COVER Turn your patio into a garden oasis
Transform your slabs this summer from a random collection of pots into a colourful border, says Greg Loades
Your patio is the perfect place to put plants in containers. By grouping and cleverly arranging the pots they can create as much impact as those growing in borders in the soil. Think about how different shapes and sizes of pots, along with various heights and colours of plants will change the display. Just keep moving the pots around until you’re happy with the overall look.
There are so many plants available in flower or in full growth right now that can provide instant colour and impact. It’s a great way to create an area inspired by grand herbaceous borders, but on a smaller scale!
Where to start
■ Look at the plants you have growing in pots and arrange the tallest at the back and the shortest at the front. This’ll give a ‘tiered’ effect that you see at many of the herbaceous borders at big, stately homes. If you have gaps, look out for new plants and pots that will be at the right height to complete the scene.
■ Consider what shape you want the border to be; they’ll have more impact if they’re deep rather than narrow, so it’s best to go for a shorter border and make it wider, than to arrange all your plants in a long, thin row. Deep borders result in more plants growing together at closer quarters, so you can create more combinations of different plants.
■ Positioning the pots to create a curvy edge can be effective, especially if the pots contain cascading plants along their edges to exaggerate the curviness, or, for formal borders with a path down the middle, you could arrange them in two straight lines.
■ Bear in mind whether or not the plants in your containers grow best in sun or shade. Sun-loving plants, such as roses, lavenders and perennial wallflowers, will still grow well in shade, but you won’t get as many flowers. Shade-loving shrubs, such as hydrangeas and camellias, can be scorched in full sun.