You're currently on:
Your Pots And Aging
Age isn't necessarily a bad thing
With terra cotta you only have to be moderately patient. Leave it in the sun and it will soon acquire that white bloom that comes from salts leaching out of the soil. Most attractive! (Or you can fake it with a light mist of white spray paint.) Put it in the shade and it will darken and grow mossy -- very romantic!
It takes stone and other materials longer to reach this stage -- but there is a way to speed up the process. Rub the outside of your pots with yogurt or paint or buttermilk. Beer works too -- but the aroma may attract slugs -- which you really don't want! You won't see immediate results, but this little paint job will speed up the natural (and attractive) aging process immensely.
Isn't it nice to know that the aged look can be desirable??