Indoor Plant Pots – How to Pick a Pot for Your Plant and Your Home
Picking the right pot for your plant may be an easy task once you learn the basic rules of thumb; size, materials and drainage requirements.
However, it can be trickier to pick a pot that actually looks good with your plant and within your home. Plants and pots need to be matched based on their visual characteristics. Furthermore, the combination of plant and pot together need to suit your home decor.
You may have the most beautiful plant but if you put it in a pot that doesn’t accentuate its beauty, (even though it meets all the size and drainage requirements), it will go unnoticed!
Think of it in these terms; picking a pot for your plant is like picking a dress for a person. Some people look great in bright colours, others only look good in black. Different dresses are made for differently shaped people; some scarves colours look particularly good on people with dark hair or a darker complexion. The same goes with plants; not every pot looks good on every plant.
This article focuses on what you should be looking for, (size, material and drainage aside), when picking a pot for your plant and your home!
Let’s see what are the things you need to consider when picking a pot for your plant and your home;
THE BASICS
SIZE
The first thing you need to know when choosing a pot for your plant, even before you look at the style you need for your home, is the size of pot you need for your plant.
Personally, if I want to buy a pot for a plant I just purchased, I buy the same size pot the plant comes with, as I want to make sure the plant adjusts to the new space before it starts working on expanding roots.
However, if you are picking a new pot because your plant has overgrown its current one, you need to consider the type of plant your are buying a pot for.
If you have a small to medium size plant, (current pot is less than 10″ in diameter), you want to buy a new pot that is ± 1″-2″ bigger in diameter than its current one.
On the other hand, if you have a larger plant, with a pot that is already over 10″ in diameter, you want to buy a pot that is ± 2″ to 4″ bigger in diameter than its current one. You would use this same rule for a fast growing plant.
Click here to read my Blog on Repotting Houseplants and everything you need to know to do it properly.
I bought this Jade Plant at a garage sale. It came with 3 layers of pots. The plant clearly needed a bigger pot to support its weight, so the previous owner must have gradually added pots to the original plastic one instead of repotting.
This picture shows the roots of the Jade plant going through the second pot and shaping around the third pot layer.
MATERIAL
You should definitely consider the type of pot material that best suits your plant’s needs.
In general, all indoor plants will thrive in terracotta and ceramic pots as they are porous and dry more evenly than plastic or even wood pots.
However, some plants require very specific type of pots. As an example, orchids should not be planted in regular pots as they need very little soil and require very specific roots conditions; there are pots specifically designed for orchids.
DRAINAGE
One of the key aspects of a pot is its drainage or the lack thereof…
Plants cannot have their roots in stagnant water, or simply put, they’ll die. For this reason, a pot with drainage holes is ideal. However, many beautiful pots on the market don’t have a drainage hole, or any other sort of drainage. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy them, (I have many, many pots without drainage holes myself!). You just need to learn the trick to keep your plant’s roots out of water…
If you have or are going to buy a pot without drainage, you can build your own drainage within the pot.
Just place a good half inch to three quarters of an inch of drainage rocks at the bottom of your pot and add another half inch layer of activated charcoal, which will prevent roots rotting. Place your plant appropriate soil on the pot and plant your plant!
The layering proportions of drainage rocks and activated charcoal varies depending on the size of pot your are dealing with. My recommendation is to shy away from the very small pots without drainage holes, as there isn’t enough space to build the proper drainage layering.
Click here to read my Blog on How to Plant in Pots Without Drainage Holes – 4 Simple Solutions.
matching plant to the pot
Once you’ve figured out your plant’s needs, the next very important step is to find a pot the emphasizes and frames your plant properly.
You want to make sure the colour and shape of your plant’s foliage is highlighted by the pot you buy for it. There is no point in buying a screaming pot that takes all the attention away from your beautiful plant! It’s like buying the wrong frame for a painting.
For example, If your plant has beautiful and variegated colours on its foliage, you should avoid heavily patterned and bright colours pots; If your plant has tiny leaves with an intricate pattern on it, avoid pots with patterns in favour of plain solid colours.
There are several ways to determine the right pot for your plant; here below are some parameters you should consider.
