Tuesday, April 29, 2008

POT - TER MANIA

Garden is an ever changing place, brimming with life, with something new being added everyday. Be it the new bud which sprouts, the flower that freshly blooms or the winged garden visitor that chances upon this humble abode; things never remain constant. These are the ways nature acts to continually keep its creations interesting, and as is human nature I too felt compelled to add my own bit to the change, which I did by adding some Pots I bought from the roadside earthenware Pot vendors in Delhi. These beautiful earthenware pots are an ode to the potter’s wheel which is losing its relevance in the contemporary world to mechanization and Plastics. Cheap, Eco-friendly and very suitable for plant growth, these Pots, in various shapes and sizes are a delight to grow plants in. In a Hot and dry place, as is my part of the world, these earthenware pots are almost, and thankfully, irreplaceable; by virtue of their porosity they keep the plants cool even with scorching temperatures outside. Gardening has been one area where the synthetic alternatives have still not proved equal to a basic earthenware or clay pot, and thus, has ensured survival of traditional clay pottery art. A small time town near Indian Capital city, called Khurja, has developed this special kind of ceramic pottery painted in vibrant blue colors; a unique combination of clay with quartz and Feldspar, lending a lustrous sheen to the product. This beautiful creation from the austere Clay has put an otherwise non-descript town of Khurja on World Map. Thanks to the revival of an interest in ethnic and retro, the good things of past are making a come back.

16 comments:

Julie said...

These pots are all so beautiful...adn functional with the clay working so well with plants amd moisture levels! Love the little turtles!

Anonymous said...

What beautiful pots. Want to do a bit of importing? I could sell those pots! They are gorgeous.

kate smudges said...

This was a fun post - I loved seeing different kinds of earthenware pots from those I ususally see here. I love the square-shaped ones with the interesting edges. The blue pattern on the Khurja pottery is lovely.

Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

Dear Green Thumb, I'm happy to see that I am not the only one who is completely potty about pots. ;-) I have lots and lots of earthenware pots in my garden as I think that they are the best. And I love glazed pots too, like the one on your last pic, simply gorgeous.

I'm very glad that there is a revival of interest in handmade things like these beautiful pots!

If I have a choice between handmade and machinemade I go for handmade every time of course as they have this extra dimension to them. Seeing handmade things I wonder about who made them and I marvel at their work(wo)manship!

Happy pot-ter mania! :-D

A wildlife gardener said...

I adore pots. In fact, if I grow too old to have a garden, I shall take all my pots to my next abode and have a garden of pots/planters/troughs instead :)

The first planter with the bird is just exquisite...I'd have bought that one :)

I love everything that is made by hand, as I am a creative person and have made so many things with my hands...knitted fair isle garments, clothes on a sewing machine, crochet work, watercolour and silk paintings, baking and cooking, and sculptures.

Wherever we go on holiday I always buy something to take home which has been hand-made/painted/sewn :)

Anonymous said...

Hello Green Thumb, I just love those pots, all of them. It is important to preserve traditions and crafts and they cannot compare to plastic pots. take good care, Andrea

Donna said...

What beautiful pots. I've never seen clay pots in the form of animals before. I love the bird and the turtle pots.

LadyLuz said...

Love these pots, Green Thumb and were they available here, I don't think we'd be busy mosaicing....why gild the lily etc.

Here and in Portugal, they specialise in painted ceramic pots and tiles. There is an enormous variety, reasonably priced, but nothing like your beautiful and simple earthenware ones.

Thanks for showing us.

teresa g. said...

So beautiful! I love these pots, in the north of Portugal they also make this kind of pots, but these are very imaginative and beautiful. I suppose this kind of art still has a little bit of local feeling, although I'm not sure if we can still find hand made ones in here.

linda may said...

G'Day,
I found your blog via wildlife gardener's blog. What a lovely blog you have. I find it amazing that in India, the U.K., America and here in Australia that we gardeners all love and grow similar plants. Also as a potter I loved to see the pots you photographed in this post. Very pretty. We are heading into colder weather here at the moment and seeing your blog pictures made me smile and be envious of your garden as I am temporarily in a rented house and all my garden is in pots awaiting the next move, hopefully into our own patch of dirt again.

Everydaythings said...

Just found your blog thru Lindas blog... am totaly amazed at the wonderful array of pots...wow they are truly art! Its so interesting to read about life in another country - Wonderful!

Mableinsingapore said...

Hi Green Thumb, you have a lovely blog and I enjoy you photos and especially your writing style. I had a great time reading about your posts this morning. Thank you!

Aiyana said...

I love clay pots. I wish we had such interesting ones available here. The turtle pots are very creative.
Aiyana

Green thumb said...

Thank you all for such lavish appreciation of these pots. For me they were always beautiful, but after having recd these lovely comments their worth has increased immensely for me.
As for 'a bit of importing' dear Layanee, I'm always game.

Tira said...

Lovely pots and they suit those succulents so well. My, 43C is very hot!

Annie in Austin said...

The square pot filled with succulents is my favorite, Green Thumb... this is a lovely tribute to the handmade beauty of real pots.

Alas, I must also confess to having as many plastic pots as clay, even thought I think the clay are so much more beautiful. With our seesaw temperatures in winter, many clay pots break here during freezes so I've had to turn to synthetics to keep the small potted trees intact and alive.

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

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