So sorry that you lost your pots.
I was lucky that this pot broke in half. I dug it into the ground and planted in it!
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I've used smaller pieces inside of pots for drainage. You can always mosaic with the shards too!

If it breaks up and down, put it in the ground on its side and plant in it that way. They are beautiful and I have even seen some done that way at a hotel in Georgetown TX. they used an all year green type shrub that flowered but I think they are great with petunias.

I don't know if your pots are too large for this or not, but I had a regular clay pot, medium sized and It broke kind of down the middle...top to bottom. I laid it on its' side under one of my hostas and kind of pushed it in so that it was secure. I did that in the hope that the toad in my garden would find a nice cozy shelter....and eat the slugs before the slugs ate my hosta! :)
If it wasn't under the leaves of my hosta, I would probably fix it up a bit and maybe paint it and put a sign out front like my neighbour has that says 'toad abode'

I lost a large urn a couple years ago and it has been on its side, with the brken side down and coleous planted in it. I like it better broken than I ever did before. I have a smaller terra cotta planter in a similar fashion in the back yard with the broken side up. That particular little garden area is small and I sprinkled a lot of the broken pieces around like a mulch. They looked really cute with the broken planter. Both those gardens are in a kind of shady area and the pots do get some moss growing on them too, which I think is extra nice.

I am notorious for not getting pots put away before the cold weather breaks them. So I've used "half pots" like others described above and they do make beautiful "potted plants!"

Also everytime I break a dish or pottery I put the pieces in a certain garden area and add a bit more dirt ...my area happens to be a "lily" garden with a tall post in the middle with a martin house. I figure some day... someone will dig up that garden and find all the broken pottery...it will be like discovering dinosaur bones! What fun! Jeanne S.

Depending upon the type of pots, you can use the pieces for mosaics. I have seen some cool things done with broken terracotta pots along with stones embedded in concrete tiles to form a patio or patio border. I wish I could scan a picture out of a book I have to show you!

Thanks so much for all your responses! I'll definitely use them with my plants! If anyone has a picture of the pots used in mosaics with instructions, I'd appreciate receiving it. Thanks again. I can't wait to get outside today and start planting my pots! Jeani