RAINBOW BRIGHTS
Plant choice is crucial for a rich feast to last until the autumn ...
THe Britain in Bloom event is limbering up for another flower-filled summer. Gaily planted pots, tubs and baskets will cheer up our High Streets, making shops and pubs even more welcoming. most of us love all that colour. But public displays are planted for impact, to be glanced at in passing. At home it’s different. We see our gardens every day and for longer periods of time, so the pleasure runs deeper. And with the milder autumns, a great summer show can last until November.
Plant choice is critical if you want lovely containers. Colour combinations matter a lot and we should also consider how well species work together, and how long they’ll last. This may seem complicated, but it isn’t. If you love plants, you’ll come up with gorgeous schemes almost by instinct.
Showy plants are needed for focal points, such as dark-leaved cannas, standard- trained fuchsias or tall dahlias. For an even grander effect, I use tender shrubs such as Abutilons, oleanders and the gorgeous mauve- flowered Australian hibiscus, Alyogyne huegelii.
On a smaller scale, tall pelargoniums such as Purple unique or variegated Caroline Schmidt make lovely features. For a tropical touch you could use palms or banana plants.
BLENDING IN
AFTER placing the star performers, it’s easy to complete arrangement with infill plants. Lower-growing, bushy or sprawling varieties will soften hard lines, help conceal the containers and enhance the ‘stars’.
Go for a super-flowery effect with petunias, lobelias and the like, or keep it simple with decorative foliage. But a mix of flower and leaf usually works best.
Bushy plants tend to sit atop containers like ice cream in a cornet. To soften the look, add trailing plants such as silvery Dichondra, Helichrysum petio
lare or plectranthus to tumble down the sides.
For hanging baskets or wallmounted containers, create clouds of floral colour with
perennial nemesias. Nemesia Confetti, has masses of tiny fragrant white flowers for months. Karoo varieties come in blue, pink or white. Try mr-fothergills.co.uk.
mixed containers are easy to manage. Always use good quality compost and water regularly. I feed my pots fortnightly with general purpose liquid fertiliser until late June then switch to high- potash tomato feed.
SPECIAL EFFECTS
We’Ve looked at individual container schemes so far. If you want a garden with randomly arranged pots be aware that they can look untidy. This can be avoided if you create linking themes of similar plants.
It’s good to make changes during summer, too. Fuchsias are lovely, but look the same day after day. A pot of intense blue Agapanthus, however, creates a sensation for a few August weeks. And a tub of pineapple lilies, Eucomis comosa, gives drama in September.
Above all, be daring. Late, great plantsman Christopher Lloyd would mix scarlet, shocking pink and dazzling orange with gorgeous results. And, if people hated it, he didn’t care tuppence. So always plant what you like best.