This Potting Bench Is the Ultimate Gardener Gift

I have to say, there’s no piece of garden furniture that catches my eye and ignites my imagination like a great potting station. It’s a sensible piece, of course—full of function and utility—but that doesn’t mean I think sensibly about it. (Cut to me dreaming of the perfect place to put my pots, my tools, my neem oil…)

There’s something romantic and endlessly photogenic about them, too—to me, anyway. Case in point: the new Julia Berolzheimer x Pottery Barn potting station.  

Courtesy of Pottery Barn

What do I love about it? Well, there’s the beautiful sage green color and the distinct feminine aesthetic. I can wax rhapsodic about the not one but three drawers for storage, especially since I can never seem to have enough.

Then there’s the larger covered storage area beneath—perfect for keeping potting soil dry so it doesn’t get wet and infested with fungus gnats (the worst).

And what’s not to love about the ample area for potting plants, not to mention the wooden pegs for hanging tools and a shelf above for pots and sundries?   

Courtesy of Pottery Barn

It’s all in the style of Berolzheimer, an influencer and blogger from Charleston whose Southern style has captured fans nationwide—including this one in the West. A fan of Pottery Barn products, she’s the first garden collaboration for the brand.

“We were inspired by her distinct approach to design, her eye for print and pattern and love of entertaining,” says Monica Bhargava, the chief design officer of Pottery Barn. “[It all] translates beautifully in a way that feels fresh and modern.”  

More from this issue:

• Need Help Taking Care of Your Air Plants? We’ve Got Just the Guy
• Stroll Through Lotusland, the Fantastical Botanic Garden of Your Dreams
• What Happens When the West Coast Barbecue King Sets out to Conquer Fried Chicken?
• Add Some Color to Your Brunch with Edible Flowers

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The collection features other outdoor pieces as well, including a scalloped-edge etagere and a demilune table, both in Berolzheimer’s signature sage green, and various plant pots in green, sky blue, and crisp white.  

But, Berolzheimer says, “The potting station is my favorite piece—and it’s something we use inside our own home.”

I think it makes perfect sense to pull what’s classically an outdoor piece of furniture inside; the craftsmanship reaches a high enough level for it to be used in an entryway, a mudroom or even as an entertaining station. 

Meanwhile, I love the idea that a quick clean-up of the potting station outside could turn it into an outdoor bar or buffet, and for this I’d incorporate the collection’s green glassware and melamine serving ware and scalloped-edge lacquer serving tray.

Such versatility serves as a reminder of how best to use our gardens now. After all, they can be not only a place to plant and pot, to weed and harvest, but a space to entertain and enjoy.

Courtesy of Pottery Barn

Courtesy of Pottery Barn