Alan on planting perfect pots
Go back to basics with Alan’s guide to creating perfect pots bursting with colour every time
Containers provide unrivalled versatility. You can change the display at will – two or three times a year if you’re so inclined
Some do it because they have to, others do it because they want to – however you choose to do it, container gardening is universally popular for so many different reasons. For a start, it offers opportunity as well as flexibility. No matter how limited the space, there’s a container to suit it, even where concrete and paving has replaced soil, or high on a lofty balcony or roof terrace. Where there’s nothing more than a windowsill, a windowbox will bring the garden – albeit a bijou version – right up to the house, improving a view that might otherwise be bleak.
Containers also provide unrivalled versatility. When you plant up a border, the shrubs, trees, perennials and bulbs are there for the long term. In containers, you can change the display at will – two or three times a year if you’re so inclined – so the variation in colour scheme, scale and texture can be adjusted far more readily.
One thing I do recommend is that you have a smaller number of large containers rather than a larger number of smaller ones. Not only will you be able to produce a more dramatic effect, but the compost in large containers dries out more slowly in hot weather, reducing the need to be a slave to the hosepipe or watering can. And avoid too many different kinds of material – terracotta, glazed, plastic, artificial stone and the like. Stick to one or two materials and styles for a classier, more cohesive look.
If your garden is on chalk or limestone, thanks to containers filled with lime-free ericaceous compost, you can still indulge yourself with rhododendrons, azaleas, pieris, blueberries and camellias, which, in your native soil, would struggle to survive. Grow them in a lime-free compost mix, give them rainwater and your problem is solved.
There really is nothing that can’t be grown in a container. Trees and large shrubs should be regarded as temporary residents, but even they can be kept going for several years before being offered a change of home or a swift bit of root pruning and repotting. Well, re-tubbing. One thing you’ll quickly realise is that containers need to be stable, otherwise they’ll blow over in every passing breeze – weight is as important as size with hefty plants.
Pots of opportunities
There’s no reason why you shouldn’t grow all manner of vegetables, fruits and herbs in what can become your potted allotment, or a mixture of flowers and veg. Aside from the size consideration, the choice of plants and flowers, fruit and veg is entirely up to you.
Children anxious for their own bit of garden can be given a container of their own. It’ll be much better than that bit of root-ridden earth under a tree that you were thinking of giving them, knowing that the craze will fade in a week or too. Well, fade it might when conditions are as challenging
as that, but with a pot or a tub of their own, which is easy to access and less daunting in size, they’ll have far more fun.
More experienced gardeners can try growing exotic or less hardy plants in pots, such as lemon trees or banana plants. They can spend the summer outdoors, then be moved under cover over winter. Or a sink can be turned into a miniature alpine garden, now that rock gardens are so out of fashion. White porcelain butler sinks can be planted up as they are (leave the plug out to ensure good drainage) or coated in artificial stone, made from an equal-parts mix of sand, cement and peat-free potting compost, which will soon become colonized with mosses and lichens.
The potting compost you choose will depend on the nature of the plants being grown and the positioning of the containers themselves. On balconies and roof gardens, or with hanging baskets, weight will be an important consideration, so stick to
No matter how limited the space, there’s a container to suit it, even where concrete and paving has replaced soil
Drainage is vital in any container, so make sure there are plenty of holes in the base
peat-free multi-purpose compost. Longerterm plantings will enjoy the more durable nutrition provided by a soil-based compost, as will heavier plants and trees, which will have greater stability thanks to a degree of weight at the roots.
Drainage is vital in any container, so make sure there are plenty of holes in the base to allow excess water to escape. Plants really can drown if the compost in which they’re growing is constantly saturated. And it’s always a good idea to stand larger pots and tubs on ‘pot feet’ or bricks to help ensure the holes don’t get blocked and drainage is unimpeded.
Buying tips
When it comes to buying containers, you’ll find something to suit every pocket and, in some cases, overdraft. Genuine lead planters cost a fortune but will last forever (you can leave them to your children in your will), while plastic is much less expensive and often very durable, but choose carefully to avoid the effect being… well... tacky.
Remember that terracotta needs to be frost proof (many cheap imports are not and will crumble and crack in icy weather). Ceramic pots, too, can shed their glaze when the winter weather is less than Mediterranean. If you must have them, either move them under cover in winter – into a greenhouse or conservatory – or at least closer to the house, where they can benefit from the residual heat of the walls. Alternatively, lag them with bubblewrap, though it doesn’t look very pretty.
It’s the extremes that can be the Achille’s heel of containers: cold in winter and heat in summer. During hot weather, water your pots, troughs and tubs well each evening and they should last through the following day. But if you can’t guarantee such regular attention, then invest in an automatic watering system, with a network of small pipes and a mini-computer attached to the garden tap. These neat devices – which can be set to deliver water at a given time each day – are relatively inexpensive and will save the lives of your plants on those days when the sun beams down and everything in the garden is lovely.