The plant is doing its job. The plastic nursery pot it came in absolutely is not. Most of us know this feeling: a beautiful trailing pothos or a shapely olive tree sitting in something that looks like it escaped from a garden centre skip. A cover planter is the simplest fix in home styling and one of the most satisfying. Drop the nursery pot in, and suddenly the plant belongs in the room rather than apologising for itself.

What separates a good cover planter from a mediocre one is whether it actually works within a colour scheme rather than just existing alongside it. Earthy terracottas that warm up neutral rooms. Glazed stoneware that holds its own next to linen and wood. Textured ceramics that add something even when the plant is being difficult about growing.

We have picked the ones that do real visual work. Not just containers, but pieces that make a scheme feel finished and considered from the floor up.