Misc Categories - Pot Tips - pottery, pots and terra cotta

	Turn a pot rack into a plant rack.... Pots and planters get their own dose of warmth with splashes of high-gloss paint. A vintage kitchen pot rack becomes a towering plant stand once it gets a uniform coat of glossy buttercup paint. Tangerine enlivens a table supporting a terracotta planter.

Protect nails from garden grime....

When spring has arrived and you can't wait to put your green thumb to use, you hesitate because scrubbing the dirt out from underneath your fingernails and chipping your polish doesn't excite you. So, here is a tip. Before you start digging, lightly rake your nails over a bar of soap. The buildup will prevent soil from becoming embedded in nail crevices. Then just wash your hands afterward as usual - the soap and dirt will wash away.

Did you know?

The simplest way to plant bulbs in flower pots is to mass a single variety in each pot. Bulbs like tulips and daffodils look especially good this way.
A half dozen tulips and one outstanding clay or ceramic pot is all it takes to make a super vignette.


	A skateboard becomes a garden scooter.... Of all the toys my grown children have left behind, the most useful has been an old skateboard. I sit on it to edge and weed, which saves my back and knees. It is also great for moving large containers around. I tip the container, slide the skateboard underneath, and move it where I want it to go without any heavy lifting. I also use the skateboard to roll recycling bins to the curb. J. Stroman, Georgia.

	Salts on the sides: How to eliminate them.... A pot made of terracotta claycontributes to defend the plants from possible dangerous accumulations of nutrition. Excess fertilizer and mineral salts contained in the soil are in fact filtered naturally through the porous sides of the clay pot and deposit on the outside. There is no reason to be alarmed if the sides of the clay potsometimes have white spots. It is merely a matter of mineral salts in the soil, which surface with time and dry when exposed to the air. The problem can be solved by washing the terracotta pot with a 10% solution of water and hydrochloric acid (easily obtained anywhere) and to then rinse the pot abundantly.

	Pottery Shards for the bottom of your pots.... Whether a clay potis new or reused, you should always place a small potshard on the bottom, to cover the central hole, in order to prevent the soil from leaking out. Even better, place a layer of pot shards up to one-tenth of the heights of the clay or ceramic potbefore filling up with soil. This will improve the airing of the root system. Pot shards can be pieces of clay, ceramic,concreteor glasspottery. You can replace the pot shards with river rock, Styrofoam, foam peanuts or other objects that will pile together, allowing water to run through, and keep from blocking the drain holes.

	Essential elements of an inviting entryway.... 1. A clear path - save the meandering paths for the backyard, where you want to linger and explore. 2. Color - Besides a patch of green lawn - place colorful pottery around and fill with bright and bold flowers. 3. Containers & Ornaments - Give guests a preview of your personality by using unique, unusual and large planters. Mix them for variety. Always, a a garden sphere, birthbath or concrete bench, to bridge the gap between house and garden. 4. Sufficient nighttime lighting. It's nearly impossible to find a doorway in the dark without lights. Make them attactive and functional.

	Swimming Pool Pottery.... Swimming pools are one of the most awkward features to blend into the overall design of a garden and it is often difficult to plant directly into the ground close to a pool; ceramic, sandstoneor high-firedpottery can break up the monotonous horizontal line of paving and water, giving vertical emphasis as well as providing color and interest. Its' cool crystal blue surface sparkling in the sun attacks like nothing else in hot summer weather. All that blue can look harsh under brilliant sunlight specially when surrounded by concrete. Pools need the decorative help of beautiful pottery plain or planted in lovely colors like Rustic Planters. Ferns, shrubs, and blooming annuals and perennials all look lovely in poolside terra-cottaclay pots.

	Moss covered clay pottery.... Sometimes, especially in the case of plants requiring frequent watering or clay terracotta potsfacing north, a greenish patina may surface on the side of the clay pot(usually moss or lichens) which is not harmful to the plants. Some people like it as it gives the clay pota time-worn and antique appearance. If you want to eliminate it all you need to do is wash the garden potcarefully with water and chlorine, it is not necessary to remove the plant.

	Use a rolodex for plant information and pottery sizing. Many gardeners laboriously type important information for each new plant they purchase in a computer file, or keep stacks of hand written notes. Sometimes they fall months behind in keeping the information updated. Worse of all you would always have to refer to the computer or your stacks of paper to find anything. Lets say you are out in the garden and you need a specific pot for a specific plant or space, try writing what size you have and what size you will need on a rolodex card. That way you can take just the card with you when you go online to shop for pottery. You can file the cards by size, type or color. Best of all, the card file is instantly accessible and and mobile.

	The Patio Garden.... Potterycomes into its own in larger paved gardens because these are outdoor rooms in the fullest sense of the word and as such will need furnishings. A visual link between indoors and out is likely to be desirable. There is a far greater scope for grouping pots together, than for example on a windowsill or balcony. Because of more space you can display a vast assortment of garden pottery in different sizes, heights and styles. Planted pots are a decorative and mobile addition to any garden, whatever its size. Potsplaced on the perimeter of your yard can be used to provide seasonal bright spots of color to be seen against a mainly evergreen shrub border. This can be particularly valuable during the winter months when many gardens are devoid of color.

	Drip-Proof hanging plants.... Even if you accidentally over-water a hanging plant, you can easily prevent drips from trickling onto your floor and making a mess. Here's how: Grab a shower cap and slip it over the bottom of the pot. The elastic band of the hair covering fits snugly around most midsize planters. The plastic cap will collect any excess liquid as it drains, so you can water your blooms with confidence.

