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New life in old pots

January 22, 2015 by Catherine 20 Comments

This has been a very low-input week for us gardening-wise; we’ve been decorating Lily’s bedroom which has sucked up all potential outdoors-in-the-frosty-sunshine time.  To make matters worse, after wrestling with a wonky stepladder I’m now the proud owner of a badly cut finger which means no ‘proper’ gardening for a few days.  Not happy!

Anyway, after feeling sorry for myself for a bit I finished my seed order, which got me fired-up for getting out there and getting on with it.  I love how a bit of planning and looking at lovely pictures of flowers can transform your motivation, even if you do have to stick a freezer bag over your finger before getting your hands mucky!

I decided to stay with low-key jobs and planted up some pots for the kitchen windowsill.  I have a bit of an obssession with old terracotta pots; they are so hard to find and I’m always on the lookout for them.  My mum-in-law Penny has had to put up with me rambling on about them for years now, and for Christmas she gave me these….

old terracotta pots

They were originally her father’s so they are super-precious and I feel very lucky to have them, I love that they are being passed down the family generations.  I’ve been itching to use them and after getting serious snowdrop envy last week I knew just what to plant.

I used my new potting station for the first time for this job; I cannot believe I’ve never thought to get one before.  This simple piece of kit is going to transform my life when it comes to sowing seeds and potting-on; until now I’ve been crouching on the deck trying not to spill compost or drop seeds through the planks.  It’s light and portable too so I can take it to the allotment or set it up at the right height for the kids really easily.

potting station

That little trowel you can see in the picture actually belongs to Lily; I always pinch it when I’m planting up little pots, it’s just the right size to get the soil where you want it to go.  She doesn’t mind as long as I ask her first!

snowdrops in pots

Here’s the finished pots, ready to grace our windowsill.  I’ll plant the bulbs in the garden after they’ve flowered so we can enjoy them again next year.  I raked up some moss from our lawn to top off the soil – don’t you just love it when a bit of garden neglect works in your favour!

Joining in as always with Annie’s ‘How Does Your Garden Grow’ series at Mammasaurus

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Filed Under: Garden Tips Tagged With: Activity, bulbs, Containers, Flowers, Garden, HDYGG, Moss, Planting, Snowdrops, Terracotta, Tools, Winter

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Comments

  1. Iona@redpeffer says

    January 22, 2015 at 10:39 am

    I love those pots too, and I borrow the children’s tools for smaller jobs as well-handy aren’t they 🙂

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      January 22, 2015 at 2:54 pm

      Yes I think mini tools are an essential piece of kit even if you don’t garden with the kids!

      Reply
  2. Gemma says

    January 22, 2015 at 11:22 am

    Old terracotta pots are lovely aren’t they? We were given a lots by a friend – all different sizes, some chipped, others like new and they’re all beautiful. Sorry to hear about your cut finger! Like the way you’ve used moss in your pots.

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      January 22, 2015 at 2:57 pm

      Lucky you to be given lots of old pots! I think I actually prefer the chipped ones, they feel like they have a story to tell 🙂

      Reply
  3. Southbourne Gardens says

    January 22, 2015 at 1:02 pm

    What a lovely post. I do love terracotta pots but don’t tend to use them because we need so many once we get sowing but they hands down beat anything else for good looks.

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      January 22, 2015 at 3:00 pm

      I’m the same, we use plastic pots and trays for most things that need a temporary home. Maybe one day I’ll have enough terracotta but that’s a long way off!

      Reply
  4. Claudia says

    January 22, 2015 at 1:27 pm

    the new pots look great! love the moss that tops them

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      January 22, 2015 at 3:03 pm

      Thanks 🙂 Having now taken notice of the amount of moss in our lawn I think I could top about a hundred pots!

      Reply
  5. Ness (@JibberJabberUK) says

    January 22, 2015 at 2:37 pm

    I always borrow my daughter’s gardening tools for jobs like that as well. Sorry to hear about your finger. I hope you are able to get back into the garden soon.

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      January 22, 2015 at 3:24 pm

      Thanks, DIY is so not my strength! I have a great excuse to dodge the washing up though 😉

      Reply
  6. Mammasaurus says

    January 22, 2015 at 2:41 pm

    Oh those pots look lovely planted up, nice touch with the moss! Exciting to see the white colour starting to come through!
    Like you I love old terracotta pots. My mum has a makeshift shelving holder full of them which she made from old pallettes and they look so nice all lines up and stacked up that they almost look too beautiful all together to plant up with things.
    I too nobble Kittys kids trowel for the same reason 😉 Thank you for joining in again xx

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      January 22, 2015 at 3:19 pm

      Not just me who likes looking at empty pots too then! I just love their texture, especially when they’re well-worn. I used to go to pottery classes and had grand plans of making lots of plant pots but I was completely hopeless on the potters wheel – now I stick to gardening and hunting for them in reclaims yards!

      Reply
  7. Kriss MacDonald says

    January 23, 2015 at 12:40 am

    I just want to go searching for some old terracotta pots – and am now inspired to search for a potting station.

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      January 23, 2015 at 2:45 pm

      Do it! It will become a new obsession though… 🙂

      Reply
  8. Merlinda Little ( @pixiedusk) says

    January 23, 2015 at 10:23 am

    I odnt have a garden too but pots and I think I need to start using them again now =) #hdygg

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      January 23, 2015 at 2:47 pm

      The nice thing about pots is you can move them around until you have them in just the right spot – at this time of year for me that’s where I can see them from the house without going out in the horrid weather!

      Reply
  9. Stephanie says

    January 24, 2015 at 10:13 pm

    Beautiful terracotta pots – my dad gave me some of his and you’re rigt they’re something to cherish and beautiful in their own right. Mine currently have giant pine cones in and have been promoted to indoors following their use with the poinsettias over Christmas! #hdygg

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      January 25, 2015 at 9:41 pm

      I’m sure they more than deserve their indoor moment of glory 🙂

      Reply
  10. Rosie @Eco-Gites of Lenault says

    January 27, 2015 at 6:44 am

    My grandfather had a whole shed full of wonderful terracotta pots. I kept some but over the years they have been broken such that I now have just a handful left. I shall have to start scouring the local boot fairs to replenish my supplies as they are so much nicer than new ones, as your lovely pictures show so well.

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      January 27, 2015 at 12:59 pm

      Ooh I would definitely have loved that shed! I’ve never thought of looking at boot fairs, despite always being up early thanks to young kids I never manage to actually make it to our local ones – but the prospect of finding a trove of old terracotta might be enough to get me organised and out the door!

      Reply

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Hi, I’m Catherine. Welcome to Growing Family, a top UK home & garden blog sharing ideas, inspiration and tips for making the most of busy family life, indoors and out.
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