PLant and pot proportions
Proportion is a critical element of every balanced composition.
A proportionate pot is a pot that isn’t too big or too small, too large or too tall in relation to the plant in it.
However, you can play with proportions by exaggerating them to emphasize a specific plant shape. For example; you can buy a very skinny and tall pot for a tall, longilineal cactus, such as an Euphorbia Candelabrum, or, on the opposite, buy a large and low pot for a Barrel Cactus.
A) Photo Credit: Static Design Mag
In this example, the proportions have been exaggerated by using the plants tall and slender characteristic and matching it to equally tall and slender pots.
B) Photo Credit: Pinterest
This picture shows the opposite example, by displaying large and short cacti in equally large and short pots.
Contrasting Colours
If the beauty of your plant stands in its blooms or foliage colour, whether it’s a bright and bold colour or a pale and delicate colour, you should consider playing with contrasts.
For example; if you have a plant with a deep pink flower, you should consider buying a pot with muted tones so that the flowers are accentuated properly, (see example here below).
Another way to play with contrasts is to start with the pot and then find a plant that suits it. For example; let’s pretend you have found an amazing pot, with the most beautiful and interesting shape. What plant in your house is a good contrast that can highlight the pot shape even more? Well, it really depends on the type of pot you want to use…See picture B here below as an example!
A) My Christmas Cactus flowers are simply stunning; both in shape and in colour. It really took me a long time to find the most appropriate pot to highlight the beauty of these flowers and the intensity of its colour. The trick was to find a light grey pot that actually accentuated the colour of the flower.
B) Photo Credit: Audrey Jeanne Blog
In this example, pots, rather than plants, are the subject of the attention. The trick is to find plants that don’t take that attention away from the pot. A trailing Pothos for example, would hide the shape of most pots.
Blending Colours
Blending colours is mostly used to create uniform, neutral and calm environments.
Generally speaking, blending colours are colours that tend to match one another, and by doing that they neutralize one another.
The composition of blending pot and plant can be used to create a contrasting object to highlight another one, like shown on picture A here below.
A) In this particular case, the green succulent is blending with the green pot to create a single object used to contrast with another plant. As you can see the pot is not highlighted by the plant and the plant is not highlighted by the pot but together they work as an element of contrast for something else.
B) Photo Credit: Audrey Jeanne Blog
This picture shows a very neutral environment where there isn’t any particular dominant element. The pot and the plant colours blend together and with the surrounding environment.
Accentuating Foliage Pattern and Shape
Accentuating a characteristic of a plant is similar to the concept of contrasting it; however, there is a fine difference between the two and it is important to be able to identify the need for one versus the other.
Contrasting is more of a broader term that defines one element as strikingly different from another. Most of the times, we contrast elements to emphasize one versus the other.
Accentuating differs from contrasting as the former one is not an attempt at being strikingly different. Accentuating is a way to highlight the value of something, and it can be done in different ways, not exclusively by contrasting objects or elements.
For example; look at the two pictures here below. We have the same exact plant in two different pots. The characteristics of this plant I wanted to accentuate are; the colour and shape of its leaves AND the intricate and fine pattern “drawn” on the leaves.
Now, I am asking which pot does a better job at accentuating this plant leaves colour, shape and pattern? This was a pickle to solve for me because in my opinion, both pots do a good job at highlighting the beauty of these tiny hearts…
A) String of Hearts in a traditional Terracotta Pot.
The terracotta pot does a good job at highlighting both the heart shape and silver tones of the leaves. It is neutral, with no patterns that offer a distraction from the plant details, however I don’t think the red tones of the terracotta do a good job at highlighting the very fine details of the patterns on the leaves. The leaves seem more flat and uniform silver if compared with the leaves on picture B.
B) Strings of Hearts in a Ceramic Pot.
This charcoal ceramic pot does an excellent job at contrasting the colour, shape and pattern of the leaves in its top part. However, the thin white circles in the bottom part of the pot create a distraction that takes the focus from the leaves.
