February, 2015 | Dirt Simple

English Stoneware Garden Pots

Anywhere in the world where garden pots are made, there are stoneware pots being made. As noted in the post on Belgian stoneware, the stone like quality of the pots has to do with the mineral content of the clay, which when fired at very high temperatures, becomes very hard, and impervious to frost. The English made stoneware pots pictured above have a particularly beautiful color and surface, which comes from a process known as salt glazing. From Wikipedia: “Salt glaze pottery is stoneware with a glaze of glossy, translucent and slightly orange-peel-like texture which was formed by throwing common salt into the kiln during the higher temperature part of the firing process. Sodium from the salt reacts with silica in the clay body to form a glassy coating of sodium silicate.” The glazed surfaces of these pots is definitely glassy. The color reminds me of freshly baked bread. Delicious. That glossy brown color is beautiful, in contrast to a treasured group of plants.

The pottery has been in production since 1878. It has remained a family owned business throughout the past 237 years. Each pot is either hand thrown, molded, or cast. The people who make these pots are working people. Just like the gardeners I know. Rob toured the pottery last September, and placed a large order. Pictured above is his rental car in the pottery lot. That order was delivered to our shipper several weeks ago, and will hopefully be on its way to us shortly.

The beehive kiln is very old, but works well enough to thoroughly cook these iconic British pots. The heat from the kiln is recycled into the building where the pots are made, via that large pipe at the top. This ancient kiln is as beautiful as the pots.

The kiln is coal fired, with a type of coal that is very hard and clean burning. Anthracite is very difficult to ignite, but once it is burning, it burns with a smokeless blue flame.

The temperature inside the kiln at the height of the firing cycle is incredibly hot. Handfuls of salt are thrown inside, at the hottest moment. This results in a lot of variation in color – but every color variation is beautiful. That heat keeps the adjacent studio warm. Though this kiln is ancient, the pots have a timeless quality to them. They are quiet and sturdy. We so value stoneware garden pots, as when they are properly cared for, they can survive our winters. At one time or another I have left all manner of handmade garden pots outside over the winter. The handmade pots have thick walls, and are fired at very high temperatures. This makes them a more durable pot all around. Stoneware pots are exceptionally durable. If you love terra cotta pots in your garden, consider a stoneware pot. They will grace your garden year after year, without complaint. The design of these pots is all about their functionality. The rims are thick, and resist chipping. The drain holes are generous. Even the small sizes have generous planting area.

The real beauty of these pots is the beauty that comes from within. They are made one at a time, all by hand. They have a history that dates back centuries. They are not fancy. They are handsome, and serviceable. The surface glows, and the colors are scrumptious. These pots do the work, of providing a quietly beautiful home for a collection of flowering plants, or a grouping of rosemaries. The first container load we purchased from them 2 years ago is gone now. It was time to restock. They are very different than the Belgian stoneware pots-but I would not hesitate to put them together. I would be confident to place them in a more contemporary setting as much as a more traditional garden. Their clean lines and simple shapes would work just about anywhere.

It took four months for our order to be made. One pot at a time. They are worth waiting for – of that I am sure. I have held them in my hands, and felt glad to be a gardener. Rob’s pictures of his visit to the pottery tells that story. Early in March, we will be awash in these pots. I can’t wait.

kiln door

stacks of salt glazed potsEnglish salt glazed pots

fired earth

salt glazed stoneware pots

pot stacks

strawberry jars

English stoneware garden pots

These pots may be subtle, but their story is remarkable. I am so looking forward to having them again.

Posted on: February 4, 2015 17 Comments

A Snowy Interlude

As near as I can tell, we had 16 inches of snow fall yesterday. Actually, it didn’t really fall-the wind blew it every which way. It started out slow, but it was steady. At 5 pm yesterday, I had decided the weather forecast people had been outwitted by Mother Nature once again. We had some snow-but we always have snow. A winter in Michigan without snow is rare. The piddling daytime accumulation surely was not the volume of snow we had had by this time last year. I was yawning. By 6pm the speed of descent had really picked up, along with the wind. Hmm. By 10 pm, I knew the snowfall would be considerable.

This was our first snow storm of the winter. As much as I detest being shut out of my garden, the winter landscape can be quite beautiful. If a landscape has been designed with a winter season in mind, there should be plenty to look at. I suppose I should be censured for still having my garland and wreath up in February, but it has a wintry look to me. I like having it to look at. I feel the same way about my winter lighting. How the lights melt the snow-bravo, those lights.

The evergreens in my landscape are beautiful, given either a dusting, or a drubbing of weather. We had lots of wind; would that I were able to photograph it. It was fierce. The big Norway maple in the back left of this photograph was swaying, and creaking. The sound was as spectacular as the motion.

In the morning, the landscape was all about the depth of the snow, and the height of the drifts. Beautiful. Some storms can be utterly destructive and horrifying. This snow, everywhere, whipped into the most astonishing shapes, was breathtaking.

It took an hour for one of my landscape crew people to shovel the drive. They look after me in the winter. I will admit that I backed the suburban blind down the driveway to the street to clean it off. There really isn’t any other place to put snow here. The Suburban snow went in the street.

Once I cleaned off the bus, I backed it back up the driveway. I would need to gun it out of the drive into the street. Only the momentum established by this heavy vehicle would propel me 1/2 block to the next street over-which had been plowed. My city only plows the main arteries in a neighborhood. I would be on my own, getting to that plowed street.

Before I left for work, I had to take more pictures. We had a landscape/weather event, and I am a fan of such. I am trying not to think about another snow storm, as the snow piles are 6 feet tall from this one storm. But all the snow was beautiful. I shoveled the upper deck myself. The snow was dry and powdery-I just pushed it off the deck into the yard.

My winter pots had a look this morning not of my own creation. Given a rock solid construction, they were unfazed by all of the snow. Just so much better looking. So striking, the forms generated by the snow.

These plastic picks with rhinestone dots were unbowed, and still glittering this morning.

The fountain yard was sculptural beyond anything I had been able to achieve with this space. It was corgi-proof. Even Milo would not venture off the bottom stair. I love the peace and quiet of it. How the landscape is muffled.