HERE COMES THE SUN TEAM PLAYERS
Now is the time to plot and plant for a sumptuous summer show
My summer containers might not all be carefully planned out, but I do start raising the plants each september.
so, by January, I usually know what will feature from may onwards. There’s nothing virtuous in that — anyone growing their own must start the previous autumn.
And whether you buy summer plants or raise them yourself, good planning results in a better show. summer containers can be the making of a garden. In large spaces they create special features. In tiny ones, pots or tubs may be your only option.
This is the perfect time to buy plants but check labels for height, spread and preferred growing conditions. If you’re not sure, seek advice or look online for details. And choose plants to suit your garden’s conditions.
For bright positions, plant sun-lovers such as petunias, calibrachoa and bacopa. For partial shade, begonias, fuchsias and impatiens will do well. If your plot is a mixture, select plants you love and see how they get on. Well-chosen summer annuals flower from now to october. most look best if teamed with foliage plants which stay fresh throughout the season. silvery Dichondra, trailing helichrysum and Plectranthus are perfect for that.
many begonias, fuchsias and pelargoniums combine fine flowers with beautiful leaves. They’re lovely on their own, but can also blend with companion plants.
sites in full shade are less easy. Trailing lobelias and busy lizzies cope well, but decorative ivy such as creeping Jenny or charlie — Lysimachia nummularia and
Glechoma hederacea — love shade. most ferns do, too and are happy in pots.
All containers must provide space for root development. use good quality compost and make sure the vessels drain freely.
hanging or wall-fixed containers must be secure enough to bear the full weight of mature plants plus wet compost.
never allow your containers to dry out. hanging baskets dry especially fast and may need watering more than once a day — especially in windy positions. you can reduce moisture loss by mixing water-retaining gel or absorbent products such as Perlite into your compost.
GO FOR IT
you never truly know a plant until you’ve grown it. so it’s good to be flexible and snap up a few impulse buys.
For large containers, you can compose strong features with a touch of the exotic. A big, darkleaved canna makes a bold statement but a banana plant would really turn heads.
you could team either with dark-leaved sweet potato, a hotcoloured dahlia such as Bishop of llandaff, coleus for jazzy nettle-like leaves or nasturtiums for cheerful blooms.
Don’t overlook hackneyed plants such as lobelia, snapdragons or busy lizzies.
They’re loved because they’re foolproof and can look superb in well-composed pots.
If you own valuable containers, such as antique terracotta pots, use plants to set those off, rather than encouraging them to flow over their sides.
Whatever you plant, be bold. The results may be disastrous or sublime. either way, watching the summer show develop can be thrilling and will give you even better ideas for 2019.