So what is the answer here? Which one is the right pot for this String of Hearts? In a case like this one, where both pots look really good and both do the trick at highlighting the characteristics I value in a given plant, I use the context as my parameter to make the decision. I look at where this plant and pot will be placed within my home and decide which composition of plant and pot will look better in that particular spot.
As you can see, the composition of plant and pot looks completely different by simply changing the pot. Both compositions of plant and pot look good together but they suit two completely different spaces.
My intention was to put this plant on our Living Room mantel, which is white against a white wall. It’s decorated with family pictures framed in silver frames and white candles in different glass containers. For this reason, I ended up planting my String of Hearts in the charcoal ceramic pot. The terracotta pot would have not looked good in a space predominantly white, transparent and silver!
Accentuating pot colour and texture
Sometime you just buy a pot because you love it. You don’t have a spot for it or a plant for it; but you love the pot because it’s either cute and suits your personality or it’s just plain brilliant!
So what do you do with it? I say, first find the right spot for it within your home. You bought the pot because you liked it, not because you had a plant for it, so prioritize the location.
Once you’ve found the right spot for it, (make sure it fits the surrounding decor), it’s time to find the proper plant for it.
Check the shape of it and determine the size of plant you need and the characteristics it may have.
Here below are two examples of impulsive pot purchases. I bought the Unicorn because I knew my daughter would have loved it and because it did fit within her collection of succulents in her room, where everything is white and pink. I bought the winking face because it reminded me of Picasso’s paintings, which I love, and I knew I would have come up with something creative for “her” hair!!
A) Since this pot was going into my daughter’s room, where she collects and displays “funky succulents”, I simply picked 3 succulents to fill this unicorn pot.
B) I needed crazy hair for this pot and since I already had two strings of pearls, I went with Strings of Bananas and I do love the look of it! It’s more of a Medusa head now…the tentacles on “her” head are growing so fast that are starting to grow around the other pots in a “deadly hug”!
Hey Plant Loving Woman!
Are you a middle age mom?
Do you constantly feel overwhelmed and anxious?
Do you believe in the healing power of nature?
To reveal your #1 Personal Houseplant that best
helps you reduce your anxiety.
Matching plant and pot to your home decor
Now that we’ve gone through different ways to match pots with plants and vice-versa, it is important we look at how pot and plants together affect the space surrounding them.
The criteria we have used to match pots to plants apply in larger scale to matching your potted plant composition to your home decor.
You can’t spend so much time picking the right pot for your plant if together they don’t suit the space they are going to be displayed in.
The combination of your plant and pot becomes a living decor item for your home, like a piece of art or furniture, and as such, you want to make sure it suits your home style.
Compatible Styles
It is important that your plant and pot composition is compatible with the rest of your home.
There are many ways to achieve this compatibility; you can find a common colour, (white or washed out pots for a white walls home), or material, (wood pots to match wood furniture and frames), or you can select a certain type of plant based on your geographic location, (cacti in terracotta pots if you live in the desert). As long as your style of pots and plants flows with the rest of your home, you are golden!
Here are a couple examples:
A) This is a balanced composition of objects within a side table. There is no dominant object with brighter colours or materials that pops more than others. One bigger plant is balanced by a group of smaller plants; one bigger frame is balanced by a group of smaller frames. The wood of the little saucers matches the wood of the table top. The black soapstone of the little sculptures matches the black iron table legs.
B) In this corner of our home I tied together and connected colours and materials of pots and stands with the room finishes: the white pot cover baskets match the walls and furniture; the floor tray and tree stump stand match the floor and the bright green of the plants are the pop of colour in this playful room.
These baskets are available on Amazon.
Here below is another example showing how the same plant in a different pot, not only looks completely different, but it drastically changes the feel of the surrounding space.
C) My Philodendron Scandend looks great in this terracotta pot. However, this pot does not look great in this particular corner of our home…
D) Here is the same Philodendron in a ceramic pot. Not only this pot accentuates the amazing colours of this plant, but it also looks perfect for this spot. The colour of the pot and its finish matches the colour and finish of the wall tiles. Notice how the presence of a faint pattern on the pot doesn’t interfere with the plant colours and the surrounding space?
Proportions
Like we’ve seen here above, proportions are everything.
