CARE FOR YOUR CONTAINER PLANTS

• Container plants are prone to hydrophobia. You see this when water runs off the surface of the mix and instead runs down the side of your container. To tackle this issue, apply a wetting agent in spring. Or replace the mix.

• Most plants need lots of sun, but there are plenty of shade-loving plants you can grow in containers, such as ferns, hostas, bromeliads, aspidistras, philodendrons and devil’s ivy.

• Many indoor plants such as crotons and dumb canes hail from the tropics or the sub-tropics, where they grow under the canopy of tall trees. They love the dim light indoors, but keep them away from drafts and windows facing the western sun.

11 PUT A RING ON IT

Repurpose an old steel wagon wheel to hang your traditional basket of petunias, verbenas and calibrachoas.

12 PACKED UP AND READY TO GROW

Old-fashioned trunks may not make the grade for modern travellers, but they’re a solid option for keeping seedlings tidy.

13 ALL STRAIN, NO STRESS

Holes in planters are essential, but too many and you may lose some of your soil. For a quick fix, line the base of a colander with coffee filters, then watch those sempervivums bloom!

14 READY FOR LIFT OFF!

Add slats to the underside of the seat of a vintage chair, cover them with horticultural fleece, pop in shallow trays of succulents, top with pebbles and you have yourself a li le raised garden. Succulents have shallow roots and don’t need deep pots with a lot of mix to grow.