June 06, 2023

An introduction to classic French garden pots, planters, urns, and olive jars

Oh, the joy of French garden vessels! France offers the highest quality of pots and urns, some of which have been handcrafted following traditional methods for centuries. These beautiful artisanal products cover a tremendous breadth of styles.

This article will introduce you to the following types of pots:

1) Anduze urns

2) Biot jars

3) Medici urns

4) Castelnaudary planters

5) Willy Guhl Eternit planters

6) Faux bois planters

7) Pot plant stands

8) Cachepots

9) Window planter boxes

10) Small flowerpots

11) Saint Jean-de Fos pottery

12) Orangerie Versailles planters

Chez Pluie is located in Provence and strives as much as possible always to have a complete range of French pots available for domestic and international online purchase. Special, unique, playful, enchanting, many of the pieces also are preloved so you can rest assured they are an eco-friendly consumer choice. To order directly from France, browse Chez Pluie's full collection of French planters. Or, first, read on to find out more about their history and what makes them so special.

Some styles of French pots are named after towns, communes, or villages, where a long established tradition of crafting ceramics has made the area famous. For example, earthenware vases have been made in Biot, a town in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region near Antibes, since the Middle Ages.

1) Anduze Urns - timeless, elegant

Anduze urns can be antique, vintage, or made new. They are classical in style with a bell shape and are named after Anduze, a commune in the Gard department of southern France, close to Uzès and Alès. Handcrafted using a centuries-old technique, this is pottery at its finest. Anduze garden urns are decorated with distinctive classical reliefs depicting garlands and the faces of ancient gods.

Antique French Anduze urn planter terracotta patina

Traditionally planted with citrus trees (like lemon, kumquat, or orange) these terra-cotta planters will add a formal French elegance to your home. Anduze urns also look striking planted with a well-trimmed topiary boxwood bush placed in a courtyard, entryway, or terrace.

Anduze urns come in a variety of distinctive colors. Through Chez Pluie it is possible to find antique or vintage Anduze urns, or to order an artisan-made pot glazed in your preferred color. The bespoke Anduze urn pictured above has a natural antique finish, and can be made to order through Chez Pluie.

Flame glazed green glazed anduze urns and olive tubes

Above are Anduze urns and olive jars glazed in beautiful honey, green, and flame. These are examples of some of the colors of the glazing that can be applied to Anduze urns. They can all be ordered online through Chez Pluie.

Bespoke hand crafted Anduze urns and coupes made to order

Blue Lagoon is another glaze that can be applied to bespoke cachepots, Medici vases, lanterns and Anduze planters.

Water repellant treatment for Anduze urns

If you live in an area where temperatures fall to below freezing, Chez Pluie can make sure a water repellant treatment is applied to your urn prior to sending - please request this when you submit an order.

Biot-style jars made in Anduze

Olive jars (pictured above) also were made in Anduze in the Languedoc region of France, inspired by the shape of the Medici urn. Traditionally they are very tall and glazed deep green. Although a very different design they served the same purpose as the olive jars from Biot.

Above is a Biot-style jar made in Anduze and currently available for purchase online at Chez Pluie. These jars are custom made by artisans in Anduze.

2. Biot Jars - the French olive jar

Biot jars are elegantly and bulbously-shaped, earthenware vessels that are glazed only on the interior and around the neck. Since the Middle Ages (at least) the Provençale village, Biot, in southeastern France has been making these pots. There is a unique quality to the terra-cotta from the region around Biot. Many of these jars are still displayed indoors today, but have taken on more modern usages: likely filled with branches, walking sticks, or used as a cachepot, rather than the traditional use of storing olives or oil. Antique Biot jars can simply be decorative objects too as they look beautiful without ornamentation. Either way, they evoke a quintessential Mediterranean feel.

Above is a magnificent, old, weathered Biot jar that was handcrafted in the 19th century. It is available at the moment for purchase online at Chez Pluie.

Contemporary Biot-style jars made in Anduze

As mentioned above in the Anduze urn section of this article, it is possible to acquire new Biot-style urns, as well. Chez Pluie has a range of artisan-made olive jars made to order from Anduze. Above is an example of one of the glazing possibilities.

For more detail on Biot Jars see "The Biot Jar - an ancient French tradition".

3. Medici urns - Classic beauty

Medici urns are named after a famous marble decorated with bas-reliefs made in Athens in the first century BC. Lost for centuries, this huge object, or krater, reappeared in Rome in 1598, discovered in the inventory of the Medici Villa. Since the late-eighteenth century the vase has been displayed in Florence at the Uffizi Gallery. It is a gigantic one and a half meters tall.

Vase top image

The krater has inspired many artists and designers - Stefano della Bella etched it (a beautiful example is in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago), JMW Turner drew it (Tate Gallery), Angelica Kauffman painted it (Attingham Park, Shropshire, UK), and Wedgewood imitated it - see above photo of the heart-stopping Wedgewood vase in the V&A collection.

