Ceramic & Glazed Pots

Aged, plain or glazed: choosing a finish

All three finishes start as fired clay; what happens to the surface decides where the pot belongs. Aged ceramic, the largest group here with over 50 designs, is finished to look weathered from day one, soft mottled surfaces that suit Mediterranean plantings, coastal gardens and anywhere a shiny new pot would look like it just left the warehouse. Plain ceramic is the crisp one: clean whites and blocked colours that read best indoors, on plinths and beside furniture. Double fired glazed ceramic is the outdoor performer, with a glass hard coloured surface fused to the clay at kiln temperature.

Why double firing matters

A glaze is not paint. The pot is fired once to harden the clay, coated, then fired again above 1000 degrees so the glaze vitrifies into glass bonded to the body. That surface gives UV nothing to fade and locks water out of the clay itself, which is why a quality glazed pot handles frost that would flake a cheap low fired one. It is the reason the deep blues, greens and metallics in this collection, including the Premium Glaze jars and tree planters, can hold their colour through twenty summers.

Where each finish works

Use glazed colour where the garden needs a fixed point: an ocean blue jar against green screening planting, a pair of green temple jars flanking steps, one metallic piece at the end of a path. Glazed interiors also make these the best fired pots for wet climates and pool surrounds, since the body never becomes waterlogged. Aged ceramic prefers company, clustering naturally with terracotta and stone in the broader outdoor pot range. Plain ceramic earns its keep indoors, where the porous breathing of the terracotta collection matters less and a wipe clean surface matters more.

Planting and care

Glazed walls do not breathe, so the mix inside holds moisture noticeably longer than terracotta of the same size. That is a gift for thirsty plants and a trap for succulents, which want a fast drying mix and a light hand with the hose in a glazed pot. Confirm the drainage hole before planting, stand outdoor pieces on pot feet, and skip the gravel layer in the base. Care is minimal: a soft brush and water for grime, never a pressure washer against an aged finish, and in hard frost districts keep pots draining freely so ice never forms inside the vessel.

Common questions

Will a glazed pot chip?

Only with real impact, and a small rim chip on an aged ceramic piece usually disappears into the finish. Chips on brightly glazed pots show the clay beneath, so unpack and place them once rather than dragging them around the garden seasonally.

Are these heavy?

Middling. Fired clay is heavier than fibreglass and lightweight concrete but far lighter than stone. A 50cm glazed pot is a comfortable two person lift empty. Plant it where it will live, since it will not be portable once filled.

Round glazed pots: anything to watch?

Many glazed pieces are egg and jar forms where the opening is narrower than the belly, which changes repotting later. The egg and round pot guide covers the mouth versus belly measurement in detail before you buy.

How do ceramic pots travel?

Boxed, padded and delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and no minimum order. Statement jars ship the same way.