Terra cotta pots are ubiquitous in the gardening world and for good reason. Affordable, breathable, eco-friendly, and available in just about any size you can think of, terra cotta standard pots can be used as-is to plant indoor or outdoor specimens.

• Have a really pretty pot without a drain hole? Plant directly into a terra cotta pot, then slip that inside the fancy one. The plant can be removed to be watered and left to drain, then popped back into its dress-up outfit.
• Plant spring bulbs into larger terra cotta pots, then sink them into the ground up to the pot rims. Once the bulbs are finished blooming and all that's left are the not-so-attractive leaves, dig the pots up and set them aside until next year. New pots planted with summer annuals can replace them.
• If you have a houseplant that doesn't seem to be doing well in plastic, try planting it in a terra cotta pot. It may just need a more porous home, and a glazed terra cotta saucer will prevent any leaks. 
• Make an olla, a terra cotta watering pot. Plug the bottom hole with a waterproof substance, then sink the pot into the ground next to the plant(s). Fill with water to the rim, place a cover over it (terra cotta saucer works), and within a couple of weeks, the plant's roots will migrate toward the porous terra cotta pot and "self-water." Just keep the clay pot filled.  

The uses for terra cotta pots are endless and are limited only by one's imagination.