The Industrial Revolution enabled manufacture on a large scale so it is possible to find many examples of Medici urns from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in an array of sizes, designs, and materials such as cast iron and even concrete. The above Medici urn is modeled loosely off the urns in French châteaux, where Medici urns ornament symmetrical gardens overflowing with flowers or perch on top of grand staircases and gateways.

Some Medici urns imitate the original krater by having handles, while others are looser interpretations decorated with lions' heads, dragons, or angels rather than classical figurative scenes. Above is a beautiful specimen currently available at Chez Pluie. Explore the full range of Chez Pluie's fabulous Medici urns!

4. Castelnaudary planters

Glazed green, these splendid garden planters from Castelnaudary generally date to the nineteenth century. Castelnaudary is a commune in the Occitanie region of France (a new region in the area of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées).

At the Mayor's request, Castelnaudary planters graced the boulevards of Toulouse during the mid-nineteenth century. As they have a drainage hole in the base they can be enjoyed as a planter or simply laissez-faire. Explore the Castelnaudary planters currently available at Chez Pluie.

5. Willy Guhl Eternit planters

Willy Guhl was one of the first industrial designers in Switzerland; he had trained as a carpenter before studying at the Zurich School of Applied Arts, where he later taught. Guhl experimented with new materials and became well known for his minimalist creative forms.

Original Willy Guhl planters buy online worldwide shipping

In 1901 Ludwich Hatschek discovered that a particular combination of asbestos fibers, cement, pulp mixed with water, and air would be frost-resistant. Hatschek patented this and named it Eternit. In 1951 the Swiss Company Eternit, commissioned Guhl to create a range of attractive, durable planters using Eternit, including the Mouchoir and Diabolo.

Willy Guhl rippled planter at Patina Farm

Willy Guhl's Mouchoir or handkerchief planter is a playful and elegantly simple design. They are particularly suitable for moss, succulents, or orchids.

Guhl designed the Diabolo in the shape of an hourglass. Pictured above is the spa of Gwenyth Paltrow's new home with two Willy Guhl spindle or diabolo planters under the glass ceiling. Guhl’s planters are highly sought after and increasingly hard to find. Each one is a bit different, they have rich patinas, and some deliberately were made to tilt.

Chez Pluie often stocks Guhl planters in different shapes and sizes, including square vintage planters and rectangular planters. At the moment there is a conical pot available (pictured above).

Photographed above are three lovely Willy Guhl Eternit planters. There is a similar rectangular set available as well. These planters will complement both modern and classic gardens.

Newly available also are two pairs of large Willy Guhl 'olive' planters. The pair photographed above are a rare piece, often called 'olivettes' for their wonderful round shape.

6. Faux Bois Planters

Faux Bois is French for false wood and refers to the method of making tables, chairs, and planters with stone or cement to mimic the surface texture of wood or rock.

Here in France, this technique is known as Rocailleur and was crafted by hand without gloves to give the style its delicacy and naturalness. Rocailleur objects were made mostly to decorate public spaces, often imitating whole trees. In the 1930s, masons who were skilled in the Rocailleur technique opened their own businesses and made faux bois furniture on smaller scales.

Chez Pluie's current range of Faux Bois objects include: a small flower pot, a double pot, and a pair of rectangular planters.

7. Plant stands

The various styles of pots, planters, and stands mentioned above can bring a French aesthetic to an outdoor or indoor space. Chez Pluie also has a number of other unique plant stands.

Currently in stock at Chez Pluie is a delightful Arras-style three-tier garden shelf made from iron with beautiful decorative details and horse hoof feet (pictured above). It's a very special piece and rare!

This vintage mid twentieth century wall shelf photographed above is made from wrought iron and has a white painted finish with beautifully detailed legs. Plant stands are perfect for summer blooms or filled with greenery, such as ferns.

8. Cachepots

Cachepots are ornamental receptacles that provide additional support to a vase of flowers or conceal flowerpots. Cachepots often are composed of glass, ceramic, iron, tin, clay, cement, or cloisonne and they do not have drainage holes. They are essentially a tabletop version of a jardiniere. Postioned on top of a bookcase, fireplace, or tabletop they look great filled with orchids, paperwhites, or ivy.

Above is a superb, large ceramic cachepot decorated with bearded Iris by Victor Amalric Walter (1870-1959). It has recently become available for purchase online at Chez Pluie.

This splendid late-nineteenth-century French copper and brass cachepot with lions' head handles and brass claw feet would look magnificent in a hallway, living room, or dining room. Its shiny and smooth texture would contrast well on a wooden table or in a room with stone walls. A cache pot such as this would make a special wedding gift.

9. Window planter boxes

Chez Pluie has a range of stylish rectangular planters that would blend well on an exterior window ledge. Willy Guhl's iconic examples have been featured above. Chez Pluie also has three rectangular Willy Guhl Eternit planters that will complement both modern and classic gardens (pictured below).

10. Small flowerpots

Chez Pluie always has a variety of small planters to choose from.

Pictured above is an unusual Castelnaudary planter with D-shaped handles from the late 19th- or early 20th-century. It was not glazed and so its beautiful natural coloring has been left exposed. It would bring fresh style to any garden or balcony.

