Flower Pots in your Backyard

Flower pots come in many different forms, materials, and colours.  The material used is an important criterion when choosing your pots.

• The clay pot

Clay is a porous material which allows the earth and the roots to breathe.  It also permits water to evaporate, thus leaving calcium stains on the edges which are difficult to remove and to disinfect.  This evaporation means that you should water more regularly when the weather is very hot.  Because it is heavy, it stabilizes the plant better than a plastic flower pot.  Clay pots are fragile and are easily broken when they fall.

• Varnished clay pots

These are more expensive and prettier than the ordinary clay pot, and water doesn’t evaporate from them.

• The plastic pot

Plastic is a waterproof material which doesn’t allow the earth to breathe.  Evaporation only takes place from above.  These are the cheapest pots.  As they are light, they don’t offer much stability, especially if the plant has a heavy leafage.  They are easy to clean.  Not all plastic flower pots resist frost, and some become quickly breakable.  Colour has an influence –  a black pot absorbes heat while a white one doesn’t.

• The ceramic pot

Ceramic is a material which is waterproof and frost resistant.  It is often very decorative and exists in many different forms and colours.  These pots are also more expensive than the others.

• The glass pot

This is much in fashion at the moment.  You can put coloured marbles in them or grow plants in water, but they require maintenance.  These flower pots can be used to educate children as the roots of the plants are visible, so they can follow the development of the plants.  The Jacintha is often used for this purpose in schools.  Glass is fragile.

• The metal pot

A modern material, the disadvantage of metal is that it heats up very quickly in sunlight, and the roots suffer from this.  It also tends to oxidize over time.

• The wooden container

Woods like oak, chestnut, teak or rotproof exotic wood have the advantage of being insensitive to frost and very weather resistant.  They are very suitable for plants in the orangery but need regular maintenance to retain their qualities.

Your choice of pot also depends on the plant you wish to install in it.  For example, non-porous flower pots like plastic ones are most suited to orchids, as this stops the development of moss or  other mushrooms.  Outside on the terrace, the oleander, which captures the wind easily, should be placed in a clay pot as this gives stability to the plant.

Pots should have holes in the bottom to allow water to escape.

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