Medium Pots

What fits in a medium pot

Medium in this collection means roughly 30 to 50cm across the opening. In practice that takes a plant straight from a 200mm or 250mm nursery pot with a few years of growing room, or a fresh 300mm root ball at the top end. The working rule: choose a decorative pot 5 to 10cm wider than the nursery pot the plant is in now. Much more and the extra mix stays wet longer than young roots can use it. Much less and you are repotting again within a year.

There are two ways to use them. Potting directly into the vessel gives the roots the full volume, which suits anything staying put for three years or more. The drop in method, where the nursery pot sits inside and a layer of pebbles or bark hides the rim, makes seasonal swaps painless, protects glazed interiors from staining, and lets one good pot serve a rotating cast of plants. Both are legitimate. The second is underrated.

Choosing a material

Terracotta is the traditional choice for a reason. The clay is porous, so the root zone breathes and excess moisture wicks out through the walls, which is exactly what herbs, succulents and mediterranean plants want. It also means faster drying in summer, so expect to water more often. The Italian terracotta classics here start at $7.95 and only improve as they weather to a pale, chalky patina.

Glazed and aged ceramic hold moisture longer and keep their colour for decades. Double fired glazes shrug off frost and UV, which makes them the pick for exposed positions in the cooler states. Lightweight concrete, GRC and terrazzo give the architectural look at a fraction of the weight of cast concrete, and the faint white lime bloom that sometimes appears on new concrete is normal and weathers off within a season. Woven and timber planters belong indoors or under cover.

Drainage, done properly

Anything holding a living plant needs a drainage hole, so check the listing before you buy, because a small number of feature pots are sealed for use as cachepots or water bowls. Skip the old trick of a gravel layer in the base. It raises the saturated zone up into the root ball rather than draining it. Use a premium potting mix, stand outdoor pots on feet so the hole can actually clear, and empty saucers after rain.

Weight and placement

A 40cm pot filled with moist mix weighs 15 to 30kg depending on material, and a planted 50cm ceramic can pass 40kg. Fill pots where they will live, not at the potting bench. If a pot needs to move with the seasons, chasing winter sun across a balcony for instance, choose lightweight concrete or a woven planter over stone and thick ceramic, or sit it on a wheeled base from the start.

Styling the middle layer

Medium pots are the connecting layer in a grouping: large pots and planters anchor the composition at ground level, medium sizes carry the middle, and small pots finish table and shelf height. Clusters work best in odd numbers with one element held constant, either one material across three shapes or one shape across three sizes. If you are collecting pieces over time, staying inside a single family such as the terracotta pot range or one glaze colour guarantees the group will always sit well together.

Common questions

What size plant suits a 40cm pot?

Anything currently in a 200mm to 300mm nursery pot. That covers most shrubs, citrus on dwarf rootstock, larger indoor foliage and full herb plantings. A 40cm pot holds roughly 30 to 40 litres of mix, enough to keep a medium shrub happy for several years before it needs a root prune or a size up.

Can these stay outside all year?

Terracotta, glazed ceramic, concrete, GRC and terrazzo all live outside permanently. In hard frost areas favour double fired glazed ceramic or concrete, since cheap low fired clay can flake after repeated freezes. The outdoor pots collection gathers the weather ready finishes in one place.

Do I need a saucer?

Indoors, always, and choose a glazed or sealed one because water slowly passes through unsealed terracotta saucers onto timber floors. Outdoors, skip the saucer entirely if you can. Roots standing in a full saucer through a wet week is the quickest way to lose a healthy plant.

How are pots delivered?

Pots are delivered Australia wide, boxed and padded for freight, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Most customers combine pots with plants in the one order, which clears the minimum easily.