Oooooh, Aaaaaaah...planters! I can just about spend all of my children's inheritance on planters. My neighbor informed me that I have 50 planters
in my backyard. Really? Only 50? Deep breath, repeat my montra "I will not buy any more planters...I will not buy any more planters...I will only
buy the ones on sale...but look at all the money I saved...". And if you get as many gardening magazines as I do, you just end up with planter envy.
Here is a basic list of the 4 different kinds of planters you may be thinking of investing in.
Question
What is the difference between a planter and a pot?
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A pot does not have a hole in the bottom.
What is the difference between a planter and a pot?
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scroll down
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keep scrolling
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A pot does not have a hole in the bottom.
Terracotta
These are usually brown or if they are from Italy, they have a pink tinge to them, lighter in color, like the ones to the right. Terracotta containers are porous, allowing the plants to breath but may not be very kind to your water bill. Personal experience - if you leave the Italian terracotta containers over the winter with soil, they will crack. But, I have not had that problem with regular red terracotta containers.
These are usually brown or if they are from Italy, they have a pink tinge to them, lighter in color, like the ones to the right. Terracotta containers are porous, allowing the plants to breath but may not be very kind to your water bill. Personal experience - if you leave the Italian terracotta containers over the winter with soil, they will crack. But, I have not had that problem with regular red terracotta containers.
Plastic
Plastic planters have come a long way, baby. They look like the real thing, but weigh so much less. Beware the dark side - the color fades in the sun and the soil gets much hotter in plastic planters, which could cause damage to the plant roots. The solution - buy a bigger container than you think you need. I use them and have found that they do fade in the sun, but, they can be spray painted. If you try to paint real terracotta, the pain bubbles. Yep, personal experience, again. If you leave the plastic containers filled with soil over winter, they will not crack.
Plastic planters have come a long way, baby. They look like the real thing, but weigh so much less. Beware the dark side - the color fades in the sun and the soil gets much hotter in plastic planters, which could cause damage to the plant roots. The solution - buy a bigger container than you think you need. I use them and have found that they do fade in the sun, but, they can be spray painted. If you try to paint real terracotta, the pain bubbles. Yep, personal experience, again. If you leave the plastic containers filled with soil over winter, they will not crack.
Fiberglass
Isn't modern science just amazing? Mortar is an engineer, so I am biased :) Fiberglass planters look just like terracotta planters or a glazed planter. Unless you pick them up, you can't tell the difference. They way 10 times less, don't fade in the sun and do the most damage to your wallet and they will not crack if left out all winter with soil. But, put them on sale, hey I am there!
Isn't modern science just amazing? Mortar is an engineer, so I am biased :) Fiberglass planters look just like terracotta planters or a glazed planter. Unless you pick them up, you can't tell the difference. They way 10 times less, don't fade in the sun and do the most damage to your wallet and they will not crack if left out all winter with soil. But, put them on sale, hey I am there!
Glazed
These are, in my humble opinion, the most spectaclular of all the planters. Use them as a focal point, one, two or three at the most. Just one teensy little problem - the glaze will crack if you are using them outside. The crackling makes them more interesting but once they start cracking up they won't last as long and they will crack up if you leave them outside during winter with soil. Not funny! When you get tired of your glazed planter I will be very happy to find it a new home :)
These are, in my humble opinion, the most spectaclular of all the planters. Use them as a focal point, one, two or three at the most. Just one teensy little problem - the glaze will crack if you are using them outside. The crackling makes them more interesting but once they start cracking up they won't last as long and they will crack up if you leave them outside during winter with soil. Not funny! When you get tired of your glazed planter I will be very happy to find it a new home :)
Questions? Comments?
Share with me at:
petals@mortarandpetals.com
Share with me at:
petals@mortarandpetals.com