Before planting season starts, I've got a question. Last year, my mother-in-law gave me a hanging pot thingy (yes, thingy is the best word I can find at the moment). It's a wood holder with two clay pots that slip in and are suspended by the pot brim and hang off the sides. Trouble is, the pots are clay. They appear to be the only size pot that fits it. The pots are so tapered that I can't nest another pot inside, either. Because they're unglazed clay, they dry out really, really quickly. I started them with verbena in the backyard. Too much sun, they dried out in less than a day, and the verbena was toast. I struggled with petunias for a bit, but not much more luck. I even used that lovely Schulz soil with the moisture crystals. Finally, I moved it to the front yard shaded porch and threw in a few fuchsia on markdown, because by now it was the thick of summer and finding plants of any sort was a bear. I ended up lining the pots with saran wrap, with a drainage hole punched in the bottom. Not elegant, but at least it didn't dry out overnight.

So, with a new year upon us, what can I do to these pots to help retain moisture? I'm not able to glaze them. Is there a spray that will seal them? Other suggestions? I've still got one of the fuchsias in my living room, same pot, but nested in a plastic pot without drainage and I let it sit in the water and soak it in. This won't work when hanging, and isn't exactly pretty. Any suggestions are appreciated.