

Without saying silly statements, plants are generally grown in the ground. Pots give you the option to bring planting on to hard-standing where you may not want earth directly outside your home or a separate outdoor building.

When people install a patio, they often want to leave blank areas in the paving for planting trees. A common issue of this is there isn't enough soil or sufficient drainage for the longevity of their planting. If this planting then fails, it can look unsightly to replace. I have seen this many times.

Due to terracotta being a porous material, it allows water to escape through the walls of the pot rather than relying on drainage holes in the base. This added benefit over glazed, plastic or other composite materials means that your plants will not become waterlogged so easily... if at all.

On the flip side, in dry weather, you should discover that the roots of an established plant actually attach to the walls of a quality terracotta pot. This results in less shrinkage in the rootball compared to plastic or glazed pots... the benefit being that when you water, you won't see as much wastage run down the sides of the rootball.

Pots are a great way to highlight your planting. They raise plants thus create eye-catching planting, the right pot can compliment the form of your chosen plant and lets not forget that pots introduce height - an important third dimension required in any garden.

Plus, a beautiful pot is a feature in it's own right!

The benefit of incorporating pots (particularly urns) around your garden is that when perennials die back and deciduous shrubs loose their leaves, you still have something to bring year-round interest.

This is particularly helpful in the Winter months, a time when many gardens can loose their sparkle. 

Though even in the peak Summer months, utilising a large pot within a deep bed can add interest.

Private renters spend around 4 years in a property before moving on. Home owners can expect to quadruple this, on average.

When it comes to moving, relocating your pots is a far easier and cleaner task than digging up the garden to salvage and transplant your beloved favourites.

This is something I have often seen with regards to trees gifted as wedding presents or planted for memorials.

Without going to the task of improving the ground in your garden, the soil, be it a healthy loam or a thick clay, is generally what you have to grow with. Plants that require good drainage may struggle in a thick clay, but simply planted in pots with a bagged or homemade medium may thrive.

On the same note, some plants require different soil types. Heathers, blueberries and acers are examples that require ericaceous compost.

But don't let me complicate things, I won't get any more technical than that!

Briefly mentioned above, but I think really worth highlighting; A beautiful pot really is a beautiful pot. Similar to how we use statues, armillary spheres and bird baths to decorate our garden - large planters & urns make great features for your garden.

Use large planters beside a gateway or front door to frame the scene... A bold urn in the centre of a courtyard is always delicious... or use a row of pots to break up a large paved terrace or balcony.

Similar to a bottle of fine wine, pots only get better as they age. After spending a decade outside, they will be transformed from how they looked when you first purchased them. Expect a lot of patina on the top from being exposed to the weather, with a nice dusky colour down the side...

To confirm, YES... it would be a crime to wash this off!