If it is important to match plants to pots proportionally, it is as equally as important to match a potted plant to a given space proportionally.
A big space calls for a big plant or a big composition of small and medium plants displayed together with a common denominator; it could be the pot material and colour or plant type.
You wouldn’t jam a big plant into a small corner of your home, would you?
Here are some examples;
This pocket of our home was literally a wasted space with no use. You can’t put a table in it because of its odd shape or a chair, (what for right?). So I made it into a library with floating shelves to add a bit of interest and a plant! This tall and slender Euphorbia Candelabrum cactus in its pot stand fits the narrow and skinny space perfectly and proportionally.
A big open space with a big bright window, (South facing too!!), is the perfect spot for a tree in your home.
Compositions
Potted plants as living decor objects are not just great on their own. Potted plants are a great addition to coffee tables, shelves, side tables and console tables, even bed side tables and bathroom counters! They are a great substitute for useless and meaningless object that are placed here and there just to fill the space.
As an Interior Designer, I have a very low tolerance for decor objects that don’t have a function, a purpose or a sentimental value. Personally, I think it’s great to display personal pictures that depict people you love or great memories in beautiful frames, art pieces, candles or oil diffusers, great books and plants in the most beautiful pots, of course!
How do you display all these items in a tasteful way?
Let’s take a look!
Pictures A and B here below, show the same dresser with almost the same objects. Notice how composition B is different from composition A?
It seems to me that composition A is more balanced than composition B; isn’t it? In composition A all elements are tied together by green and white colours, translucent and silver materials. In composition B, the succulent in the vintage can seems like an intruder interfering with the balance of the space. It doesn’t look bad, but the graphics on the can are overtaking the rest of the composition.
A) This picture differs from picture B by displaying a white pot with a Sansevieria, a translucent pot with a panda plant and an air plant.
B) In this picture, the Sansevieria, the panda plant and the air plant have been replaced by a succulent in a vintage can.
Here below are two examples showing how a composition of decor items can be made by grouping objects and plants by tones. Notice how both compositions include; framed pictures, art and potted plants.
C) This composition is made by grouping all light toned decor objects with a lighter green succulent.
D) The same type of composition can be made by grouping all dark toned objects with a darker green succulent.
Sometime compositions of decor objects and plants can be made by simply assembling things that look good together; either because they have an element in common or because their colours, textures and materials look great together and within the surrounding space of your home.
E) This Propagation Station looks really nice next to this moroccan tea pot and variegated Rubber Plant. Why? Translucent objects are good with anything as they are transparent and don’t interfere with any style or colour. The greens of the propagating cuts match the green of the Rubber Plant and finally, black, white and silver go really well together with green!
F) I’ve always had a hard time using this blue pot…It’s tough to find the right colour of green that goes with it and it’s tough to match it with other objects. However, the fact that all pots and jars have the same plant in it, it seems to tie the blue together with the rest of the composition, which is primarily made out of rich brownish colours and glass.
After going through the criteria to select pots for your plants and home, I hope you’ve understood the main message of this article: think of your potted plants as living decor items for your home. Whether they are big or small, stand alone or in a group with other plants or other objects, you need to consider:
– Does this pot highlight the beauty of this plant?
– Do this plant and pot together suit and emphasize the surrounding environment?
Disclosure: This Blog contains affiliate links, which means I will make a commission at no cost to you, if you make a purchase after clicking my link.
Hey Plant Loving Woman!
Are you a middle age mom?
Do you constantly feel overwhelmed and anxious?
Do you believe in the healing power of nature?
To reveal your #1 Personal Houseplant that best
helps you reduce your anxiety.
This is once of the best articles I’ve ever read about anything. The composition, aesthetics, examples are all so well done. The information came alive to me, making me feel as though I can conquer any plant, setting or pot perfectly. Thank you!
Thank you Veronica!
Much appreciated!
I truly believe that anyone can care for plants, benefit from them, and use them to beautify their space!
Indoor plants are best to enhance the beauty of house interiors.This article helped me a lot to choose the best pot for my plants.
This was the most helpful article I’ve read, with specific instructions. I also liked the comparison photos.
Good information about the plants Pots plants