Recommendations for container flowering plants.

[chicagomum]

I am off to the garden centre this afternoon to buy some flowering plants to put in terracots containers in the garden to brighten it up (we will shortly be putting the house on the market). I'm afraid I'm not much of a gardener, so 2 questions

1. Is it to early to be putting them out?
   
2. What would you recommend plant wise that will provide colour and last for a good while?
   

TIA

[VeniVidiVickiQV]

pansies primroses and heathers

[chicagomum]

Will those last a few months and should I be planting now (or is it still a bit tto cold?)

[Squarer]

If you buy heathers, don't forget to buy some ericacious(sp?)soil - they don't do well in ordinary compost in my experience. Pansies are fab - don't forget to dead-head them regularly for a long show of flowers.

What about a hebe to add evergreen "bulk" - these are flowering shrubs and look great in containers - they don't flower til june (ish) but the foliage looks great in the meantime (can get them with reddy purple leaves).

[VeniVidiVickiQV]

yes - they are winter/spring plants that should last well. Hebe's are a good idea - cheap these days. Go to B & Q - they do multi packs very cheaply.

[chicagomum]

The garden is pretty well stocked with greenery. We had it redone when we moved so the shrubs are fairly well established but there is no other colour atm. I have several different size and shape terracots pots etc on the patio and one the walls ofd the beds and want to add a splash of colour until the the other flowers come through in the summer. (honeysuckle, clematis etc).

[chicagomum]

I mean terracota . I was in B+Q at the weekend getting supplies for my decorating and looked at the plants, but they looked a bit sad tbh. We have a lovely garden centre nearby which I'll head to this afternoon after dropping dd at nursery.

[chicagomum]

Bump, as I need to know if I should buy them this afternoon or is it too early to plant?

[Squarer]

You will be fine with pansies and heathers at this time of year. Try not to be swayed by the array of bulbs you will see at the garden centre - they might not last too long

[Squarer]

..and primroses of course!

[Eve2005]

i've got all my pots planted outside already, as they're in pots the roots are kept warmer than when they're directly in the ground so you can get away with planting alot earlier. all my bulbs have been coming up for the last week and i've got a few pots of primroses for early colour which have been flowering happily for weeks. as long as you keep dead heading them they go on for months til everything else is flowering.

[chicagomum]

Thank you everyone .

[Squarer]

Whaddya get then????
Saw some lovely primulas and pansies outside my local garden shop out on my walk this afternoon and thought of you!

[chicagomum]

I got some lovely pink primulas with yellow centres, a mixture of pansies (different colours and sizes), some pink windflower and belliss. I also bought some gladioli (?sp) bulbs to bloom in the summer.