Accessorizing - the Garden, that is

[Not Afraid]

I'm in the process of landscaping my back yard. My friend, who is moving to Singapore, just gave me several bags worth of succulent cuttings. I will be mixing these in with other hearty plants and a few shade items for a comfortable, Spanish style landscape, but first I need to start the things in pots.

Now, large terracotta pots are NOT cheap, but I don't want to just invest in a bunch of cheap plastic ones that I really don't want sitting around in my yard. So, I'm looking for either:

A place to buy a bunch of large, cheap terracotta pots
Or a super cheap, almost disposable solution.
It's been a while since I've done any major landscaping..........actually, I've never tackled a project like this myself.

Any suggestions?

[Scrooge McSam]

I've never had much luck finding cheap clay pots, but then again I don't have a wealth of places to shop here.

A couple of years ago, I built some planters out of shipping pallets. Once you break them down, they yield a good little bit of lumber. I was quite proud of the results. But, you may not want to invest that much work.

[SacTown Chronic]

Oak wine barrels (half) work great. The downside is that they're not the cheapest option. On the plus side, they take up space so you don't need a lot of 'em and they can easily handle large plants and small trees.

[Stan4dSteph]

I would suggest picking up Sunset's book Container Gardening (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0376032081/qid=1122046174/sr=8-2/ref=pd_bbs_2/002-4420747-9920813?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) and having a look. You might consider planting in plastic pots that can be set inside the terra cotta so that if you want to move them, it will be easier to do without the fear of breaking/damaging your nicer pots.

You might look at Home Depot or Lowe's for lower prices.

Roger's Gardens (http://www.rogersgardens.com/) near Fashion Island is beautiful and may give you some ideas for planting schemes. They also have a large selection of pots, although the prices will likely be higher there.

[Not Afraid]

Well, my first solution was Home Depot. I got 3 large plastic terra cotta bowls similar to this one:

http://www.arizonapottery.com/images/wwm_2060.jpg?38558.5021527778

I'm going to start the succulents in these before transfering them to the ground. This will solve my immediate problem. Meanwhile, I can work on getting the rest of the backyard prepped for planting.

I will be

Killing the small amount of grass in the yard
Pulling up the brick area and separating the used brick from the new
Creating planting beds and patio area with the brick
Pouring gravel
Clearing the side planters
Planting herbs
Now, WHY is it so hot? I'm doing this on my own, which I don't mind, but the heat is gonna suck. :mad:

[Matterhorn Fan]

Are those vincas? If so, cool. My mom's keep coming back thicker and bigger every year. Brilliant summertime ground cover, pretty much.

[Not Afraid]

Those ARE vincas in that pot, but they are not my vincas.

My pots are now filled with a variety of succulents and I am covered in sweat and dirt.

Pretty!