Wrinkled skin and all, this green elephant pot caught my eye at Barton Springs Nursery a few weeks ago. As I looked it over, I noticed it lacked something important: a drainage hole in the bottom. A drainage hole is essential to a potted plant’s health, even its survival. Without a hole, a pot’s soil gets saturated when you water it, and the plant essentially drowns. Not good. Luckily, it’s pretty easy to drill a drainage hole, even in a ceramic pot like this one.

A masonry bit and an electric drill are all you need. Masonry bits, like all bits, come in different diameters. For drainage, a bigger hole is better, but it all depends on the size of your pot. I usually keep two sizes of masonry bits tucked in the package shown here, and the one I used is probably a 1/4-inch bit, not 1/8-inch. To ensure good drainage, I drilled three holes spaced an inch or so apart.

Turn your pot upside down to drill it. If the top is uneven, as with my elephant pot, have someone brace it for you so you can drill straight down (not sideways as shown in my quick-snap illustration). If your bit slips when you start drilling, stick a piece of masking tape on the bottom and drill through that. Don’t lean on the drill, lest you break the pot. Just apply regular pressure and let the bit slowly work its way through.

If you notice heat build-up during the drilling process, turn off the drill and occasionally wet the pot bottom to cool the ceramic, especially if the pot is thick and it takes a while to drill through. This wasn’t a problem with my thin-skinned elephant pot.

I decided on a ‘Dragon’s Blood’ sedum for the elephant because its rusty red and green coloring harmonized with the pot color. I put a couple of broken shards of terracotta in the bottom to keep soil from washing out of the new drainage holes. When I pulled the sedum out of its nursery pot, I found it was too big to fit in the little elephant pot, so I pulled off about a quarter of the soil on the bottom (taking off some roots in the process, but succulents are tough) and a little around the sides as well. I popped it in the pot and filled the gaps with a fast-draining cactus potting mix I bought at the nursery.

Finally, I topped the soil with a thin layer of pea gravel for a finished look and to keep soil from splashing out. For small pots like this, you can also use aquarium gravel or vase-filler pebbles found in the home-decor aisle of stores like Target.

Ta-da! You might think of it as a dragon riding an elephant.

Once you feel confident using your masonry bit, you’ll probably find all kinds of containers that can be turned into succulent planters. Years ago, I drilled this two-piece chip-and-dip set and planted it with a variety of succulents, accented with turquoise glass beads and chunks of blue slag glass.

It’s gone through various replantings over the years, but I still love it.

While rooting around in the garage for the masonry bit, I unearthed this old frog pitcher, and now I’m wondering if it would make a good planter. What do you think? Maybe string-of-pearls senecio dripping out of his mouth?

I welcome your comments. If you’re reading this in an email, click here to visit Digging and find the comment link at the end of each post.
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Digging Deeper: News and Upcoming Events

I’ll be speaking on April 30, noon-12:30 pm, in Cedar Park, Texas, at Hill Country Water Gardens & Nursery’s Lily Blossom Festival. My free talk is called “How to Garden Water-Wise, Not Water-Wasteful.” An old proverb reminds us that The frog does not drink up the pond in which he lives. Don’t be a water-guzzling frog! I’ll be sharing my tips for making a garden that is water-wise, not water-wasteful. Stick around after my talk for a book signing, with autographed copies of Lawn Gone! and The Water-Saving Garden available for purchase.

Come see me at Festival of Flowers in San Antonio, May 28, time TBA. Learn more about water-saving gardening during my presentation at San Antonio’s 19th annual Festival of Flowers. I’ll be at the book-signing table after the talk, with copies of both The Water-Saving Garden and Lawn Gone! available for purchase. Tickets to the all-day festival, which includes a plant sale and exchange, speakers, and a flower show, are available at the door: $6 adults; children under 10 free. Free parking.

Do you review? Have you read my new book, The Water-Saving Garden? If you found it helpful or inspirational, please consider leaving a review — even just a sentence or two — on Amazon, Goodreads, or other sites. Online reviews are crucial in getting a book noticed. I really appreciate your help!

All material © 2006-2016 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.