Pompeii Bonsai Bowl

The Pompeii Bonsai Bowl is a shallow, hand crafted ceramic bowl in the black and white volcanic finish that runs through the Pompeii range. It is made in three sizes, 17 x 7cm, 23 x 8cm and 30 x 10cm, quoted as diameter by height. Shallow bowls are hard to buy well, and this one has the substance of a double fired ceramic body.

Why you'll love it

• Made for shallow root runs. At 70mm to 100mm high it is built for bonsai, succulents and small alpine plantings.
• Volcanic texture with depth. The double firing gives the surface its variation, and it sits quietly under a plant.
• Drainage holes as standard. Shallow bowls fail fastest when water sits, so the holes matter more here.
• Three sizes for a group. The 17cm, 23cm and 30cm bowls together make a considered display on a table or a low wall.

Sizes and what fits in them

Given as diameter by height, measured outside.

• 17 x 7cm. A single small specimen: one young bonsai, three or four small succulents, or a moss planting.
• 23 x 8cm. Room for a mixed succulent bowl, or a starter bonsai with space to spread its surface roots.
• 30 x 10cm. The largest: an established bonsai, a cactus grouping, or a shallow landscape planting with gravel and stone.

Material, weathering and drainage

Material. Hand crafted, double fired ceramic. The pattern varies from bowl to bowl, so even a matched set shows differences.

Outdoors. It suits indoor and outdoor positions. We do not rate the range as frost proof, and a shallow bowl chills faster than a deep pot, so bring it under cover in frosting districts over winter.

Drainage. There are drainage holes and they need to stay clear. Cover them with a single layer of fibreglass flyscreen, never fabric or geofabric, which clog. A 50mm gravel layer is more than a bowl this shallow can spare, so use a thin layer of coarse gravel and a free draining premium potting mix, never garden soil. Raise it on small feet outdoors, and stand it on a saucer indoors.

What to expect when it arrives

Bowls ship empty and unplanted, wrapped for transit, and are dispatched in 2 to 5 business days. The pattern on your 30 x 10cm bowl will not match the photograph exactly. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Shallow plantings dry out quickly, so expect to water more often than a standard pot.

Related pots and planting

• See the full bowl planter range
• Compare other small pots
• Succulents and cacti for shallow bowls
• Matching pot size to the plant