Pots aplenty

[scentedgeranium]

I have a massive collection of pots and planters. But I seem to fall short in providing year round interest. It's all over after a burst of late spring-mid summer!
Tell me or better still show
Me some of your pots
Thanks! X

Sedges are good for winter - they look like grasses but are generally smaller. You can get variegated leaves or bronzy coloured leaves.

For late summer, as a rule of thumb it's the daisy like flowers that work - cosmos, asters, calendula, corn marigold etc. Also nastutiums, which will trail nicely out of the pots and look quite luxuriant. I grew an Onorpordum thistle last year - statuesque plant covered in white down, with big purple thistle flowers later in summer. - I've got another seedling coming for this year.

Once we're out and about again, try visiting garden centres later in the year to see what's around. I heard someone on the radio say, quite a few years ago, that in the UK, we burst into the garden centres as soon as the good weather arrives and buy everything that's looking good, then do very little plant buying from then on - hence UK gardens have a burst of colour in spring and earlier summer, and look relatively drab come August.

oooo I've sown some Cosmos and have some nasturtium seeds which I will think about sowing this week. Thanks!

In my courtyard pots, Bamboo, Fatsia Japonica, olive trees and Rhododendron provide winter green. Bulbs, Azaleas, wallflowers, clematis and winterbox join them in spring. In summer, bedding plants, roses, hydrangeas, summer clematis, pinks, Cordylines, palms, begonias, geraniums, Agapanthus, lavender, lilies, herbs and Salvias in summer.
It’s a large courtyard.

I'm a sucker for fuchsias, which are great for late summer. I have 3 in pots, although 1 didn't do great last summer.

I had some zinnia which kept on flowering until the frosts, too.

Nasturtiums are good, mine were still flowering sparsely until it snowed in February, as were my geraniums. Winter flowering pansies (Cool Wave) seem to flower all year round here as well (London).

Beebumble your courtyard sounds great. I have a small courtyard and am struggling to find a way of raising my pots above the ground in order that it doesn't look like a garden centre sale tray. Have you any tips, please, for adding height?

Yes, percheron67 height is essential. Fortunately the previous owners had gathered a collection of bricks elsewhere in the garden. I use them to raise pot up, also for smaller pots I’ve used metal trivets, found in charity shops. Also my DH used a pallet to make a raised bench to go along the back for some pots, with others on the ground in front.
I also put bricks into the larger pots and put the pot, usually plastic containing the plant inside. This raises the plant up, but uses less compost.
The clematis are in pots with obelisks, cheap ones from Wilkos, which have weathered down to look like old zinc. I try to buy my pots when there’s offers at the garden centres, even a cracked pot can be rescued with superglue.
It worth getting a couple of large statement plants while you wait for others to grow.

So many ‘alsos’. Sorry.

@percheron67

Beebumble your courtyard sounds great. I have a small courtyard and am struggling to find a way of raising my pots above the ground in order that it doesn't look like a garden centre sale tray. Have you any tips, please, for adding height?

Last year I bought some great planter stands from Lidl www.lidl.co.uk/en/p/gardening-event/florabest-plant-stand-or-plant-stand-set/p41143

For the price they are really good quality.
I also have pots staggered on some left over breeze blocks I had and even some stands made out of an old pallet.
I made a shelf display for my succulent collection out of an old wooden ladder and even a old childs knome seat now is home to a pot

We have a knackered old wooden ladder as well - looks lovely, but you can only fit little pots in there. We've got an old cable reel which has a lots of pots on, and doubles as a coffee table.

My Fatsia Japonica is very happy in its pot, and has grown really quickly. I like box balls in pots but mine got the dreaded blight...

There's a bit on last Friday's Gardeners World about creating a pot display - some nice combinations. I always feel like they need to put the lists of plants online somewhere, like they post the recipes for cookery shows online - I find myself frantically scribbling.

