Sort patio pots
Has your container collection got the upper hand? Try our tips for a clutter-free patio
1 DON’T BE SENTIMENTAL
Ask yourself which of your collection you actively chose, and which you’ve inherited from someone else. It may be that some of the plants hold sentimental value – a cutting from late Aunty Pam perhaps, or a plant the cat loves chewing. Taking each plant in turn, ask whether it’s beautiful or useful and if it’s neither, replace it with something that is, such as these fabulous tulips with a flowering Choisya ternata and wisteria behind.
2 ASK YOURSELF WHY YOU COLLECT
Chances are you’re slowly amassing a collection of favourite specimens but have nowhere else to plant them. They might need special soil, or threaten to take over the borders if you set them free. Or, you’re growing the plant close to the kitchen window where you can keep an eye out for slugs. Few of us have space to grow fussy plants nowadays: it’s wiser (and cheaper) to stick with those that will thrive in your given site and soil. Besides, plants don’t really like being grown in pots. They’d rather sink their roots into garden soil where they have access to moisture and nutrients during a dry spell.
3 SLING OUT THE DEAD
Remove all dead and diseased plants from your pot collection. Compost them, unless you see signs of contagious plant disease. If you love nothing better than to nurse sickly plants back into health, put them somewhere out of sight while they recuperate.
4 STREAMLINE MATERIALS
Pots come in all sorts of colours, shapes, sizes and materials. Generally speaking, terracotta pots allow water to drain away faster than plastic or metal; metal pots can become overly hot in summer; plastic pots tend to deteriorate in sunlight. If you’ve collected at least one of every type and colour, now’s the time to recycle them at the local tip and treat yourself to a nice matching set. One exception to this is if you put identical plants in mismatching pots. Here, the red pelargoniums do the job of holding the collection together.
5 THREES, FIVES AND PAIRS
Remember that truism that you should always plant in threes or fives for a natural look? This holds true for container collections too. Group them in odd numbers and make sure both pots and their contents look attractive together. In addition to your three or five patio pots, it’s probably ok to position identical pots on either side of a doorway too. Happy culling!