Oh to be an artist and fill my garden with art! Alas, that is not my calling. Still, I can make my garden into art and you can, too, by following my simple strategies for adding pottery as art to your garden.
A collection of single color pots unifies an interesting collection of diverse plants.
While the many beautiful pots on the market may tempt you, do your best avoid impulse buying. A potpourri of pots looks chaotic. Instead, create a container collection by focusing on one – JUST ONE – color family, like red, blue, teal, or ochre. Look for a color that either matches or contrasts with the color of your home’s walls or trim.
Once you settle on a color, assemble groupings of three or more pots. Stick with odd numbers and don’t make the the pots all match beyond their color. Mix them up by size, shape, texture, and so on. It’s okay to vary the tone or hue, as long as you stick with the same color. The different sizes, surfaces, and shapes create interest, while the single color ensures visual unity.
The exception to my one-color rule is terra cotta. Terra cotta is the “blue jeans” of the pottery world – it mixes well with every other color pottery.
I like to acquire pots first, then look for plants to fill them. Some pots lend themselves to just one spectacular specimen plant. In that case, I choose tall plants for tall pots, and plant wide, low pots with smaller plants or cascading plants. A collection of tall and short pots, each with a single plant can be stunning.
All terra cotta pots with the same beautiful Aeonium makes a stunning presentation
Other pots lend themselves to layered, miniature gardens — a combination of tall, medium, and small plants, each chosen for their color, texture, and structure.
One set of shelves in my garden displays my collection of hand-crafted artisan pots. It’s fun to match these one-of-a-kind pots to one-of-a-kind plants.
Must pots be planted? Absolutely not. Large, brightly glazed containers or terra cotta pots placed strategically in a garden make great garden architecture.
If this approach sounds limiting, give it a try. Once you start playing by these rules, you’ll find a world of possibilities for adding pottery as art in the garden.
Pots don’t all have to be planted. Unplanted pots make great garden architecture.
Find tips like these and other ways to create color-filled gardens in my new book, Hot Color, Dry Garden.
— Nan Sterman
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