Plants often suffer either from a lack of water or being over-tended. The results are unsightly or dying plants. When many people see a droopy, sick-looking plant the first thing they go for is the H20. More often than not this is completely the opposite of what should happen.

Our family, being passionate about plants and gardening, needed a way to water and feed our potted plants consistently. And after having used one of those attractive glass watering spheres, we discovered that they clog easily and hold a minimal amount of water. When the sphere did work properly, it was very difficult to visually determine if it needed to be refilled. None of these facts are desirable.

We needed a more dependable and longer lasting method to keep our plants lush and beautiful. So was born the Botanical Buddy: a handcrafted terra cotta self-watering system. Terra cotta has been used in one form or another for thousands of years and is porous in its raw cured state, which means it will only give the plant roots as much water as they need. It is completely natural, and it just plain looks good. The open end of the Botanical Buddy will accommodate the neck of a 1.5 liter or 750 ml wine bottle. By inserting the pointed end of the Botanical Buddy into the soil and inverting a bottle of water into the open end, the infusion of water/nutrients begins. There is no mess and you can easily see when the bottle needs to be refilled. To spice things up a bit, we decided to remove the labels from the recycled wine bottles and engrave them with various art and other themes. So now not only is there a practical application, but an attractive source of satisfaction.

Look for our 100 percent green, recycled, and Placer County-made Botanical Buddy, with or without a decorative engraved wine bottle, at Powder Craft or the list of retailers below.

Retailers:

Green Acres - Roseville (map) & Sacramento (map)

Hills Flat Lumber - Colfax (map) & Grass Valley (map)

Eisley Nursery - Auburn (map)

A to Z Supply - Grass Valley (map)