Terracotta Pots

The terracotta pot is is a quintessential element of Italian gardens. There were many of them in all the gardens we visit. The problem with terracotta is, of course, that a solid frost will break the pot. What was particularly interesting in the Giardino dei simplici was that you could see how these pots are maintained and repaired.

Giardino dei simplici, Firenze

Of course in winter you have to empty terracotta pots and planters as they did in the picture above. I would even say that in a Canadian winter you should put them in some kind of shelter (I put mine under a porch), in case a rain is followed by a severe frost. 

One thing I noticed in the Gardino dei simplici was that you can also brace them with wire, as in the picture below. This might help them hold together even if they crack. It might also help them resist lighter frosts.

Even once they have cracked, all is not lost. You can drill a small hole on each side of the crack and insert a wire to hold the two sides together.

With help, some veteran pots seem to have survived quite a few frosty years as shown by their surgical scars.

Talking of years, I noticed that many of these pots had years printed on them, together with the manufacturer's name. Most were in the 1850s. It is hard to believe these pots could have survived so long, whether wired or not. Perhaps the year refers to the year the style of the pot was patented. However, all those I saw had different years.

I tried to look it up on the Internet. I found hundreds of people selling pots, but no information that would help understand to what exactly these inscriptions refer.
The large pots also have grooves at the bottom to facilitate drainage.

At the Giardino dei simplici, they also have a type of "saucer" to put under clay pots with a raised middle part, a style I had never seen before but which I see in other places in Florence.

 I end with the back of the garden's cat who no doubt helps a lot with mice, but  he is camera shy. He also seems to be an amateur of terracotta pots.