This is a really great article all about houseplants from the Washington Post, and featuring commentary from our friends at Flora Plant Shop in Nashville! 

Of special interest to us is the section about pottery - terra cotta pots are still essential, but other colored clays, such as our Basalt and Granite clays are also great, affordable options:

As your plants grow and thrive, you’ll need to spend more money to repot them. But don’t throw away your old pots or feel pressured to fill them immediately. Instead, keep them for reuse in the future, or consider swapping empty pots with friends as needed.
There are also ways to be budget-conscious while shopping for planters. “Terracotta is typically the most affordable when it comes to pottery,” says Howat, “and there are beautiful options available that aren’t the standard orange clay.” 

All photos shown are from Flora Plant Shop's incredible displays.

Chances are that you already sell quite a bit of Vietnamese glazed outdoor pottery in your garden center. Typically noted for their thick wall construction and running glazes, these large flower pots and planters have deservedly become some of the most popular plant containers in the world over the past two decades.

Ceramo works with several different manufacturers to build our collection of Vietnamese flower pots, selecting only those planters from each which offer the best combination of design, beauty, and value.

These flower pots are hand-crafted using techniques rooted in centuries of ceramic tradition:

• Raw clays are harvested from several locations in the mud flats of the Mekong River Delta, and are then combined to produce a blended clay precisely to the master potter's specifications.

• This refined clay is allowed to gently cure, which enhances the durability of the final product - taking this extra step ensures that the Ceramo planters your customers buy from you will easily survive most weather conditions.

• All of our outdoor Vietnamese flower pots are crafted using large plaster molds which are individually hand-crafted by specially-trained staff.

• The raw planters are then glazed, usually by pouring  multiple layers of bright colors, which results in the signature look of Vietnamese outdoor pottery after the pots have been fired for a week at temperatures of almost 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• This extended cooking period, which is called "high-firing", is what produces the incredible durability in these flower pots.
• Ceramo's glazed outdoor Vietnamese flower pots are all hand-crafted. Slight variations in size, shape, and color are to be expected.
• Layered glazes will also demonstrate variation from the photos included here and in the catalog.
• These planters are crafted from high-fired stoneware clay - this means that these flower pots are very durable and hardy, and are capable of year-round outdoor use in most climates, and 3-season outdoor use in cooler climates.

This is an amazing video – if you aren’t focusing on the indoor plant market, you are giving your competitors a huge advantage with the Millennial consumer:

Why are Millennials Obsessed with Houseplants?

Our catalog is packed with flower pots and planters from almost 20 different factories and workshops scattered across the world. We often get questions about how we are able to bring these pots into our warehouse from these far-flung locations while maintaining attractive retail price points.

The Wall Street Journal just produced a brief video which answers these questions beautifully: How a Metal Box Changed the World

It’s the end of the year, which means that it’s time for the color gurus to start releasing their thoughts on the direction of fashion for the next 12 months. As always with these projections, we recommend that you view them only as general guidance, and to not let them overly influence your pottery buying plans – you are likely much more in tune with what your customers will be shopping for than are these national organizations.

Pantone has just announced that their selection for the color of the year for 2018 is going to be Ultra Violet, a rich purple leaning slightly towards blue. Here are their notes on the selection:

“A dramatically provocative and thoughtful purple shade, PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra Violet communicates originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking that points us toward the future.
Complex and contemplative, Ultra Violet suggests the mysteries of the cosmos, the intrigue of what lies ahead, and the discoveries beyond where we are now. The vast and limitless night sky is symbolic of what is possible and continues to inspire the desire to pursue a world beyond our own.
Enigmatic purples have also long been symbolic of counterculture, unconventionality, and artistic brilliance. Musical icons Prince, David Bowie, and Jimi Hendrix brought shades of Ultra Violet to the forefront of western pop culture as personal expressions of individuality. Nuanced and full of emotion, the depth of PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra Violet symbolizes experimentation and non-conformity, spurring individuals to imagine their unique mark on the world, and push boundaries through creative outlets.
Historically, there has been a mystical or spiritual quality attached to Ultra Violet. The color is often associated with mindfulness practices, which offer a higher ground to those seeking refuge from today’s over-stimulated world. The use of purple-toned lighting in meditation spaces and other gathering places energizes the communities that gather there and inspire connection.”

In a related development, Benjamin Moore Paints also projected the big color for 2018, and  their team of style-makers disagreed with Pantone, selecting “Caliente”, a rich ruby red as their winner: