Every homeowner wants the kind of gorgeous, luxuriant patio that graces the pages of home and garden magazines. Imagine: relaxing in the sun, surrounded by sprays of blossoms and verdant greenery tumbling from elegant planters.
When landscape architects and contractors see those magazines, they think about the maintenance involved. Who will tend those containers between landscaper visits? How do we prevent the homeowner from overwatering? What about drainage? Do the planters have to return to the same spot year after year to cover the rings and water stains left behind?
Those are the questions that led awardwinning landscape architect and contractor Jack Barnwell to create Aquapots, a one-ofa-kind self-watering container disguised as a stunning ceramic pot.
“All of our clients are looking for something really spectacular, ” Jack said. “A lot of clients are looking for beautiful planters on their patios and lanais. They want them to be super clean and low maintenance, with gorgeous, lush looks.”
Jack set out to design a planter that would keep plants fed and watered in between landscaper visits. It’s so practical, homeowners could easily maintain their containers on their own without dragging out a hose every day or worrying about drowning their flowers.
Small Aquapots can go a week between waterings, while large versions can last as long as a month. What’s more, Aquapots require up to 75 percent less water than drip-irrigation pots of the same size.
Like many self-watering planters, Aquapots feature a water reservoir in their base. That is where the similarity ends. Plastic pots have reservoirs filled from the side. They allow debris to enter, and they are prone to clogging. The Aquapots reservoir is filled through a discreet tube that pokes through the surface of the soil.
Aquapots have no bottom drainage hole, so they don’t stain the deck or patio beneath them. A small hole in the side of the pot at the top of the reservoir prevents overfilling, even after a heavy rainfall. The enclosed system eliminates fertilizer leaching and runoff. Jack recommends pouring a scoop of Proven Winner Continuous Release Plant Food into the reservoir before filling it with water. Over time, rich, fertilizer-infused water wicks up into the soil, feeding and nurturing the plants with little to no effort.
