HOLE LOTTA LOVIN’

• Your unconventional containers need drainage holes so water drains freely through the potting mix and there is enough air so the roots don’t rot.

• Drill or punch 5-10mm dia. holes – the bigger the container the more holes you need.

• For a water garden, you’ll need to plug any drainage holes with aquatic epoxy putty.

Successful container gardening relies on using the right potting mix to suit your chosen plants. A quality mix is comprised of natural materials such as wood or bark chips that are partially composted into a rich, dark, soil-like texture enriched with essential elements vital to good health. Picking the right mix depends on your environment and your choice of plants.

• If your garden is indoors, choose an indoor mix to ensure it doesn’t attract fungus gnats.

• Dry-climate plants such as succulents require good drainage, so need a mix with high sand and/or gravel content.

• Many plants, such as roses, azaleas and camellias, prefer an acidic environment, and there are mixes that provide this.

• Mixes have all the nutrients needed to get your plants o to a good start, but they soon eat them up. You can add extra nutrients from a bottle or packet, but the mix will collapse in a year or two, meaning air and water can’t get to the roots and your plant will die. When water runs down the pot side instead of into the mix, it’s time to replace it.

7 RECYCLE – AND SAVE SPACE

For a vertical garden that’s different, paint up an old pallet and cover one side of the forklift slots with a piece of timber to be a shelf into which you place pots. Use hardwood pallets rather than pine, which will eventually rot.

8 STEP INTO LINE

A collection of old metal drawers will add a rustic charm to your succulent garden, but before you fill them up with soil and plants, first paint or spray the insides with a non-toxic rust inhibitor to prevent them from deteriorating any further.

9 IT’S GOOD TO BE COARSE

When planting succulents, use a mix specially created for them – it will include coarse material to allow excess water to flow away from the roots.

10 GO VINTAGE CHIC

Match the green of the sedum with the trim around an old enamel pot – kalanchoe copper spoons adds contrast and volume.

Most plants aren’t fussy about the type of container they grow in. Whether terracotta, ceramic, wood, metal, old leather or plastic, they generally work equally well. Just water according to your plants’ needs.