Guides & advice
Plain-English help with plant pots and planters - written for UK homes and gardens, updated as we learn more.
What this library is: every guide we have written about choosing, sizing, filling and caring for a plant pot, sorted into 8 shelves. Start with a pillar guide if you are new, or jump straight to the shelf that matches your question. Everything here is written by people who actually grow things, and updated when we learn better.
Browse by topic
Eight shelves. Pick the one that matches your question.
- Buyer's GuideWhat to look for before you spend anything - price, quality, and the things that actually matter.4 guides
- Indoor Plant Pots & StylingMaking a room feel alive: shelves, windowsills, corners and the pots that suit them.3 guides
- Outdoor Pots & PlantersPatios, balconies and front doors. Frost, wind and weight - the things that catch people out.3 guides
- Best Pots for Specific PlantsMonsteras, orchids, herbs, tomatoes. What each one actually wants from a pot.2 guides
- Hanging & Small-Space PlantersGreenery without the floor space - hangers, rails, walls and windowsills.2 guides
- By MaterialCeramic, terracotta, plastic, metal, wood. How each behaves once there is water and a root in it.2 guides
- Pot Sizing & RepottingHow big, how often, and how to move a plant across without setting it back.2 guides
- Care, Drainage & WateringDrainage holes, saucers, overwatering and the slow problems that kill houseplants.2 guides
Start here
Long-form, no-nonsense guides that cover the whole topic.
Best Pots for Every Plant: A UK Grower's Guide
Match the pot to the plant's watering habits. Terracotta suits cacti, succulents and herbs that like drying out. Glazed ceramic holds moisture…
Read the guide → Hanging & Small-Space PlantersHanging Plant Pots & Small-Space Planters: Greenery Without the Floor Space
Hanging plant pots free up floor space and suit trailing plants such as pothos, string of pearls and spider plants. Use a fixing rated for the…
Read the guide → Indoor Plant Pots & StylingIndoor Plant Pots: A Styling Guide for a Home That Feels Alive
The best indoor plant pots are cover pots 1 to 2cm wider than the plant's plastic nursery pot. Keep the plant in the nursery pot, sit it inside,…
Read the guide → Outdoor Pots & PlantersOutdoor Plant Pots & Garden Planters: The Complete UK Guide
Outdoor plant pots need to be frost-proof, have generous drainage holes, and sit on pot feet through winter. Frost-proof plastic, fibreclay and…
Read the guide → Pillar guidePlant Pot Care, Drainage & Watering: Everything to Get Right
Good plant pot care comes down to drainage and watering. Every pot the roots sit in needs a drainage hole, raised on pot feet outdoors. Water…
Read the guide → By MaterialPlant Pot Materials Explained: Ceramic, Terracotta, Plastic, Metal & Wood
Glazed ceramic is the best all-round plant pot material: good looking, moisture-retentive and stable. Terracotta breathes and suits herbs, cacti…
Read the guide → Pot Sizing & RepottingPlant Pot Sizing & Repotting: The Complete How-To Guide
Choose a pot 3 to 5cm wider in diameter than the current one and repot in spring, once roots circle the base or poke through the drainage holes.…
Read the guide → Buyer's Guide & Buying AdvicePlant Pots & Planters: The Complete UK Buyer's Guide
The right plant pot sits 3 to 5cm wider than the current root ball, has a drainage hole, and suits its spot. Glazed ceramic is the best…
Read the guide →Latest
The 12 newest pieces across every shelf.
How to choose the right plant pot (size, material, drainage)
Decide in this order: size, drainage, then material. Size the pot three to five centimetres wider than the current one, insist on a drainage hole or p…
Read the guide → Best Pots for Specific PlantsBest pots for snake plants
A snake plant wants a pot only 2 to 3cm wider than its root ball, with at least one drainage hole. It stores water in its leaves and must dry out comp…
Read the guide → Care, Drainage & WateringSelf-watering pots - how they work & who needs them
A self-watering pot holds water in a sealed reservoir and lets a wick draw up only what the compost pulls. That suits thirsty plants, holiday cover an…
Read the guide → Hanging & Small-Space PlantersIndoor hanging plant pots - best picks
Pick by weight first and looks second. A macrame hanger suits round pots and spreads the load across several cords, a swing shelf gives you several pl…
Read the guide → Best Pots for Specific PlantsBest pots for orchids
Most houseplant orchids are epiphytes that grow on tree bark, not in soil. Their roots need air moving around them and many photosynthesise, which is…
Read the guide → Pot Sizing & RepottingPlant pot size guide (cm chart)
Pot size means the diameter across the inside of the rim, in centimetres. Nursery pots run in standard steps of roughly 9, 12, 15, 17, 19, 21 and 24cm…
Read the guide → By MaterialTerracotta plant pots - pros, cons & UK care
Terracotta is fired clay left unglazed, so water and air pass through the pot wall. Compost dries faster, which suits succulents, herbs and anything t…
Read the guide → Buyer's GuidePlant pots for sale - how to spot quality
Turn it over. A clean, level foot ring, an even wall thickness, a rim without chips or waviness, and a clear ring when you tap it all indicate a well…
Read the guide → Hanging & Small-Space PlantersVertical garden ideas with pots
A vertical planter gives you the most plants per square metre of any format. The catch is water: it runs downwards, so the bottom pockets stay wettest…
Read the guide → Outdoor Pots & PlantersFrost-proof pots - surviving a UK winter
Frost proof means the pot is fired hard enough that it absorbs almost no water. Frost resistant is a weaker claim and often fails. If a pot has no lab…
Read the guide → Indoor Plant Pots & StylingHow to style plant pots in a living room
Limit yourself to two or three pot finishes across a room, vary the heights so the eye moves, group in odd numbers, and leave real gaps between groups…
Read the guide → By MaterialTerracotta vs ceramic vs plastic - which lasts
Terracotta breathes, so compost dries faster and it suits anything that hates sitting wet. Glazed ceramic holds moisture and looks better indoors. Pla…
Read the guide →Buyer's Guide
What to look for before you spend anything - price, quality, and the things that actually matter.
