Choosing the right pots for house and patio plants

When buying pots for house and patio plants, whatever they're made of, look them over for cracks and reject any that have significant flaws. Here are some other tips.

• Containers can be a considerable investment, so think before you buy.
• Real terra-cotta pots are lovely and can last a long time, but they require winter protection in cold climates; their weight makes them hard to move and store; and if you drop them, they will break.
• If you can't give them the care they need, foam or resin pots may be a better, more long-lasting choice.
• Although these materials also need some care, they can withstand more abuse.

• Terra-cotta pots can last essentially forever…with proper care. When the weather reaches freezing temperatures in winter, remove all plants from outdoor pots in late autumn.
• Move the pots to a frost-free place (such as a warm cellar), using a dolly or cart if you need to, leaving the soil inside.
• If the pots are too heavy to move with the soil inside, empty them first.
• Soil can be shovelled into heavy contractor garbage bags and stored anywhere.
• If you can't store your pots at above-freezing temperatures, they must be emptied; otherwise moisture in the soil will expand when it freezes and crack them.
• To store terra-cotta pots outdoors, turn them upside down so snow and ice don't accumulate inside, and raise them off the ground by putting blocks of scrap wood under the rims. If possible, store them under an eave or a carport for added protection.
• Your terra-cotta pots may one day become treasured family heirlooms.

New uses for old terra-cotta:

• When those long-lasting terra-cotta pots do finally crack, they can still serve a useful purpose. Try using them indoors filled with dried flowers.
• They make perfect theme decorations on screened porches or in sunrooms.
• Invert one and use it to support a lightweight sculpture or a small potted plant, especially one that trails.
• You can even top an upside-down pot with a round trivet and a doily to make a small table.
• If the pot is especially beautiful, display it all by itself on a shelf or stand, perhaps draped with some faux ivy and lit like a piece of fine art.
• If the pot is a total loss, break it up with a hammer and give the shards a second life by placing a few curved pieces over the drain hole at the bottom of a new pot before filling it with soil.
• They'll keep the soil from clogging the drain hole.

• Plastic pots — whether described as foam, resin or vinyl — offer a good compromise between quality and convenience.
• They won't last for generations, but they are lightweight, inexpensive and often just as attractive as terra-cotta.
• Plastics degrade more from exposure to light than anything else, so store plastic pots out of direct sunshine.
• While it's best to empty them before the thermometer drops below freezing, it's not absolutely critical to do so.
• To overwinter a pot filled with soil, pull a trash bag over it, securing the bag's edge to the ground with rocks, or cover it with a piece of scrap plywood cut large enough to overhang the pot's edge, also secured with a rock.
• Finally, remember that at cold temperatures, some plastics become very fragile. If dropped, a cold plastic pot can shatter.