1. Pots

2. Materials Clay Natural Materials (Rock) Plastic Mica Resin Cement
Fibreglass
Combination of the above
There are a variety of materials used for pots with the most common being ceramics (clay) although there are a lot of plastic training pots as these are very cheap.

3. Finishes
Unglazed
Glazed (Gloss)
Glazed (Matt)

4. Shapes Square Rectangular Round Oval
Octagonal
Freeform
Basic shape can be modified by rounding of corners, concave corners

5. Specific Styles Cascade Semi- cascade Slab Crescent / Moon Drum
Primitive / Freeform
These styles vary from the standard ‘tray’ type pot and are suited to specific styles of tree.

6. What do we look at when choosing a pot?
The Tree
Masculine / Feminine
Tree Style
Chinese / Japanese Influence
Size
Colour
Horticultural Influences
The shape of the pot should reflect the characteristics of the tree and not conflict with it.
Is it a specific style (literati, cascade ….) and the degree of masculinity / femininity.

7. Masculine or Feminine Masculine Feminine Combination of both
Thick trunk
Heavy branches
Impression of power
Angular
Rugged bark
Slim
Delicate
Fine branches
Round crown
Smooth trunk
The more masculine a tree the squarer / sharper edged the pot – more femininity the rounder and softer the pot
Combination of both

8. Specific Tree Styles Literati Cascade / Semi Cascade
Usually round pots with a diameter less than 1/3 the height of the tree (choose a pot that the top of the tree would look good in)
Cascade / Semi Cascade
Square or round
Ideally the pot width should be about half the span of the tree, and its depth no more than half the depth (height) of the tree.
Landscapes / Groups
Low pot or slab

9. Size
The width of the pot (a) should be approximately 2/3 of the tree height or width (b)
The depth (c), about the same as the width of the trunk at the point where the root flare ends (d).
Horticultural exceptions
These are the general rules for choosing the size of a pot for a specific tree.

10. Optical Weight
The pot should have the same properties as the tree as far as optical weight is concerned, usually if the visual mass of the pot is somewhere around 1/3 of the visual mass of the tree, it’s about right
Optical weight can be reduced by curving the side of the pot and changing the feet
Some small trees look big and heavy, they should have a ‘heavier’ pot of the correct size then a light delicate tree of the same physical size. Changing the optical mass of the pot allows the right size of pot to be used for the tree without affecting the overall balance.
Thanks to John Pitt for the photos

11. Optical Weight Optical weight can be increased by adding a rim
Thanks to John Pitt for the photos

12. Colour Colour Resemblance Colour Contrast Conifers
Use a colour similar to those found in the trunk or crown (foliage, flowers or fruit)
Colour Contrast
Colour wheel
Conifers
Usually planted in earthen colours
Discuss what colour pot to use with your tree.
You can choose a colour similar to one found in the trunk, foliage, fruit or flowers.
An alternative is to choose a contrasting colour using the colour wheel and choose a colour approx 120 degrees round the wheel (e.g. a blue pot for a red leafed maple)
Conifers are usually planted in earthen colours (browns and greys) in unglazed pots

13. Horticultural Influences
Drought Tolerance
Drowning
Root Disturbance
Temperature Tolerance
To make sure your tree will survive you also have to take into consideration the horticultural aspect of the tree species.
You might need to use a deeper pot than the ‘rules’ would suggest because the tree needs to have cooler roots or is less tolerant of drying out. Other factors include the ability of the tree to cope with root disturbance caused by regular repotting.

14. Match the Tree to the Pot
This is a section where you can discuss what type of pot would be suitable for each tree then reveal the actual pot used