Last Updated on August 24, 2019 by Kimberly Crawford
Plastic flower pots are light and easy to move, but not all look attractive. But with these decorating ideas your flower pots can look fantastic.
When purchasing flowers from a nursery we often end up with many black plastic flower pots. Rather than throw them away once the contents have been planted out, why not keep them?
Black plastic flower pots are not all that attractive of course, so they will need to be jazzed up a little with simple decorations. Once they look fantastic, they can be used to decorate a corner of the deck, or make a feature in the house or garden. Here are some ideas to get started.
Painting Plastic Flower Pots
Simply painting a plastic flower pot will make it look completely different. Paint should be plastic rather than oil-based. A rich brown which always looks really lovely with green plants, or something quite different might be fun. Suggestions?
- Red and white stripes – horizontal, vertical or diagonal.
- White background with flower heads and stalks all the way around.
- Green or blue background with geometric or abstract design
- Black and white zebra stripes.
- Black or brown on white ‘cow’ splotches.
- Leopard spots – fantastic
- Light background with contrasting ladybugs.
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Rope on Plastic Flower Pots
Rope is a wonderfully decorative item that gives texture as well as design, shape and color. For best results a hot glue gun will be needed to fix it on. If the plastic flower pots are intended for outdoor use, plastic or nylon rope should be used as rain will stain and rot natural fiber rope. Here is how to fix rope onto those plastic flower pots.
- Rope can be twisted around the pots and fixed on with hot glue.
- A thinner rope or twine can be used to make different shapes on a painted pot.
- Twine can also be twisted into a pattern of any kind and glued over the rope that is positioned horizontally around the pot – so there is rope on rope.
- Rope can be painted to give a color or design as well as texture
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Using Shells on Plastic Flower Pots
Shells can be used to decorate the plastic flower pots in any design or pattern. They can be glued on over a contrast paint or even over rope.
Shells can be painted first or left natural.
Hint: Do not glue shells around the top where the plastic flower pot will be gripped when moving it as this could knock them off or break them.
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Other Ways to Decorate Plastic Flower Pots
It is possible to use a combination of the above ways to decorate plastic flower pots. For instance several rounds of rope at the base and sand, paint or shells at the top. However a simply way to renew pots is to wrap with pretty paper or foil and tie ribbons around them. A big floppy bow would look great with a painted pot. Naturally, such decorative tricks would only be for indoor pots.
Paint glue on sections of the pot at a time and then drizzle white sand over it before it is dry. This gives a subtle colour and an interesting texture.
Glue small pieces of broken colored tiles around the pot.
Decals will also look fantastic on a flower pot for those who are not arty – or patient – enough to paint a motif.
How to Group Plastic Flower Pots
If the plastic flower pots are of different sizes, place the taller ones at the back. They will look best if similar colors are grouped together, but they can be tied in with the same background color and have different designs on them.
Once several decorated pots have been finished there will be enough for an outstanding feature.
Gardening with Plastic Flower Pots
Plastic flower pots have come a long way since your grandmother’s time. Today’s plastics and molding techniques allow for a designer-quality product.
Plastic flower pots have evolved considerably over the years with breakthroughs in polymer research and more creative approaches to design and aesthetics.
No longer are gardeners limited to those reddish- brown, plastic pots poorly masquerading as terra cotta. Today’s consumer can have large flower pots at affordable prices which still have the look and feel of more traditional materials like clay, ceramic or metal and sometimes, even wood.
Plastic Flower Pots: The Advantages of Using a Large Flower Pot
The advantages of plastic flower pots become clear when gardeners consider the following factors:
- Affordability. Plastic Flower Pots are a fraction the cost as traditional pots.
- Weight. Plastic flower pots weigh considerably less than traditional pots, enabling gardeners to move larger pots with greater ease.
- Durable. Higher grade plastic flower pots can be more durable and are rustproof.
- More design options. Modern molding techniques offer a wider range of color, texture and size options.
How to Plant in Plastic Flower Pots, Outdoor Planters and Plastic Planters
In his book, The Complete Guide to Gardening, Peter HcHoy offers five simple steps to planting in outdoor planters. Flower arranging aside, he offers important hints when using planters be they plastic, ceramic, clay or metal.
- Cover the drainage holes with a layer of gravel or chipped bark to prevent water from collecting in the bottom of the pot.
- Use a “loam-based” potting mixture and fill the pot to just below the rim.
- Choose a “tall or bold plant” for the center.
- Fill in around the top with “bushier but lower-growing” plants.
- Top-dress the surface with a decorative mulch to conserve moisture and water well. (Pots, especially plastic flower pots, tend to dry out faster than flower beds.)
Cleaning Plastic Flower Pots and Other Garden Pots
Autumn brings many chores for the average gardener and gardeners using plastic flower pots are no different. In fact, they may have a few extra chores to complete when those autumn winds start to blow.
The Complete Guide to Gardening warns that plant diseases can be carried from one plant to the next on old pots. It’s a good idea to wash all flower pots in the Fall, using a disinfectant such as a vinegar or bleach solution.
Pots should be well scrubbed, both inside and out, then placed out to dry and later stored for Winter. When Spring comes, all the pots will be clean and ready for another enjoyable gardening season.