I've been trying to add evergreens to my patio garden this past couple of months. I've now got a cherry Laurel, couple of viburnums, azalea and rhododendron and will add in seasonal flowers - sowed cosmos and will also sow plenty of nasturtiums, thunbergia, and lobelia, as they all looked great last year right into autumn. I have a sunny garage wall and grow runner beans up it as I love their red flowers too.
It's all about the year round interest!!
On my wish list would be a Christmas box, witch hazel and a prunus autumnalis (although in the ground) there's something very special about those pops of colour in an otherwise barren winter garden .

Many thanks to all who have shared their pots! Can I put in a plea for some photos? I too am trying to really think about evergreens and year round interest. I recently had a revelation that it isn’t all about cottage garden flowers!!!

I’ve been gathering over the years fewer but larger pots. And raising them up on bricks or other pots turned upside down.

I had small rhododendron, a fig, a late clematis, jasmine, sedum spectabilis, pittosporum, a couple of small trees. A crab apple and a albizzia.

They all add height.

Cosmos are brilliant later on, as are dahlias, but need big pots.

Begonias do well in pots and give some late colour to shady corners.

This site has a few ideas www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/10-easy-care-evergreen-pots-for-year-round-impact/

I had a completely potted garden that moved from one rented property to another. I used a combination of upturned pots and old bits of wood to create height. It was great because you could rotate when things were at their best. I now have a garden with actual beds and it is much harder to get the same height and look I achieved before (second spring in this house).

Can I ask what everyone puts in their pots, soil wise? Do you use top soil?

Put tulips in them in spring that have been planted the late autumn before. Then once the tulips are finished ditch them, and replace with a) freesias and gladioli (there are some elegant ones) that have been started around now in garden bag/planters from wilkos which can then be transplanted into your pots and b) alliums/geranium mix which have also been put into the garden bags and started around December. At the end of the year, put the allium/geranium pots back into the wilko garden bags and put new tulips in your pots for next year. You will need to plant new tulips and freesias each year, but the geranium/allium will come back year after year. Costs you two afternoons and about £50 for 3/4 year interest (apart from winter).

@hotcrossbun99

Can I ask what everyone puts in their pots, soil wise? Do you use top soil?

Top soil won’t coin gain enough nutrients for growing in pots. I use compost. John innes no 3 is my favourite but can work out expensive if I have a lot of posts to do so will use Miracle-Gro All Purpose which I buy in Wilko for £4 for 50litres. The John Innes is £3 for 10 litres so quite a difference.

Then you have Ericaceous compost for if you plant Azaleas, Rhododendrons and Camellia as they don’t like lime so need a special compost suitable for their needs.

I also use a bit of coconut coir. It expands to retain water but has very little in the way of nutrients so I usually add some slow release pellets.

Proudboomer thanks, I'll have a little trip to Wilkos x

@LittleWingSoul

I had a completely potted garden that moved from one rented property to another. I used a combination of upturned pots and old bits of wood to create height. It was great because you could rotate when things were at their best. I now have a garden with actual beds and it is much harder to get the same height and look I achieved before (second spring in this house).

That's a lovely garden.

I have a huge amount of pots. I have interest all year and try to provide a bee, bug and bird friendly garden.
For year round interest you can't beat large architectural plants like Hardy ferns, cordylines, fatsia japonica, grasses etc.
Also smaller architectural plants like globe thistles, alliums.
I have lots of year round bulbs planted starting with snowdrops, crocus, daffodils, bluebells and on.
As long as the pot is big and tall enough I have climbers - clematis from spring to autumn ones, honeysuckle, jasmine.
Hebes and other shrubs are good all rounders.
Plus pots full of Succulents, wildflowers and spring, summer and autumn bedding.
Perlagoniums last well into November in a sheltered spot.
I put things in pots that can take over like buddleja and bamboo.
I always use peat free compost.

Can I ask, would dahlias work in larger pots? I have tried a couple this year and I await to see the outcome!

Yes dahlia do well in pots.
Here
www.sarahraven.com/articles/growing-dahlias-in-pots.htm
Sarah raven gives great advice on growing dahlia in pots. Great video well worth a watch.

@Proudboomer - Thank you. I will take a look.