Here are two tips to follow when buying plant pots for your outdoor space

Get glazed pots for your outdoor plants if the winter months in your area are very cold and wet

If the winter months where you live tend to be both cold and wet, you should ensure that any plant pots you purchase for plants that will be outdoors during this season are made of glazed materials (such as glazed ceramic), rather than an unglazed material like clay.

The reason for this is that unglazed clay pots are absorbent and so will soak up any snow, frost or rain that touches them. If this water that a pot like this absorbs then freezes, the subsequent expansion of this freezing water may make the pot crack. Aside from spoiling the pot's appearance, this may result in soil falling out and even some of the plant roots coming through the cracks.

However, if you put your outdoor winter plants in glazed ceramic pots, both the pots and the plants will stand a greater chance of surviving the wintry conditions, as the glaze will act as an impermeable layer of protection around the pot. It's also worth noting that this glaze could also prevent the pot from getting scratched if the strong winter winds occasionally blow it over.

Don't dismiss the idea of using plastic plant pots

Many gardeners care very deeply about the aesthetics of their gardens and try to choose pots for their plants that will be visually attractive as well as practical. Because of this, many do not bother purchasing plastic plant pots, as these are not as beautiful as their terracotta or ceramic counterparts.

If you're hesitant to use plastic pots for this reason, then it's worth giving this matter some more thought, as whilst they may be a bit plain-looking, they are hugely practical and can make growing lots of gorgeous potted plants far easier. For example, because they're far lighter than clay, terracotta or ceramic pots, you can easily lift up plastic plant pots and quickly move them to another position in your outdoor space.

This means if you often like to change up the layout of your potted plants, if you need to move some of your outdoor plants around throughout the year so they can continue to get the right amount of light and shade as the seasons change or if you ever need to quickly take the plants indoors to protect them from a storm, you can do so very easily.

Additionally, plastic pots are very durable and so if you are a clumsy gardener and often drop your pots whilst handling them or if your children sometimes knock your pots over with their toys, the likelihood of the pots breaking will be quite low.

For more information on pots, contact a professional near you.

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