Ideas for Flowerpots

Repurpose Ceramics and Porcelain

• When the electric slow cooker dies, save the crock from within it. Oval and round crocks make stylish plant pots for contemporary to rustic decor. Mismatched cups and saucers, as well as coffee and soup mugs, make cute pots for small cacti and delicate seedlings. Grandma's tea pot and gravy boat serve plants as well, especially ivy, which will drape gracefully over their curves. If you have been wondering what to do with a cookie jar whose lid is broken or missing, plant something tall in it, like a mother-in-law tongue (also known as a snake plant).

Create a View Through Glassware

• Clear glass mixing bowls, trifle bowls and deep candy dishes are ideal for getting a worm's eye view of the intricate root systems of many houseplants. You can make the view even more interesting by adding colorful stones or marbles to the soil toward the outside of the bowl. Large red wine goblets set in a row can display a series of small plants on a table, countertop or windowsill. Clean out large glass candleholders after the candles are spent. They make ideal-sized pots for accessorizing a coffee table and end table with plants.

Make It Metal

• A wire metal basket in chrome, black or other finish is normally used to hold fruit or bread but can be repurposed for plants. Line the inside of a metal basket with a heavy plastic sheeting found in hardware stores and home improvement centers before using it for planting. The pattern of the metal weave lends interest to the outside of your creatively potted plant for use as a centerpiece on the kitchen table or bar. An old-fashioned galvanized steel watering can makes a quaint container for a plant on the porch or patio, or even indoors if it suits your decor. Ivy looks especially appealing when cascading over its sides. Use a metal pail in the same manner.

Recycle and Embellish Unattractive Containers

• Magnolia leaves decompose very slowly and can be glued in a vertical, overlapping pattern to the surface of a chipped or otherwise unattractive terra cotta pot. If you do not have access to magnolia leaves, use any type of large, artificial leaves in the same manner. Glue buttons, beads, pebbles or small sea shells as embellishments on terra cotta or plastic pots, as well as large metal coffee cans. Wrapping such containers with rope, twine, decorative cord or ribbon is another way to add interesting texture or color. Test a variety of adhesives, such as craft glue, epoxy, silicone or hot glue, to determine which will achieve the best results for the particular surface with which you choose to work.