While winter lingers, more pots

Even though spring-like weather is taking its time arriving this year, I still get the itch to go to garden centers to see what's available. I may buy a few plants now, but I really don't want to end up with dozens of plants that I need to keep bringing into the garage every few days because of diving temps.

So instead I focus a lot of my garden center time looking for deals on pots. Although I've got lots of them, decorative pots are one essential that I feel I can never have enough of.

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These simple cast concrete pots are still available at our local Lowe's, so even though I already have six of them, I couldn't resist buying another of these beauties:

I've been thinking about grabbing another one or two of these all winter, but it took a taste of spring to help me make a decision.

I took some time to check out all of the other cast concrete pots, as they had quite a few. Some of them are just not my style:

Some are not bad but are too pricey:

Others were sort of marginal:

I liked them, but didn't love them (I do love the plain concrete pots I bought), so took a photo in order to think it over for another week or two. Now that I see it again though, these terra cotta colored ones weren't concrete -- if they were that might have pushed them into the "must buy" category.

I did buy something that was not concrete on this trip:

A half whiskey barrel! As part of my plans to expand the front walkway garden this year I've been thinking about adding a small water feature. I wanted to use a large tub or planter of some sort, but was worried about the cheap look of a plastic one.

A wooden barrel is the perfect solution! I can waterproof this with pond liner, and the rustic charm of the aged wood and metal is just the look I was hoping for. Plus it was only $30, easily within the budget.

Beautiful! I'll protect this patina somehow, probably in the same way I protected the metal bench (which still hasn't found a permanent home).

They had other "barrel" choices too:

I like printed woodgrain patterns as much as anybody, but those were definitely not the look I was going for.


Have you added any new pots to your collection this year?

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