Glazed Pot Chosen to Suit the Planting
Painted pots are having something of a renaissance. I don't mean the heavily glazed bright blue ones that more than gave our gardens colour in the early 2000s. Was that Alan Titchmarsh, Ground Force and his blue decking phase? And yes, I still have a few blue monsters myself. I'm referring to politely coloured pottery that sets off our planting choices perfectly, or better still, the hand painted pot.
Specimen Miniature Clematis 'Little Lemons' in Hand Painted Navy Pot
Terracotta pots are readily available in our garden centres for just a few pounds. If painted in a carefully chosen paint, your pot can bring out the best of your plants or add a touch of character to your scheme. Rather like with our interiors where trends are more or less out the window, the same is true for our gardens. It seems we are desperate to express our own version of creativity and what better way than with pots in our gardens.
Big Old Glazed Pots Waiting for their Summer Planting
In my garden you'll find a mix of bought glazed and hand painted pots used alongside more traditional terracotta varieties. They may each be used for the same main purpose, housing that plant, but from a design perspective they have different roles. The majority of my coloured pots are in fairly neutral colours so that the pot itself is not the main attraction. That being said, I'm not referring to beige here. I have a good selection of navy pots. Navy is a great colour for setting off plants. It makes pots look neat, smart even and can be ideal for a specimen plant. Navy is just as useful at disappearing into the background, creating a dark and interesting space to allow colour to shine through. Useful in the fullness of summer when shady nooks are just what the eye (and body in my case) seeks.
Darker Painted Pots Appear to Retreat Creating Shady Nooks
Some of my pots have a bit more about them in terms of their colour. I have chosen them with a particular colour scheme in mind. As glazed pots are quite expensive, its important to remember that plants in pots grow and are often seasonal. A large glazed pot may fit the specimen now but not in a year or two; similarly, your carefully chosen pot may go with this summer's bedding display but what happens when the summer is over? Choosing a brightly coloured pot is a more challenging business than a neutral. I like to think carefully about the colour that the pot compliments and consider which plants can provide that colour over multiple seasons. If you can't do that, then the pot is probably the wrong colour for you. It is important to consider wider aspects of your garden and house design. I like to choose colours that compliment the warm ginger coloured stone that makes up our house. You may have a patio stone to consider or a shed to tone with for example.
Brightly Coloured Glazed Pot Chosen to Compliment Cerise Coloured Planting
(Our Northamptonshire Stone in the Background)
In winter and early spring, your choice of pot colour is very important. Bright colours are likely to be seen across the garden until shrubs leaf up and perennials grow to make them less of a feature. Similarly, what you have in your pots over winter is less likely to be as fulsome as summer growth, leaving the pot exposed. Whilst a specimen plant may look spectacular in a coloured pot in winter, I would urge caution. The eye is drawn to colour.
Hand Painted Pots with Water Melon Design
It can be great fun to paint your own pots. I have used navy and an olive green for many years as useful pot colours. Recently, I decided to go or something more characterful for my early summer lettuces to not only bring a smile to my face but encourage me to eat more salad!
To paint your own pots with the watermelon design you will need:
Terracotta pot (I am using two 79p and two 99p pots0
small paint brush 1/4 inch is ideal
small children's paint brush
Jam jar of water for cleaning brushes
old rag for cleaning brushes
Newspaper to protect against spills
Painting Pots with Outdoor Paint
I am using Ronseal Garden Paint which is approximately £5 for a small tin. These will last for many pots and can be used for other outside painting jobs on wood, brick, terracotta and metal.
The colours I have used are:
Moroccan Red
Clover (green)
Daisy (white)
Blackbird
Other brands of similar outdoor paint are available or you could use acrylic paints (but do check how waterproof they are).
1. Start with the red paint on the main body of the pot using the 1/4 inch brush. Follow the instructions on the tin; I used three coats to ensure a deep colour. The Ronseal paint is fairly quick drying.
2. Paint the rim of the pot with green (clover) again I used three coats.
3. Paint a stripe of white between the red and green using the small children's brush for accuracy. If you are going over the other colours, you may need to do extra coats.
4. Finally, paint on the the seeds of the watermelon using the black paint.
Painting the Water Melon Pots in the Sun
The Ronseal paint can be removed from your brushes using warm soapy water. Please follow instructions on the tin for disposal.
In my experience, the paint may start to peel off after two to three years outside. Rather similarly to skin peeling. When this happens a light sand easily removes the remaining paint and the pot can either be reused as is or repainted.
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