I tend to only get plastic too. All my ceramic pots I didn't buy... Hehe.

Asleep, that's funny! But very smart and I guess it works exactly the same.

I'm a huge yard sale and thrift store junky, and I'm always hunting for planters, I won't buy them brand new cause they're too darn expensive (except sometimes I do buy small Terra cotta pots from Walmart if I'm in desperate need of them but they're usually pretty cheap there). I've found some beautiful pots for under a dollar, I've even found beautiful bonsai pots for a dollar or two (and I've seen that they are pretty expensive brand new) and they make great planters for small succulent cuttings. I just found four gorgeous pots with drainage holes for a dollar each the other day at a local church owned thrift store that I can't wait to put plants in!!

I think the most I've spent was four dollars on some very large pots that where beautiful. And I collect these vintage pots that are from Japan, they're pretty small with drainage holes and each have a picture of a different type of plant on it, I have around 30 of them that I've found at thrift stores over the years, those are usually a dollar or two.

Yes, I'm a cheap shopper, I'd rather spend my money on plants then the pots lol.

I have a planter on my living room I paid $50 for on a $20 cherry wood stand. Too dark or I would get a picture of it, its a decorative thing with an Asian motive, koi fish painted inside. It was steeply discounted, something like 60% or more. It was a mothers day present from me to my mom, and am now housing it for her. It's going to end up with a plant in it of I am not careful, but it is huuuuge.

Other than that, $10 bucks and I better really want it and have a good reason. Otherwise, cheaper the better!

Hi

During a weak moment I paid 32 bucks for a fiberglass trough around 3 feet long and 18 inches wide . It was worth it as it had garlands and cherubs in strong relief and greek key around the edge lol Funny part is you have to lift the plants to see a small section . looks much like the one I built from leftover vinyl fencing.though no cherubs or keys

My main source is 2.5 gallon dollor store mop buckets . I do have to remove the rope and add holes

I recently bought one at a used furnishing store because it is 5 feet tall ,made of what I believe is brass for 10 bucks It came complete with a tartan plaid and a large group of plastic orchids Now I can spend another 25 bucks to make it look somewhat like a planter ?? lol

Out of over 200 plants only 4 are in "planters"

The "oddest " is probably the case that my funerary urn came in . I saw planter before I opened the box I am reserving the urn though lol

Some swamp petunias are happily flowering in it . Oh I did add a coat of black paint and glued the two sections together Got decorator written all over it lol gary

Thrift stores are a good bet. With a diamond drill bit, you can turn just about any glass or ceramic container into a pot with drain holes. Dollar stores, believe it or not, also have some nice looking plastic planters, that from a distance, look like stone or ceramic.

I also buy clay pots from Walmart, ranging from about 2-5 bucks depending on size, and paint them with acrylic craft paint, then seal them with acrylic sealer (inside and out). I can paint them while watching TV, which is relaxing.

Other things you can do with plastic containers is to use Mod Podge to glue fabric on the outside of them (think of the paper mache method). Glue strips of old fabric with a glue gun onto the pot, then cover with several layers of Mod Podge. It hardens pretty well. Use these indoors only, though. You can use old rope, or raffia as well, for sort of an earthy, natural look. No one will know that it was once a cheap-o plastic nursery pot.

Giant coffee cans can be painted and holes drilled in the bottom, although I find this to be a pain for some reason. Mason or condiment/pickle jars dyed with colored Mod Podge are kind of neat looking, too.

The possibilities are endless with glue, fabric, a drill, and paint!

NOTE: Ikea plastic pots are a waste of time. No drain holes!!

jentsu 926, if there is no drain hole I would assume the pot is intended as a cache pot rather than a planter. My house plants all grow in plastic pots but each plastic pot is hidden inside a ceramic one. I never pay much for them. One thing to watch in thrift stores is that planters are often there because the original owner found them to be too small or narrow.

True. What I found odd about the IKEA pots (esp the small ones) is that the shape wouldn't allow for another plastic pot, at least not the ones sold in garden centers in the U.S., especially if they were tapered at the bottom. Maybe they were meant for artificial plants. Not sure. For the price, though, I would expect at least one drain hole.

Like floral, the majority of my houseplants are in plastic pots which are then slipped into ceramic cache pots. I consider the cache pots to be part of my home decor (such as it is!!) and so they do need to meet certain appearance requirements :-) No coffer cans (do people even buy coffee in cans anymore?) or yogurt containers!! Mine have a theme in that they are all oriental in style and predominately a blue and white pattern to 'match' a blue and white Chinese porcelain collection I inherited.

I get my cache pots mostly from off-price outlets like Home Goods, Marshall's, TJ Maxx and Ross. I also look at thrift shops and the occasional garage sale. I think the most I've spent on a single cache pot is around $25.

Now outdoor containers are a different ball of wax entirely and since I garden heavily in containers, size and durability are key issues. I have a serious investment in frost-proof glazed ceramic containers, having several dozen of them in various sizes and they range in price from $250 on down but because of my business I am able to purchase them wholesale from the importer.

Nothing i just reuse things like a water bottle

I'm with gardengal! If I can't buy the containers that I like, I don't buy the plants.

I will hunt for good deals and sales, and know how to strike a bargain....but I will not use anything from the recycling bin for my plants. :-)

I use inexpensive terracotta pots and paint them or mosaic them. No two pots are the same, and the flowers and plants are well and happy in these timeless containers. Also, when the season changes and plants die, the pots can be cleaned and stored for next year.

I like collecting tins and using them as planters, you can usually find deeper ones for anywhere from a quarter to a dollar at thrift stores, and if it's for a shallow rooted plant I'll use regular cookie tins and sand off the nutritional information. As counterintuitive as it seems my aloe vera plants seem to go crazy for tins without drainage holes (although I have to replace the tins every couple years due to rust). I also keep a look out for unglazed clay containers at yardsales I really live finding decorative catchalls that can work, and I horde glass jars for my herbs and pothos plants (I'm going to be honest, it's at the point where I buy foodstuffs based on their packaging).

I like the decorating suggestion. I should try that. I have this hideous burgundy pot that I despise, it would benefit from either decoration (maybe) or from being replaced with a yogurt tub. ;)

Haha ilikecacti I just turned one of those plastic containers that cooked chicken in the grocery deli comes in, with the black plastic bottom part and the clear plastic top, into a container to let my succulent leaves to dry in. When they're ready to go in soil, I'll use it for that, too. It's going to be a good propagation container for shallow plants!

I love thrift stores, yard sales, etc. Dollar tree, dollar store, and like asleep in the garden showed in his pic, sour cream and cottage cheese containers. Anything goes for me...and I don't even have thousands of plants like he does!

I wanted a unique planter for my mailbox post...found this SnapPot planter on Amazon. Went ahead and bought one for $90. This is my 2nd year of continued use and it still looks great. A neighbor who liked it so much did the same...thankfully a different color.

The only pots I buy are unglazed clay. Most of my pots are plastic that came with plants in them, or repurposed items like 5-gallon buckets. For something that big, clay would be too heavy anyway. I don't have any pots smaller than about 8" across the top, except sometimes just for winter, they just blow around too much.

I just thought of this thread after finding some cute things at a yard sale yesterday. I just love yard sale season!

El cheapo here found them for 25 cents each...

I would put Christmas Cactus in those pots Bethany Cousins :)