5 ways with terracotta pots

The jungle look

If you have a few broken old terracotta pots, don’t ditch the remnants – turn them into an awesome terraced garden for the kids to look after. Arrange the remnants in a large pot, using rocks and potting mix to hold them into position. Once you’re happy with the layout, add more potting mix and add your selection of plants. Cover the potting mix with a thin layer of small decorative pebbles. Oh, and don’t forget a few plastic toy animals to bring this jungle to life!

Prickly patch

Green up the kids’ room with a potted cactus… made from a rock collection! To make these, prime and paint a terracotta pot in a bright colour and let dry. Full pot with firmly-packed pebbles. Add a few dabs of hot glue to secure them in the pot. Paint a bunch of smooth pebbles in shades of green – add stripes, spots and flowers to make them look realistic. Let dry. Assemble painted rocks in cactus shapes using hot glue. Fill gaps with mini rocks.

Fairy fantasy

Do your kids need a spot for the fairies to call home? Create a miniature world – just for them! To replicate this look, start with a wide-mouthed terracotta pot. Arrange a series of broken terracotta pots to form terraced levels, then use rocks and potting mix to keep the pieces in place. Fill the pot with potting mix and add your plants. PS, don’t forget the fairy accessories – you’ll need a miniature house, lanterns and pathway! Cover the exposed patches of potting mix with decorative pebbles in black and white. Now your garden is ready to welcome its winged residents

Dip it

You can create a fab tabletop display – just like this – using a trio of terracotta pots and matching saucers. It’s easy! To replicate this look, seal the pots and saucers with suitable sealer. Let dry. Paint the saucers in water-based paint in your colour of choice. Let dry. Apply painter’s tape to the pots at an angle then paint one exposed half with your chosen paint colour to create the dipped effect. Let dry. Remove tape. Add your favourite plants to complete the gorgeous scene.

Pot up pretty

You might not have planned the perfect spring garden, but you can indulge yourself with a feel-good seasonal scene like this one. Just combine a weathered terracotta pot (c'mon, you know there’s one at the back of your shed!) with a splashy orange pansy – or any other flower you love. Mini potted bloomers are available in most garden centres at the moment, and potting them up takes just a moment. Go on – you’ll smile every time you look at it!