Before spring weather makes it’s debut, I like to fill my house with flowers.  My paperwhites are blooming and I have faux spring branches all around.  One other thing I like to do pre-spring is to buy some potted flowering plants.  Have you ever noticed how unattractive those little containers are?  You know the plastic ones that they sell potted plants in at the garden centers.

Over the years, I have created ‘potted plant covers’ that I can set the plants in to make them look more attractive.  I basically decorate terracotta pots and then set the whole plant inside and voila, you have a nicer looking plant.  There are other ways to spruce up those plastic pots besides using terracotta.  Here are a few other options for creating plant covers.

Ways to Hide Those Ugly Plastic Pots

• Set the pot in a large ceramic container such as a soup tureen.
• Use a vintage enamelware container such as a bowl.
• Purchase matching decorative pots at your favorite garden center.
• Use a decorative urn to hold the plants.
• Put smaller plants in teacups.
• Use vintage tin containers in seasonal patterns or colors.
• An old lunchbox could hold a plant or 2.
• Galvanized buckets in various sizes work well.

You could plant directly into these containers.  However, the plants that I purchase are usually outdoor plants such as blooming bulbs, azaleas, pansies, or mums.  These are plants that will eventually go into the garden and so I don’t want to have to transplant them twice.  Having a pot cover saves times and enhances the indoor beauty.

Tips for Using Pot Covers:

1. Do not use any container that would be damaged if it got wet.  My advice, do not use a really valuable or sentimental container that could be ruined.
2. If the container has drainage holes then you will need a plate or basin under the plant to catch leakage.  You can wrap the plant base with foil or saran to minimize leaks but you still might get some moisture out of the bottom.
3. Cover the top of the container with peat moss, decorative eggs, tiny pinecones or pebbles to hide the edge of the pot.
4. Situate the plants in an area that gets plenty of sunlight.  You can move them around to darker areas but they will need regular light to stay alive until they go outside.
5. Make sure to water the plants regularly.  Be careful to not over-water your plant if the pot does not have drainage holes.

Ideas for Making Painted Terracotta Plant Covers:

There are a variety of things that you can do to enhance your terracotta pots.  Here are some simple suggestions…

• Paint the container with regular paint and add decorative trim.  I painted chalkboard paint along the top of one pot.
• Another idea would be to paint the pot and then add a decorative stencil on the front.
• Paint the base of the pot with chalkboard paint and the top with a pretty color.  I used a bright blue on top of my chalkboard pot.
• Glue twine along the pot, either on the base or along the top.  I glued twine on the base and then hot glued on buttons along the top edge.
• Another option I used for the top edge was a roll of moss.  I used modge podge to glue the moss in place.
• You can add all sorts of painted decorations such as dots, a checkerboard pattern and stamped patterns.
• Another idea is to cover the pot with book pages, decorative papers or even old postage stamps.  You will want to cover these with a couple of layers of spray sealer to protect them from moisture.

Once you get started you will begin to get more ideas for your pots.  I use my pots indoors and they don’t need protection but if you decide to take them outside then you might want to give them a couple of coats of spray sealer.

Hiding pots in plant covers is a great way to enjoy a little spring indoors, without all of the work of planting them.  The nice thing about these painted terracotta pots is that you can reuse them year after year.  They also make a nice spring time gift idea.  So make a few extra and fill them with a garden center potted plant.  Then give one to a friend or neighbor to perk up their day!