Animal Pots

The Chive animal pots have no drainage holes and are built for use with a liner or grower pot inside, or for plants that don't need drainage: air plants, dried arrangements, or succulents in a managed liner setup. The glaze doesn't fade. The ceramic doesn't crack at room temperature. The design is specific enough that most people recognize it immediately and have a feeling about it.

The best decorative indoor planters are made from ceramic, look intentional rather than provisional, and are designed with enough specificity to hold their own on a shelf or windowsill. The Chive animal pots are ceramic, available in glazes chosen with care, and sized to fit the most common small plant situations. No drainage holes — use with a liner for plants that require soil drainage.

A ceramic animal pot works as a coworker leaving gift because you don't need to know anything about their interior, their plant situation, or their feelings about animals — the last one is almost always positive. No drainage holes, so pair with a liner for soil-grown plants. Glaze looks the same in five years.

The animal pots do not have drainage holes. They are designed for use with a liner: place a grower pot inside the animal pot, water the plant in the grower pot, and remove the grower pot to drain before replacing. Alternatively, they work well for air plants and dried arrangements that do not require drainage at all. Using them directly with soil and no liner is not recommended.

Small succulents and cacti work well in the hedgehog and the smaller animal pots — the drainage is correct for their needs and the size is proportionate. Trailing plants like pothos and small philodendrons work well in the owl and the larger animal pots, where the trailing element creates a visual relationship with the animal form that looks deliberate rather than accidental. Air plants work in the animal pots without any soil or drainage consideration. Herbs — basil, thyme, small rosemary — work well in animal pots that get direct light, which they need and which the pot does not prevent.

A ceramic animal pot with a glaze that doesn't fade is worth buying. A plastic animal pot with a drainage hole in the wrong position is not worth buying regardless of how entertaining the design is. The Chive animal pots are ceramic, glazed correctly, and sized correctly: 3 inches for the hedgehog, 4 for the owl, 5 for the bear. No drainage holes — liner required for soil plants.

A ceramic animal pot with a glaze that doesn't fade is worth buying. A plastic animal pot with a drainage hole in the wrong position is not worth buying regardless of how entertaining the design is. The Chive animal pots are ceramic, glazed correctly, and sized correctly: 3 inches for the hedgehog, 4 for the owl, 5 for the bear. No drainage holes — liner required for soil plants.

The Chive animal pots range from 3 inches to 5 inches in diameter depending on the design. The hedgehog is 3 inches — correct for a small succulent in a liner. The owl is 4 inches — correct for small trailing plants or compact herbs in a liner. The bear is 5 inches — correct for medium houseplants including small pothos and snake plants in a liner. All designs are intended for use with a liner pot inside.

Most people who have had to explain why their succulent lives in a ceramic hedgehog report that the explanation went well. The glaze is specific, which helps. The design is considered, which also helps. The explanation that there is no drainage hole and a liner is involved tends to arrive later in the conversation, at which point the person asking has already decided they want one.