Don’t have a fire pit?  Not located by the beach?  Don’t camp?  Well that doesn’t mean you can have some smores right in your own backyard.  It’s so easy and fun to do!

Hand out sticks, and smores fixings and get started.  When all is done, let the ash cool, wrap the foil up, and toss away.    No mess and lots of fun memories!

We also like the idea of making individual burners. Each person will get their own flowerpot and fixings and you make a party out of it.  You can also decorate the flowerpots for the occasion.  Paint the containers for sport team colors, holiday colors, or just decorate them for fun and a creative touch.

This is the time to have fun and most of all enjoy!

Growing potted houseplants is a hobby that can be enjoyed by everyone. You don’t need to get green thumb gardening to keep them healthy.  If you notice most designer photographs show a room that always has a houseplant in a decorative container. That is because they offer color, warmth and a touch of love and, make any area come alive.

When purchasing a new plant at your local home and garden center or nursery, make sure it is healthy. This is not the time to nurture a sick plant back to health. Look for lush green leaves, moist soil and plump stems.  Nothing dry, slimy or black is healthy.

Houseplants don’t need a lot of attention but they do need, light, water & fertilizer.

Sunlight is the standard which all light is compared.  Make sure you potted houseplants are near a sunny area, and make sure that they aren’t in a drafty window or near a hot wood stove.  Temperature is important.  Try to use a potting mix that helps the soil hold water and nutrients.  Water according to the directions.  Improper watering is the most frequent reason indoor plants die.  Remember, it’s always better to underwater than over water.  Establish a schedule to help make this task easier.

Lastly, don’t underestimate the importance of fertilizer.  Soil loses its nutrients over time so if you want to keep your indoor potted plants healthy for the long term then fertilize on a regular basis. 

When it comes to selecting a garden container to pot in we have a few basic recommendations.  Always use a pot with a drain hole, clay is porous and breathes, and always go with a bit larger than needed so the roots have room to expand.

By understanding these basics houseplant needs, your plants will grow healthy and lovely for a very long time.

DIY Barbeque from Alton Brown

True BBQ means cooking meat over low heat for a long time, often many hours.  Smokers are so expensive some starting at $300.00 So when Alton Brown on the food network showed how to make your own and used our clay terracotta garden pots we were thrilled.

Here are some suggestions that will give you the projects steps and also some good tips.  http://makezine.com/projects/clay-pot-smoker/

Here are the links to where the pots are located on our website. 

Rolled Rim Taper: Base  https://www.arizonapottery.com/item.asp?iid=1592
Deep Bowl:  Top https://www.arizonapottery.com/item.asp?iid=167

You love the thought of potting herbs to put into your kitchen so that you will have them to cook with. But, here’s another reason to have herbs in flowerpots indoors & nearby. They naturally purify the air!

Here is a collection of potted herbs that help with indoor pollution, bad odors and help to lower the carbon dioxide around your home naturally. Some will help to repel flies in the kitchen like basil and none will grow too tall if you use smallish sized clay pots.

Rosemary: You all know how great it is to cook with. The needle like leaves when chopped are perfect for cooking or a tea. But did you know that besides it’s pleasant aroma a potted bunch of rosemary, purifies humid winter air! Rosemary breathes carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen. Some of the essential oils will exhale into the air so you don’t even need to cook with it.

Basil: A pot full of basil gives off a rich aroma. It will also reduce the carbon dioxide in a room besides repelling flies in the kitchen. It has a wonderful peppery taste that is used in Italian dishes. Pinch off leaves when cooking to add a wonderful fresh taste to a savory dish. The aroma it gives off is heavenly.

Mint: Ok we all know this makes a wonderful hot tea for winter. A flowerpot full of fresh mint makes the air easier to breathe if you have a cold. It has a wonderful soothing aroma. You will rest easier at night with a small pot of mint next to your bed.

Jasmine: Perfect for tea but also when potted and placed around the house will fill the home with fragrance along with purifying the air. A perfect combination! It is an inexpensive for of air freshener and all natural.

Autumn in here and it’s that time of year when you can savor and appreciate your fall potted foliage.  Fall perennials are the perfect choice.

Fall perennials in garden flowerpots provide a range of colors from pink and purple to white and gold.  They offer a bloom that you can depend on and will bless you with color year round.  Dried flower head and stalks left to stand over winter will provide shelter and nourishment for birds & other wildlife.

Below are a few of the popular potted perennials that you may enjoy.

Sedum:  Varieties like Autumn Joy have pink to red flowers that turn maroon as colder weather hits.  It favors full sun and average garden soil.  A wonderful late season perennial.

Asters:  Classic fall bloomer, they are often planted to compliment other fall blooming flowers like chrysanthemums, which you see everywhere this time of year.  They range in color, height and size making them perfect for any display.

Mums:  They are fall’s ubiquitous flowers.  Every garden center offers them this time of year for a reason. Their colors are perfect for a fall display.  Yellows, orange, and rusts are perfect when potted on a holiday table or the front entry of your home.  It shouts we are into the season!!!.  Place the planters indoors for color or outside for fall beauty.

Goldenrod:  There flowers are perfect for insects and bees. With its bright yellow flowers and long stalks they are perfect in any garden planter where you want color and beauty this time of year.

So, don’t leave your flowerpots sitting empty as the weather cools.  Plant some of these suggestions and enjoy the beauty the flower kingdom has to offer.

When the winter evenings are chilly, this decoration warms the heart.  Choose a motif with a rustic country look. With a small tealight candle in the center, the design lights up with a winter glow.  The motif is a paper napkin, decoupage onto the inside of a flower pot.  Perhaps you know someone who can cut you a couple of unused pots this way or you can find a broken pot.  Either way ArizonaPottery.com has the pots for all your craft needs.

Supplies needed:

- clay flowerpot
- paper napkin with your choice of design
- acrylic paint matching the design on the napkin
- acrylic paint in white
- paper napkin applique' glue
- snow paint (paste)
- paintbrushes
- tealight or battery operated candle

Supplies needed:
Small 3 ft tomato cage
Floral wire
Wire Cutters
Needle nose pliers
Six bags of moss
Long handled wooden spoon
Succulents
Floral Pins
Terracotta Flowerpot & saucer
Spray bottle
So, here we go.

Turn the tomato cage upside down.  Gather the legs to a point and bend the wires together to secure. Wrap floral wire around the gathered legs to keep them together.

Make a netting of floral wire by wrapping it vertically around the tomato cage.  After the vertical wires are in place, weave through them horizontally. This netting will provide support for the moss.  You should now have a tree form.

Fill a bucket with warm water. Add the moss and soak till saturated.  Squeeze out excess liquid.
Add handfuls of moss into the form starting at the top. Use the wooden spoon to help push into crevices.  Hide all the wires.

The days of silver foil Christmas trees are over and people are once again returning to real trees.  The most real tree of all is a living tree, roots and all, that you can plant outdoors after the holiday. In all but the warmest parts of the country, you will be looking at hardy evergreens – such as spruce, fir and pines – which are sold potted in containers, or balled and bur lapped.

If you have the yard space, it’s very rewarding to plant a tree each year and be able to look back and reminisce as the tree grows saying “We go that tree the year you were born.”