Handled olive jars
Rolled rims and applied handles, the classic form. Group odd numbers, vary the heights.
Terra cotta
Clay that gets better with every summer
Hand-thrown Italian and Mediterranean terra cotta, olive jars, ribbed planters, rolled-rim pots, fired hard enough for full Southern California sun.
Not all terra cotta is the same
Cheap terra cotta is fired low and soft; it wicks water, blooms with salts and flakes at the rim within a season or two. The pieces worth buying are fired hotter, ring when tapped, and hold a crisp edge on the throwing lines.
Real hand-thrown pots vary, slight leans, tool marks, tone shifts across the wall. That variation is why a grouping of three looks alive and a set of identical machine-made pots doesn't.
In our climate terra cotta dries fast, which most Mediterranean plants prefer. Olives, citrus, rosemary, lavender and succulents are all happier in clay than in a sealed container.
Ribbed planters
Vertical ribbing that catches shadow, reads well against flat stucco walls.
Statement jars
Oversized vessels used unplanted as focal points at the end of a path.
Good to know
- Watering
- Clay breathes, so pots dry faster. Expect to water more often than a glazed or fiberglass container.
- White bloom
- Efflorescence is normal mineral salt. Brush it off dry, or leave it, it's part of the patina.
- Frost
- Pasadena rarely freezes hard, but keep pots off wet ground and drained through winter.
- Sealing
- Don't seal the outside. If you want slower drying, line the interior instead.
See it in person
Everything is on the yard at Jardin
170 S Kinneloa Ave, Pasadena, CA 91107. Walk the yard, measure the pieces, and mention JARDIN at the counter so the team knows the website sent you.
Keep looking