	A cracked pot idea.... I've found an easy way to repair clay pots that have cracked but are not quite broken. I clean out the pot, scrubbing along the crack line with soapy water and then rinse and let dry. I then cut a piece of plastic window screen 2" wide and as long as the pot is deep. I spread a generous amount of a contact sealant, like Goop, along the crack on the inside of the pot and imbed the strip of screen in the sealant. When it hardens, I spread another layer of sealant over the entire screen and let it dry over night. I have successfully saved a couple of large clay pots this way. J Singer, Venice, Florida.

	Entrances and steps.... An entrance, by it s very nature, demands attention and sets a scene. virtually all entrances will benefit from all kinds of pottery, especially decorative potteryor stone pottery. Most doors and gates are set in hard surfacing where it is difficult to plant directly into the ground so terra-cottacontainers either freestanding or wall-hungare ideal and will bring color and interest to an otherwise barren area. The choice of pottery depends on the size of the area around the entrance. A formal entrance often needs a little dressing up and containers of formal style would be ideally suited. Containers around an entrance in an informal setting can afford to be softer.

	Leveling a container.... When placing large containers on the conrete apron leading to the entrance of a garage, the apron has a steep angle, which makes the containers tilt. When you watner, soil in the top of the containers washes out onto the drive. Place a small scrap of angle iron, purchased from a local hardware store under the pot, level it without making th pot wobbly. Or better yet, puchase pot feet and have a more decorative and better looking way of doing the same thing. Since pot feet are sold separately you can mix and match as needed. Arizona Pottery sells plain terracotta feet or decorative animal feet. Just look under the "Saucers & Feet" section to the left.

	Use a shovel handle to space plants... One of the first gardening mistakes people make when planting is placing them to close together. Incorrectly spaced plants look incredible for awhile but will then turn into a jungle that needs to be thinned. Using a yard stick has always been popular but trying to remember to take it with you when you go to the garden is a different matter all together. So incorporating the concept of a yardstick on a garden tool that is always with you is original and helpful. By using a shovel, rake or hoe and then measure from the tip of the handle down to the bottom and mark it in 6" increments. Just lay the shovel down when planting and you won't have to guess again where to dig the next hole.

	Walls.... In many small outdoor spaces, such as balconies, basements and patios, the surface area of the wall is considerable greater than that of the floor space. Such high boundaries, if left bare, can present a wide range of possibilities for container planting, which will clothe them in greenery to give color and interest all year round. Walls also provide valuable shelter for plants, allowing the most tender of plant species to thrive. Wall hung terracotta potteryis ideal for annuals, which can provide instant color during spring and summer. Freestanding terracotta wall potsplaced against the bottom of a wall can hold climbers which will either cling to the wall or be trained up it, using means of support. A group of three terra-cotta wall hung pots make a simple but pleasing composition against any wall. They can be planted with annual, spring flowerings and different ivies.

	Turning large containers.... Over the years, I have found it cumbersome, if not impossible, to turn large potted plants so that I can ensure even sun exposure, remove spent blooms, cut flowers, inspect for insects, check the soil condition, and so forth. Even wheeled plant stands upset my fastidious nature because they never suited the pot for which they were intended. I now fill a saucer, which is just a bit larger than the base of the pots, with florists marbles and set the pot on top of them. The pot has drainage, turns easily, and the marbles never deteriorate. If, at the end of the season, the marbles are covered in sediment, I give them a good soaking in a vinegar solution before reusing them. S. Tamulonis, Denver, Co.

	How to prepare a pot.... When you buy a clay pot, the first thing to do is to soak it for some hours. This little secret serves to prevent the excessively dry clay from absorbing water from the soil quickly for the plants' good. Fill a large tub with water, place the clay potterygently in the bottom and let them soak. Also, in Autumn, before you store terracotta potterythat has been emptied of seasonal flower plants, in your garage or shed, remove the soil pieces with a hard brush and wash them carefully with very warm water, leaving them to dry in the sun. This is the best way to guarantee the terracotta pots are undamaged and ready for use the following Spring.

	Windows and small balconies... These make excellent places for a pottery grown garden. They may be in an open position, catching more light than at ground level where they will also escape the worst frost. As both window sills and small balconies are limited in size, narrow planters are appropriate. Use a plant stand to display a lovely visual composition with a variety of clay and ceramic pots and plant materials. Pots on a windowsill or small balcony will be enjoyed indoors and well as out, so try to plan a colorful and eye-catching display. One carefully placed pot of bright geraniums in a wonderful terracotta pot on your windowsill, door step, patio or front walk and you will immediately create an eye-catching garden in miniature. First one piece of terracotta pottery and then another and the magic of container planting will inspire you. Arizona Pottery has all the different styles to make this happen.

	Hanging Pots... Pieces of pottery hangingin front of a doorway will make a great impact. Where space around a doorway is limited, one or two wall hung pieces of clay or ceramic potterywill soften the starkness of a bare wall. Here is also a great place for 2 strawberry pots planted with trailing varieties of summer flowering annuals can be displayed. Steps in addition to linking different levels, concentrate attention along a specific route. Freestanding pots hanging in front of a window can color when looking from the inside out. Place a herb garden in each pot and hang outside a kitchen window where all you will need to do is open the glass and snip off the herbs.

	Spring clamps hold a rake in place.... I have been doing lots of raking in my yard lately, and it is frustrating when my rake falls out of my wheelbarrow as I move it thought the garden. I solved this problem by attaching two large, inexpensive spring clamps to the side of the wheelbarrow's bucket, spaced 2 feet apart. The rake, along with any other long handled tools I may need, rests between the handles of the clamps and stays put. C Heydemann, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia.