Making pottery and caring for cacti have some things in common. They both require patience, practice, and time. Slow growing plants reveal themselves over months and years; and a ceramicist doesn’t know what a pot will look like with complete certainty until the pot is cool, and the heavy kiln door is finally opened. Throughout the process of making ceramics there are countless opportunities for the fragile clay body to crack, warp, or even explode. Ceramic pieces undergo a dramatic transformation when they are slowly heated to almost 2,400℉. Their chemical composition and density are permanently changed, which can result in unexpected results.

For example, the image above shows a crack in the bottom of a pot surrounding the drainage hole. Trimming out a drainage hole can leave the base of a pot weakened and vulnerable. Cracks like this are common. 

The image below shows an overhead view of a slightly egg-shaped pot. The pot was round before it was fired and then deformed in the intense heat of the gas kiln.

With practice, common issues can be avoided most of the time, but unexpected outcomes are to be expected. The same can be said for cactus cultivation. Finding great pairings of plants and pots is extremely satisfying, and I’m excited to start sharing more pots that I’ve made with cactus lovers out there.

Our pots are handmade of high fired stoneware, and always feature drainage holes.