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The International Garden Center on Sepulveda in El Segundo has a nice selection. Just don't leave them on the patio outside your apartment. Apparently mine were so nice that a "pot bandit" stole them all over the course of a few months!

There is always the clean white Billig Ikea pots that are ridiculously cheap at .49 each, perfect for small plants, herbs and succulents. I forgot the larger pots with the lines and flowers down them, but I have them in all sizes...love them.

That case study pot has long been on my "wish list."

I saw a cool post from http://www.lifeonthebalcony.com about spraypainting the generic cheap plastic nursery pots with Rustoleum hammered metal spraypaint!

I've been making my own out of Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GFRC). I absolutely love them. I took a class from Cheng Concrete in Berkeley, CA and used what they taught to make my own planters and garden bench. I think I saw somewhere that they are having a class/seminar for DIYers soon on concrete planters/outdoor living furniture.

So happy to see the shout-out for those "green" pots. They are lightweight and great for small plants like succulents or herbs, not to mention inexpensive... we sell them for $6-$8!
[http://www.thegreenlifecostore.com/?m8:cat=%2FGarden]

xo,
The Green Life
www.thegreenlifeco.com

International Garden Center gets my vote too! Great selection of pots and tons of beautiful greenery to fill them.

I was just at Ikea this weekend, looking for pots. I didn't buy a single one because most of them lacked drainage holes. WTF? Can you make your own drainage holes in earthenware?

StephM, I use the Ikea pots for all my succulents and cacti. I simply layer the bottom with pebbles, then different layers of substrate. They are doing fantastic. I guess it depends on what you want to grow.

I buy all my pots at Home Depot. I mix and match the bases and such to make 'em even cooler — http://www.flickr.com/photos/imaclanni/sets/72157614963456915/

Ahhh...I would add two more places for more modern pots --

www.sprouthome.com
www.jamaligarden.com

Jackalope in North Hollywood (on Burbank Blvd) has an amazing selection. It so much fun just to wander around the grounds! Make sure to sign up for their mailing list. They have special discount days all the time for there VIP customers.

Check Michaels...I found some really great minimal square planters the other day and I really like them!

You can make your own drainage holes in many types of pots. Get a masonry bit and drill slowly!

The drainage hole isn't necessary if you know exactly how much water your plants need. Pebbles on the bottom also help, and it is better to underwater than to over water. You can also keep your plants in those cheap little plastic pots you buy them in, then use the non-drainage holed pot as a cover.

Also try simply shopping around random stores. I have come across some amazingly cheap pots ($12 for a 10 inch pot) that are hand glazed and very beautiful at a local garden store. Tag brand also has some very nice affordable ones.

The chain Garden Ridge has some super pots which I like to buy in fall, as they go on sale. (Fall's a good time for potting in my climate anyway.)

StephM - you may also find ceramic or glass drill bits. I'm told the glass bits work better on ceramic than the actual ceramic bits.

As far as not drilling holes - it depends on the calcium/salt tolerance of the plant, too. If you water, say, a fern with hard water in a pot with no holes, you are going to have the minerals build up and it's going to be unhappy. You want to be able to pour lots of water in to flush that buildup out. Of course you could water with distilled water, but it's also hard to get the soil thoroughly wet but not waterlogged. I tend to underwater them and then the roots don't develop as well as they should, because they're all along the surface. It's tricky finding that good balance.

So with that in mind, right now I'm looking for some cachepots to fit inside some neato vases my mom threw/built for me. Finding something to fit neatly in the narrow square ones is a bit of a challenge.

Re: "aging" terracotta pots, I don't really get it. Last month's Martha Stewart Living had a whole article on ways to "age" terracotta pots. I'm confused... because every terra cotta pot I've ever had (outside) has aged naturally very nicely within a month or so, and after a year they look positively antique. I suppose if you want instant gratification or aged pots for indoor plants you can look around for old pots or paint them with yogurt, etc. But I think you could also just buy some extras in the winter and keep them out in the rain, etc., aging away, until you need them... much easier. And terracotta pots are so ridiculously cheap and plants seem to do really well in them.

Terracotta pots are quite inexpensive. Just remember to bring them inside for the winter, if you don't want them to crack.

Gainey Ceramics (who makes a lot of familiar mid-century designs) sells their irregular stuff dirt cheap at their warehouse. Totally worth a look--it's just a bit of a schlep. My husband and I bought 8 pots for $60 last time.
P: 800.451.8155
Mon-Fri 7:00 - 4:30 PST

Gainey Ceramics Inc.
1200 Arrow Highway
La Verne, CA 91750
http://www.gaineyceramics.com/pottery/container-lines.php

wow, thanks guys! Another note on terra cotta pots is that they do leak moisture faster than a plastic or a thicker glazed pot so if you live in a dry area you'll be doing a bit more watering.

These ones are by far the most beautiful planters on the market.

http://www.nest-living.com/pages/vessel-architectural-pottery

A great store for cheap and great looking pots and garden stuff is "Homegoods"...you can't beat the prices at this store. The closest ones to the LA area are in Glendale & La Cañada.

.99 Only Store always carries pots for .99. They even had eco friendly pots made out of bamboo.

Ikea is great, but I wish they had more with drainage holes... In San Francisco, I love Flora Grubb Gardens (http://www.floragrubb.com/idx/index.php) and Area San Francisco (http://areasanfrancisco.com/).
Our Style Editor was just in Tuscon and found some great spots: http://www.homebysunset.com/home_by_sunset/2009/04/report-from-tucson.html

I found a big selection of very nice modern pots and planters in Hortica in the Castro in San Fran.

after searching everywhere for modern, rectangular planter boxes within budget, i found this place:

http://www.plantersetc.com/main.sc

great selection, great prices, and awesome customer service - i can't wait to start using my rectangular planters - definitely worth checking them out ...