Cottage containers

Not everyone has either the space or time to create a fully fledged cottage garden, but cultivating a few key plants in containers is a satisfying alternative, a means of capturing the essence of the style with minimum effort. Here are three container recipes to try…

Mini marvels

Patio roses ‘Violet Cloud’ (pictured) and ‘Pink Tiara’ grow just 50cm tall, thriving in pots set amid cosmos, lythrum, salvia, pinks, thyme and snapdragons. They flower best in full sun.

Choose single blooms to attract bees and butterflies.

TOP TIP: All-summer blooming

Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Purity’ is a biannual loved by bees, with feathery foliage and masses of pure-white flowers all summer long. Prolong flowering by snipping off dead flowers, taking care not to damage lower buds.

Annual cosmos is tender so do not plant out until all danger of frosts has passed.

TOP TIP: Gorgeous colour

The rambling rose ‘The Lady of the Lake’ is strongly scented, coping with some shade, and repeat flowering again in late summer.

Secure the long stems to an arched frame inside the pot, and deadhead and feed regularly, using a proprietary rose fertiliser.

TOP TIP: