Let’s learn how to repair a broken pot.

Sorry to say that it is usual to crack or chip a clay flowerpots at one point in your garden adventures.  Well, if your damage isn’t all that bad, you can repair the pot and return it to a fairly normal condition.  All you need to do is try a few of the tips listed below.  Think about it, what have you got to lose?

Choose a epoxy glue.  You mix the two compounds – one part glue, one part hardener, before you cement the pieces.  Read the package instructions for mixing, then apply the mending goo to both parts before joining them.

Fit the pieces together and tie the pot so that it’s securely held in place.  Use a cord or rope for large pots, try plumbers tape for smaller ones.
Wipe off any glue that spills out of the cracks when you fit the pieces together.  Sand off any extra reside that you want to remove.

Once the pot is sealed you can stain or paint the pot to try to hide the cracks.  Make sure you use a paint that is for terracotta flower pots.  There are many colors available.  Many times you won’t even bother painting them since once the flowerpots are planted in the plants will grow over the sides and hide many of the issues anyway.

Add a colorful touch to your holiday gathering with these tips.

Wondering what to do this year for your holiday decorating.  With family coming for Thanksgiving you want to add a touch of color and warmth.  They key is to surround your home and create a tablescape with warm colors & terracotta tones.  Add burnt orange blooms, petite pumpkins, and rustic touches with plain clay flowerpots. 

The terracotta pottery has a warm tone to it that compliments the orange and rust colored flowers.  Line your table with pots of mums and geraniums so that after the holiday they will still last and you can enjoy the pots for months not days.

Use clay flowerpots as place-cards, to hold crayons for children to use and have them decorate a picture you can all share.  This is not the time for bright spring colored planters or plant materials.  Rust, orange, wine, forest green, deep reds, terracotta, browns & burnt tones.

Try to sprinkle a splash or two around the house.  Place flowerpots on side tables on the entry hall. Of course, adding a few pumpkins or gourds always decorates things up.    Don’t forget to put pots, pumpkins and mums at the front door so that your guests will be welcomed with a splash of color and a touch of the Thanksgiving holiday. Fill pots with candy corn and sweet treats. The point is to have fun, come up with clever ideas and enjoy the holiday.

Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks and share your home with loved ones.  As everyone gathers together for a wonderful day of celebration, we would like to share a few craft ideas that will make the day more fun and decorative.

These personalized place card are made from miniature clay flowerpots and are so easy to do.  We have one for adults that should be made in advance and another for children.  These are as simple as a few glue sticks, feathers, candy, or markers.  Have a place set up in the morning so when the children arrive they have a place to sit and get started.  Make sure that there is always adult supervision.  This will give the children something to do why the adults watch football and cook.

Adult Project:

Gather 3”clay flowerpots. We have them in many sizes including the 3”so click here to shop.
Acrylic paint in black, white, red and blue.
Paintbrush
Craft Foam in black, yellow, green & purple.  These come in sheets at the local craft stores.
Scissors
Thick white crafts glue
Black Fabric paint pen

Decorate the pots by painting each black and allow to dry.  Choose a color to paint the band around the top of each pot. Let dry.  Make white dots on the rest of each by dipping the handle end of the paintbrush in white and dotting the pots surface.
Add brims by tracing a circle from black foam about ½ inch wider all around then the pot opening using a glass lid. Cut out.

Make the buckles by measuring the width of the band, cut a rectangle from foam that measures about 1/8” deeper than the band.  Cut out a smaller rectangle from the center. Glue the buckle to band and let dry.
Lastly, personalize each pot hat with the paint pen.

 Childs Project:

As you will see from the photos below, all you will need is paint, feathers, glue sticks, paint pens, flowerpots etc.
All the items you can pick up at your local craft store.  If they don’t have the small terracotta pots in stock you can buy them from us by clicking here.

The point is to have fun, be creative and makes this Thanksgiving holiday truly blessed.

And then comes Winter.  There are winter flowering shrubs the will look lovely in your pottery. Now is the time to make sure you are using poly resin, concrete, sandstone or high fired glazed pottery that can stand the cold.  Put up some evergreens which look lovely this time of year when dusted with snow.  Plant a pine or spruce tree and add Christmas lights to bring some excitement and light to your garden or patio area.

There will always be 4 seasons and only one you.  Don’t let a season go by without planting in your garden containers.

Container cultivated trees, modest in size, yet still tall enough to look dramatic, can easily enhance an entryway, patio or balcony.  Many potted trees stage seasonal drama when they turn into blazing colors for Autumn, or flowering pink blossoms for Spring.  With proper care most trees in garden containers will prosper.

One tip to remember is when selecting the pot to plant the tree into make sure it’s large enough.  Any container will stunt a tree’s growth and limit the height it can achieve.  We recommend using a concrete planter, glazed planter or high fired clay planter.  Unless you plan on re-potting a terracotta container is two fragile and is meant to break down over time.  These types of garden planters would not be suitable for the trees listed below.

PICCA – spruce:
A long time favorite for container gardening, these evergreens are perfect for potting. Dwarf varieties are great choices.  A dwarf Alberta Spruce is covered in soft grayish green needles and grows very slowly so it will fit the container for many years.  You can pot these trees any time of year.  Once of the things we love is that they stay green all year.  If you use a large enough planter you can add colorful flowers around the base in Spring and Summer to add color.

Potting a tree is not hard. Just do you research on the variety and what size of pot you will need and you will be blessed with a tree that is forever green!

The French painter Claude Monet is famous for his impressionist painting of gardens.  Monet loved Japanese water gardens.  Although he never visited one, he read about them in books. When he purchased land in Giverny, France, he decided to add a pond with a Japanese style bridge, covered in wisteria. One of his more acclaimed paintings depicts this famous scene.

For more than twenty years Monet found inspiration for his art in the seclusion of this water garden. Weeping willows and other vegetation surround the pond.  Monet’s painting were noted for the reflection of the beautiful  plants and bridges in the water of the pond. He loved to show the inverted world mirrored in the water.

Today Monet’s garden has been restored, the graceful Japanese bridge rebuilt. Visitors can tour the gardens, walk on the bridge, and look into the pond that inspired him.

Isn’t life wonderful!