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I have a couple of Whichford pots which I have had for about 20 years and no sign of cracking. I did manage to break one when it got knocked off the step it was sat on.

 

Probably 30yr ago now a mate who was into alpines went to pottery place to by British made terracotta pots for his auriculars, he brought me back a few pots, and I still have them, they are totally frost hardy and are not as smooth as the imported ones you buy, almost like the clay contains very fine grit, I think they fire them at a higher temperature as well.
Hand made and expensive even back then.

 

I like the look of terracotta. I splashed out for some Whichford pots a few years ago for some box that I've had for over 20 years. They look really good, made from a blend of British clays and are guaranteed to be frost proof for 10 years. Most of the other plants that I have in pots are only temporary for one growing season so I'm happy to use the standard "Bill and Ben" type pots from my local garden centre for those. They are usually empty over winter so I store them in the garage. If they crack, they're handy for the crocks in other pots! I've found that those ceramic coated terracotta pots last quite well and are probably less prone to frost damage.

 

Around about 2005 I bought a pair of Yorkshire Pots (Long Toms), these are completely frost resistant, large and heavy even when empty. Every summer they sit outside the front door, with dahlias, marigolds and lobelias in them. Fortunately they were in a sale at the time so I could afford the pair.
Other terracotta pots have been bought or scrounged or passed on to me.
I picked up a cardboard box full of second hand terracotta pots at a car boot sale for a fiver; these were all different patterns, sizes, textures and potteries, some must be over 100 years old and you can see they are handmade due to the fingerprints and such like.
I find that in many cases modern machine formed terracotta pots are made of a very fine slip and very smooth and shiny, this makes them less porous and less breathable.

 

I bought 3 hyacinths in a plastic pot from Sainsbury's this morning. Delft Blue.

 

That's what makes them frostproof.
Terracotta clay can be fired to a temperature of 1100 C, and stonewear clay, being stronger than Terracotta, can be fired to 1250 C so it withstands frost better than terracotta.
Porcalain clay is also very strong and can be fired to over 1300 C. That's why it can be made into thin cups etc. Terracotta would disintegrate if you tried making it as thin as that because it's a weak clay.
(I used to make pottery things and have a kiln, although I haven't used it for many years - maybe it's time I got back into ceramics !)

 

Touch wood (wrong metaphor!) @CarolineL, my el cheapo terracotta pots (Bill and Ben types) have made it through at least fifteen winters with me. Although I often feel cold, due to the fierce winds(!) it doesn't get as freezing cold as elsewhere and I do have a walled garden which probably helps.

 

That is interesting to know, @Michael Hewett. Would you say some plants do better in some fabrics than others? I like the porosity of terracotta for certain plants, including pelargoniums and tulip and even narcissus bulbs. The bulbs for instance, become less wet when in my terracotta, than when in thick plastic. Would you recommend some ceramics for particular plants?

 

I was thinking of an alpine tray, up thread, @pete, so that is interesting to know. It was the photo of @Victoria's orchid pot with all the different new plants in it, which I misread as 'alpine' for some reason. I am looking for alpine trays in terracotta, not orchid pots.

 

The place my mate went to is probably not there anymore, I haven't a clue where it was.
They were still making pots on the old wheel by hand so I was told.

 

It would be great to think there is a Potter somewhere in the UK still making them. The channel 4 show The Great British Pottery throwdown' ( I think it is called) seems to be mirroring the popularity of ceramics as a hobby at least. I might have a look at some alpine specialist places, to see what they have. Or maybe I should take up pottery.

 

Failing that, have a word with @Michael Hewett.
Potter extraordinaire.
He knows what he is talking about, unlike me.

 

Why don't you try a terracotta saucer, perhaps one for under a trough?

 

I always use terracotta for my cacti and succulents, because they don't keep the soil as damp as plastic, but for most xerophytes as long as there's adequate drainage they'll be fine.
I suppose with most plants drainage is important, because although they like moist soil, wet/soggy soil causes problems. So proper drainage is more important than the material the pot is made of, and when I use plastic for a cactus or succulent, I make sure there's plenty of grit mixed in with the compost.

For alpines you could use a bonsai tray, and those won't crack since they are not made of terracotta.

 

Thank you very much, @Michael Hewett. Maybe I need to get the drill to work on some of my plastic pots a bit more and I will look into bonsai trays (was that what I was thinking of!)
Yes those under-trough saucers might be good too, @Victoria, thankyou.