Will I ever find a use for old plastic rose and clematis plant containers and what/ how many plastic plant pots do you keep?

[H0sta]

Cleared out the shed, I have way too many old plastic pots. Dh is insisting I get rid of some so we can fit tools in the shed. 😳So which ones do you keep and how many? Will I ever find a use for old David Austin pots?

I have some of these taller pots which I keep for a very specific reason.
I buy small clematis plants very cheaply from shops like Morrison and Home Bargains. Often 3 for a fiver cheap.

If I plant them straight in the ground I find they are wispy little things that take forever to establish. If I grow them on for a year in my tall pots they establish a good root system and, when I plant them on they romp away.

All my unwanted pots I give to our local 'in bloom' group to use for the plants they sell on to raise money for charity.

I too have this dilemma @H0sta !! Sorting the shed/greenhouse is not my most favourite job - too many spiders in too many old pots for my liking! And each year, we keep some thinking they’ll be useful the following year.
Thank you @LunchatthePriory - I’ve purchased many of the 3 for a £5 plants, & planted them out only to be disappointed for the first couple of seasons. I’ll borrow your tip regarding the pots & growing them on. Thank you for sharing!

I put a vast amount of pots in the recycling shed at the tip last year, I haven’t missed any of them. I need to do the same again this year and clear out the ones I kept just in case. I’ll keep 3 tall pots as they are good to bring on rose cuttings, the large pots, 3 litre a few and a recycling bin full of small ones….thats it!

I used to keep loads and loads - like my stash of plastic bags before the 'bag for life' era. But in one of my various battles with shed mess and shed spiders I culled all but a very few.
I wish there was some way of avoiding the acquisition of them - degradable cardboard pots or something

Our local garden centre will take back all pots over litre size.

@DoYouWantHalfThisSandwich Another tip - when you pot up your newly bought plant make sure to set it quite deep in the pot. That way it makes more stems. If you plant it at the same level you end up with the one or two stems you started with.

Do the same when you plant it in the soil and you end up with a multi stemmed really strong plant.

Our local garden centre will take back everything - all sizes, broken whatever.

Very useful thread! I am decluttering plant pots too.

Thanks for your tips @LunchatthePriory hugely useful!

From April councils in England will collect grey and brown pots in the plastic recycling, I heard it on Gardeners Question Time on the radio.