How to choose the right plant pot (size, material, drainage)
Decide in this order: size, drainage, then material. Size the pot three to five centimetres wider than the current one, insist on a drainage hole or p…
Read the guide → Buyer's GuidePlant pots for sale - how to spot quality
Turn it over. A clean, level foot ring, an even wall thickness, a rim without chips or waviness, and a clear ring when you tap it all indicate a well…
Read the guide → Buyer's GuideBest plant pots UK 2026: our top picks
The best plant pots in the UK for 2026 are glazed ceramic for indoor style, frost-proof plastic for outdoor durability, terracotta for herbs and…
Read the guide → Buyer's GuideCheap plant pots that still look premium
Cheap plant pots can still look premium. Pick simple shapes in matt or stone-effect finishes, group them in odd numbers, and hide plastic…
Read the guide →Indoor Plant Pots & Styling
Making a room feel alive: shelves, windowsills, corners and the pots that suit them.
How to style plant pots in a living room
Limit yourself to two or three pot finishes across a room, vary the heights so the eye moves, group in odd numbers, and leave real gaps between groups…
Read the guide → Indoor Plant Pots & StylingBig indoor plant pots: statement style for every room
Big indoor plant pots, roughly 30 to 50cm wide, suit statement plants such as fiddle leaf figs, monsteras and kentia palms. Keep the plant in a…
Read the guide → Indoor Plant Pots & StylingSmall indoor plant pots for shelves and desks
Small pots for indoors, 6 to 12cm wide, suit succulents, cacti, herbs and cuttings on shelves, desks and windowsills. Choose pots with drainage…
Read the guide →Outdoor Pots & Planters
Patios, balconies and front doors. Frost, wind and weight - the things that catch people out.
Frost-proof pots - surviving a UK winter
Frost proof means the pot is fired hard enough that it absorbs almost no water. Frost resistant is a weaker claim and often fails. If a pot has no lab…
Read the guide → Outdoor Pots & PlantersLarge garden planters: the best big pots for outside
The best large garden planters are 40 to 60cm wide, frost-proof, and heavy enough to stay put in wind. Fibreclay, stoneware and thick…
Read the guide → Outdoor Pots & PlantersLarge plastic garden pots: light, tough and weatherproof
Big plastic pots for the garden are light, frost-proof and weatherproof, ideal where weight matters, such as balconies, roof terraces and…
Read the guide →Best Pots for Specific Plants
Monsteras, orchids, herbs, tomatoes. What each one actually wants from a pot.
Best pots for snake plants
A snake plant wants a pot only 2 to 3cm wider than its root ball, with at least one drainage hole. It stores water in its leaves and must dry out comp…
Read the guide → Best Pots for Specific PlantsBest pots for orchids
Most houseplant orchids are epiphytes that grow on tree bark, not in soil. Their roots need air moving around them and many photosynthesise, which is…
Read the guide →Hanging & Small-Space Planters
Greenery without the floor space - hangers, rails, walls and windowsills.
Indoor hanging plant pots - best picks
Pick by weight first and looks second. A macrame hanger suits round pots and spreads the load across several cords, a swing shelf gives you several pl…
Read the guide → Hanging & Small-Space PlantersVertical garden ideas with pots
A vertical planter gives you the most plants per square metre of any format. The catch is water: it runs downwards, so the bottom pockets stay wettest…
Read the guide →By Material
Ceramic, terracotta, plastic, metal, wood. How each behaves once there is water and a root in it.
Terracotta plant pots - pros, cons & UK care
Terracotta is fired clay left unglazed, so water and air pass through the pot wall. Compost dries faster, which suits succulents, herbs and anything t…
Read the guide → By MaterialTerracotta vs ceramic vs plastic - which lasts
Terracotta breathes, so compost dries faster and it suits anything that hates sitting wet. Glazed ceramic holds moisture and looks better indoors. Pla…
Read the guide →Pot Sizing & Repotting
How big, how often, and how to move a plant across without setting it back.
Plant pot size guide (cm chart)
Pot size means the diameter across the inside of the rim, in centimetres. Nursery pots run in standard steps of roughly 9, 12, 15, 17, 19, 21 and 24cm…
Read the guide → Pot Sizing & RepottingChoosing the right pot size for your plant
Go up by three to five centimetres in diameter from the current pot, and no more. A big jump surrounds a small root ball with wet compost the roots ca…
Read the guide →Care, Drainage & Watering
Drainage holes, saucers, overwatering and the slow problems that kill houseplants.
Self-watering pots - how they work & who needs them
A self-watering pot holds water in a sealed reservoir and lets a wick draw up only what the compost pulls. That suits thirsty plants, holiday cover an…
Read the guide → Care, Drainage & WateringDo plant pots need drainage holes? (and how to add one)
Almost always, yes. Without a hole, water collects at the base and roots sitting in it rot, usually within a fortnight. If you love a pot with no drai…
Read the guide →