I fancy myself a gardener – or at least I enjoy gardening. Amongst the various things I have begun to collect from the mid-century are a growing number of vintage pottery planters. It started with a unique pair I picked up
from Craigslist for $20 and planted with flowers to put by our pool. I fell in love with their unique shapes, vibrant colors, and multi-layered glazes. I really like container gardening so I spend a lot of time looking at various pots and planters and had never seen any like these.
Soon, I began to notice them at antique malls and estate sales, and picked up a few more – usually for less than $10. Then I started really looking at them online and noticing the marks on the bottoms for brands like UPCO, McCoy and Hull (all made right here in the U.S.A.). The shapes seem endless, some very geometric and others completely free-form, making it all the more fun to look at because they are all so very different.
Most of them needed holes drilled in the bottom for drainage before planting – which my loving husband did very quickly and easily with a power drill and a narrow bit.
They look great outside with tiny annuals like alyssum or moss roses. Miniature cacti fit perfectly in them as well. I created this cactus arrangement on my front porch.
Inside, larger, deeper planters are perfect for small houseplants like this fern I have on a bookshelf.
These little gems are so attractive inside and out, that they even look good without any plants in them at all. I use a two-toned turquoise one that matches my bedding to hold bracelets and other jewelry on my dresser.
In addition to the small pottery planters, I was lucky enough to score an amazing vintage fiberglass tripod bullet planter, which makes a statement filled with dramatic mother-in-law tongue by the fireplace.
Vintage UPCO pottery from Paris On Sunday on Etsy
As with most antique collectibles, vintage planters are just plain fun to hunt for and find. If you’re not the “picking” type, though, you can find plenty of them online on Ebay and Etsy, such as this classic UPCO planter from Etsy shop Paris On Sunday.
I get a lot of compliments on my vintage planters and I think it’s simply because they stand out from the mass produced pottery you find in home centers and garden stores now. These pieces are true American originals.
madmomstl 