This was a grouping of pots that really caught my eye when, recently, I visited the garden of James David. I have never thought of putting gravel and stones in pots, but look how effective this grouping is. Of course these are pretty special pots most likely having been hewn out by someone in a foreign land. When Mr David owned the nursery Gardens he sourced many of his materials from the far east and Europe.
There is plenty of evidence of that in his garden and in these repurposed pieces.
A grouping of clay pots, the lighter colored ones from Tuscany, serve as a visual barrier along the edge of this pathway. These are potted up with box and ferns to give a quite different look.
With large shipments of pottery coming to their store it was inevitable that some would get broken. I remember seeing this pot many years ago and being told that they trimmed the pot and fastened the half to the wall. It's planted with a variegated pittosporum. What a clever idea.
There is something about European pots that I love. It has to do with the flare at the top and the rolled rim. I favor clay pots in my garden but if I find one of this kind at a garage sale I really treasure it.
Arranging pots at different heights also adds drama. These pots were in the atrium of a garden I visited last weekend in San Antonio. The owner, Linda Peterson, has a wonderful talent for arrangement. It was raining at the time hence the rain splashed window and my reflection in the window. The different heights of plants as well as raising pots on pedestals creates a perfect tableau.
Here are a few of my favorite pots. I picked up this metal tripod at a garage sale. Have no idea what it was used for but it is perfect for this tall terracotta pot. The plant has become very overgown and I should really cut it off and start it again but I love the way it hangs. In the empty space at the top I put the cardinal's nest from the espalier with a clay bird.
I love long Tom pots but they aren't easy to come by. I found this on in Phoenix at a nursery going out of business. It was sitting in a forgotten corner and was full of horticultural pumice. That was the bonus.
This was a garage sale pot with the usual $1 price tag. I love the little fishes.
And my attempt to copy the James David pots at the top of this post.
This one was my big splurge. I finally found a head pot with a decent price. I have been waiting forever and last week there it was sitting on the side at Barton Springs Nursery. It is perfect for my Huernia schneideriana.
It has been a good year for pots so I still have plenty of pots waiting to be potted up. It a great job for a rainy day.
I aspire to a head pot. I would fill it with Mistletoe Cactus. Yours is lovely.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jean. I have been searching for a pot for a while and this one just fit the bill.
DeleteThere is something special about a good arrangement of pots in the garden. I like your version of the rectangular arrangement quite a lot and the head planter is a great addition to your garden. Nice to have a photo of Linda's terracotta pots on the terrace since I didn't think to take one.
ReplyDeleteLinda had some pretty nice pot arrangements and I don't think she has to drag them inside for the winter.
DeleteGlad to know you've also got an appreciation for containers as well, lovely examples that you've shared. That tripod pot and planting is inspiring!
ReplyDeleteI often think that if a balcony is in my future I will know exactly what to fill it with.
DeleteSince my small garden is almost entirely containers, I can't begin to tell you how much I love this beautiful post. Every photo gives me something to think about and/or lust after. Wonderful! Thanks for this.
ReplyDeleteThanks Luisa. I am just glad that there are so many succulents because this climate doesn't lend itself well to flowers in pots.
DeleteI love tall, cylindrical pots too! All of the best pots are so pricey, which makes your $1 finds so exciting!
ReplyDeleteI did see so long Toms at a nursery this week and they weren't too expensive. But garage sales offer the best alternative.
DeleteThis is a wonderful post, Jenny! I love your re-creation of James David's pots. I never would have thought of using gravel and stone in pots either but now the idea is tucked into my brain for future reference.
ReplyDeleteI just used what I had to hand bit would love some of those concrete orbs and maybe a different color of gravel.
DeleteI just adore clay pots .I've been after a head pot forever---perhaps I need to just break down and call it a "splurge"---I mean, why not.
ReplyDeleteFor the cost of a bad meal out, I could enjoy a head pot forever. I want to try some of the different grasses in them---kind of a crazy hair thing-ha ha.
Loved this post on pots!
I covet every pot, each plant, and would be outside planning on incorporating all the ideas shown here if it weren't pouring rain at the moment. That doesn't keep me from looking (and looking....and looking....). A delightfully inspiring tutorial, top to bottom.
ReplyDeleteLuckily my pots are under cover, just like I am. I feel for the plants in the ground though and their future with winter coming.
ReplyDeleteYou are so good at finding bargains! $1 for the fish terracotta pot? I love it. BTW, thanks for showing Linda's atrium garden, which is really nice. I didn't see it when I visited. It reminds me of certain Japanese atria gardens in its careful arrangement, which is made to be viewed through a window and not entered.
ReplyDeleteLove your pots! I like that idea of putting rocks in pots, too, as I am terrible at watering pots, so anything in a pot has to be pretty drought tolerant, and rocks would certainly fit the bill! It definitely does help the look when one has gorgeous, giant hand-hewn pots, though :) I like your tall terra cotta pots. I haven't seen those type before, and they look so nice!
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