Chez Pluie always has an amazing range of anique rustic confit pots, usually from southwest France, in stock. Confit pots are often smaller than other garden planters. Their portability means they can house plants that like to follow the sun from room to room or be brought inside during stormy weather. Be sure to purchase one with a drainage hole if you want to use it as a planter.

11. Saint Jean-de-Fos Pottery

Saint Jean-de-Fos is a small village in France where the River Herault emerges from its gorge. In the 1800s, there were over 70 artisans in residence. It is where a style of absolutely beautiful garden urns, planters, pots, and attractively shaped water jugs are made - some have brilliant and well-known French emerald-green glazes.

This vinegar pot is an outstanding example of the craftsmanship from Saint Jean-de-Fos that was recently available. Stay tuned for news of more finds as Chez Pluie uncovers them!

12. Orangerie Versailles Planters

In 1670 the Versailles planter was conceived by landcape architect André Le Nôtre. Le Nôtre is famous for designing and implementing the Versailles gardens as they looked in the 17th century. The classical grandeur of the vast gardens, which included focal points such as parterres (ornamental flower beds), bosquets (open-air rooms surrounded by high hedges), sprouting fountains enclosed by clipped trees and topiary, has influenced landscape designers and gardeners ever since.

Le Nôtre needed to find a way to keep Louis XIV's beloved exotic citrus trees alive over the harsh winter. The solution was to make the trees mobile by growing them in large wooden planters that could be wheeled inside once the cold weather set in. The design allows for the boxes to be opened so the soil can be replenished. The planters are still used today, but since the 1800s the frame has been made of cast iron. There are some wonderful videos produced by the Palace of Versailles on this subject. Naturally the planters are not limited to growing just oranges but boxwoods, hydrangeas, olive trees, palm trees, and topiaries will thrive too.

There is a pair of bamboo cachepot planters similar to the style of a Versailles planter that are now in stock at Chez Pluie. These would suit a garden room as they are fragile and should remain indoors.

The above pair of Versailles style planter frames are currently available on the Chez Pluie website. Made from wrought iron and from the nineteenth-century,

Finders Service

Coveting a product that is on reserve or was recently sold? Please feel free to engage the Finders Service at Chez Pluie, Susannah and Hugh will be only too happy to help.

Et voilà. Thank you for reading this article about French pots and urns. I invite you to explore the full range of garden planters currently available for domestic and international purchase from Chez Pluie in the south of France.

Image credit: Terrres Vernissees by Christine Lahaussois (French book), Chez Pluie Provence, AD France, Architectural Digest, Velvet & Linen (Patina Farm), Veranda Magazine

Frequently asked questions

1) Why does France have so many different kinds of pots and urns and where can I learn more about them?

Like many regions in the world, historically France has been a place that has a strong tradition of arts and crafts. The country is fortunate that many of these age-old practices have been preserved up until the present. The making of pots and urns is an example of one area which remains in the hands of artisans. Villages and communes dotted all over the large country became famous for their own specialized and idiosyncratic techniques of making ceramics, which were passed down the generations. These objects are made following precise methods that produce very distinctive pieces. Browse Chez Pluie's Garden urns and planters collection to discover treasures available for purchase. For more in-depth articles on specific types of pots, read Chez Pluie's articles "Medici urns and 13 decorative uses", "The Anduze urn: Timeless elegance", "The Biot jar: An Ancient French Tradition", and "Antique confit pots decorating ideas".

2) Are there any modern-style French pots or planters?

Yes, a number of styles of French pots and planters have been made during 20th century and 21st century, many examples of which are available for purchase online at Chez Pluie. Modern designs include the fabulous Faux bois style and charming Arras garden furniture. Willy Guhl has made some iconic modern planters, including the Diabolo and the Mouchoir. Browse Chez Pluie's Garden urns and planters collection to discover treasures available for purchase.

3) Where can I buy a second-hand French pot?

It is possible to buy second-hand French pots through Chez Pluie. These include beautiful contemporary pots as well as vintage and antique pieces. Chez Pluie's range is always changing and new. Exciting pieces are added each week, so be sure to check the online store regularly!

4) Can I buy pots to order?

Yes, it is possible to order custom-made pots and urns through Chez Pluie. These beautiful pieces are made in the traditional workshops in Anduze, France, following ancient pot-making techniques. The artisans of Anduze craft traditional classic Anduze urns and olive jars (also known as Biot jars).

5) What should I plant in a French pot and how should I display it?

Plant evergreen, woody foliage in pots and planters, such as boxwood, bay laurel, myrtle, and privet (these work well for topiary). Herbs, such as rosemary and basil look great in pots as well. Flowering fruit trees are also common choices for a French pot, such as kumquat, lemon, lime, and olive. Display your French pot in a garden, courtyard, porch, or indoors. If you intend to place your earthernware pot outside and you live in a region that is prone to freezing, it is best to line clay and terracotta planters with plastic liners and plant inside those to avoid the risk of cracking the pot. For more inspiration on giving a French feel to your garden read Chez Pluie's article, "Tips on how to create your French garden".