Photo by Michael Woodall

Spruce up indoor and outdoor spaces with beautiful basins and multi-purpose planters.

“The very ‘marks’ on the bottom of a piece of rare crockery are able to throw me into a gibbering ecstasy.”

So wrote Mark Twain in his 1880 travelogue A Tramp Abroad, in which the famed author devotes almost an entire chapter to musing on his collection of ceramics and pottery, while lamenting, “There were Masters in those days, but, alas – it is not so now.”

Too bad Twain couldn’t see into the future, where modern potters produce one-of-a-kind planters, and the forms themselves have moved well beyond utility and become an integral part of indoor and outdoor home decor.

Colorful pots and planters add a vivacious vibe to otherwise drab desert landscapes, says Jesse Winters, co-owner of Enchanted Garden Landscape, a Phoenix-based company that specializes in custom landscape remodels and installations. Sometimes pots work with existing splashes of color, as demonstrated by the cobalt blue pots in the above photo. “This collection of pots offers contrast in color, size and texture, which helps fill out the space and soften an otherwise expansive area of harsh, barren landscape,” Winters says. “The blue cobalt ceramic pots were imported from China and Vietnam. Their deep blue color relates to the pool tile to help create a peaceful, unified appearance.”

If personal tastes lean less toward color coordination and more toward the unusual, gardeners can grab peerless pieces like a pot made from recycled tomato paste cans, available at Figs Home & Garden. “It’s multi-colored – almost plaid,” Figs co-owner Jon Douglas says. “I bring the stuff from Haiti, and it’s all recycled metal.”

For an even funkier feel in the flower garden, witness the quirky pots of Cave Creek sculptor Mike Cone, whose whimsical works are often embellished with spines and feet, and sometimes incorporate found objects, like bottle caps used to create a floral pattern, or a large elementary school eraser for a repeating abstract pattern. “Each piece is hand-built. Every piece is different,” Cone says. “I think that’s why a lot of people like what I do. It doesn’t look manufactured.”

Plow on for more practical planters and eye-pleasing pots.

TOMATO PASTE CAN POT This colorful container consists of recycled metal from tomato paste cans in Haiti. Sure to bring countrified charm to any kitchen, these folk-art patchwork pots are durable outdoors, too. This one measures 18 inches in diameter and costs $129. Figs Home & Garden, 4501 N. Seventh Ave., Phoenix, 602-279-1443 figshomeandgarden.net

MEXICAN POT This Mexican Tecate-style pot features a hardy glaze that will stand up to the elements and blends well with desert colors. $44.50 as pictured. The Plant Stand of Arizona, 6420 S. 28th St., Phoenix, 602-304-0551 plantstandaz.com

MIKE CONE HANDMADE POT This prickly pot, with its mutant cactus-aesthetic, incorporates a modern look that still blends well in the gardens of Spanish or Santa Fe-style houses. Call for prices and availability. Baker Nursery, 3414 N. 40th St., Phoenix, 602-955-4500, bakernurseryaz.com

SPRING BLM 88 POTS These square containers are made from salvaged Haitian scrap metal. The smaller pot measures 4.5 inches in diameter and costs $10; the larger, 7-inch planter costs $28.50. Figs Home & Garden, 4501 N. Seventh Ave., Phoenix, 602-279-1443 figshomeandgarden.net

COPPER POT Add some Old World charm to your new garden with unusual items like this brass-handled antique copper kitchen pot from the 1800s ($189). Figs Home & Garden, 4501 N. Seventh Ave., Phoenix, 602-279-1443 figshomeandgarden.net

TALAVERA POT Hand-painted Talavera pots are all-weather. Glazed inside and out, they make eye-pleasing hosts for herbs, flowers and succulents. The planter pictured measures 26 inches long and seven inches deep, and costs $80. Desert Gardens Nursery, 21222 N. Cave Creek Rd., Phoenix, 602-569-1300 desertgardensnursery.com