Selecting the Best Terracotta Pot for your Plant

Planted terracotta pots are a great addition to any garden style. They can add immediate impact and colour on terraces, balconies and small gardens. On a larger scale, they display specimen plants in formal gardens and containable trees that are not suited to particular garden soil or need to be moved seasonally.

Although we are in no way plant experts, we do get many requests to recommend which of our terracotta pots will suit a particular plant. So in this post, we will aim to give some useful advice on this subject.

There are no hard and fast rules on container style and shape in most gardens, but for both plant health and the aesthetics of the container display, you should consider the habit of your plant choice.

• How much space will the plant roots need?
• What soil will it need?
• How big will it grow (height and spread)?
• What shape will the crown take (tall, spreading or trailing)?
• What position will it need (full sun, shade)?

These points taken into account, in most cases, the type of terracotta pot used will be down to personal choice. 

We have categorised our range on the website to help with the choice of pot. Below I have linked these categories to popular container plants. Again these are suggestions, not rules.

Bulbs and bedding plants.

Go to our plain terracotta pots page or decorated terracotta pots. There are many different styles, shapes and sizes within these categories.

Trailing plants.

Go to the tall terracotta pots page, oil jars, urns and vases, which look stunning, topped with a hanging basket display.

Flowering shrubs.

Azaleas do not need much depth for their roots, so go and view our low terracotta pots.

Camellias and rose may need more depth, so start with looking at our tall terracotta pots selection.

Climbing plants such a Clematis and Passion Flower, try square, troughs, semicircular and angular terracotta pots. All will sit flat to a wall or into a corner, making it easier to link with any plant support needed. This category is also great for small space gardens and balcony gardens.

Standard Bay, Box and Yew topiary. In our plain terracotta pots section, consider the Conca Classica or Cilindro styles; both are great for entrance planting displays.

Lavender, rosemary, sage, bay and other woody herbs. Again take a look at our plain terracotta pots and decorated terracotta pots categories.

Container trees and patio fruit trees.

For small/young trees, start at plain terracotta pots and choose a pot that suits the shape and habit of the tree. Acer Palmatum, for example, looks good in lower planters such as the Ciotola Sfera or Conca Bassa. 

For fruit trees, look in decorated terracotta pots as the fruit swags can compliment the planting, as with the Conca Limoni for citrus trees.

Buy a terracotta pot larger than the nursery pot to allow for growth. Don’t go too big initially, as this will lead to waterlogging. As a rough guide: 30cm internal diam nursery pot = 40 to 45cm internal diam. terracotta pot.

For larger trees, such as ancient olive, go to the extra-large terracotta pots section. It would help if you also read our planting an olive tree blog.

Hopefully, this blog will help you choose your ideal terracotta pot; please feel free to contact us for any additional advice.