David, they do make nice baskets, but if you want it to hold soil for more than a year or two, use a couple of layers of palm leaves. Like anything natural, they will rot quickly if kept moist. I can't use them here even for my orchids, which are very light and have very open medium, not soil. The humidity, and heavy rain in summer just rots them in one season.
You come out one day and your plant has fallen through the bottom of the basket . . . They would last better in your dry climate, though.
