HOW TO MAKE POT PLANT ART

•

When you’re mixing plants and planters and clustering them for effect, try to make your collection cohesive.

• In the table display opposite, the emphasis is on foliage – light, dark and variegated, both big and small. The red flowers pull your eyes to the arrangement. •

For an informal look, cluster your pots in odd numbers; even numbers are more formal. •

Different pot heights make the collection look substantial and give you a better view over your selection. When your plants are at different levels, more of their details also become noticeable.

•

Put one large pot at the centre of the collection, then smaller pots around it to create a notable focal point. •

Put several plants in together so you can’t see the potting mix – you want your pots to be bursting with foliage. •

Not all plants in a pot have to be the same – they just need similar sun and water needs. •

Look to create layers – perhaps with a tall variegated lavender

(Lavandula ‘Meerlo’) and a cheeky little variegated jade plant (Crassula lanuginosa)

spilling over the edges. Dahlias and kalanchoe

(K. blossfeldiana) can fill out the centre.