Suggestions for large pot by front door for incompetent gardener

[GoodLuckBabe]

Hi, so I have a lovely very large pot and I would like to plant something in it that looks nice to the side of the porch of my Victorian semi. I have tried doing this before and just don’t seem capable of keeping plants alive. It would be a South-West facing spot. Low maintenance and robust is essential as I am time-poor and not naturally green fingered it seems. Can anyone give me any ideas for what could work? I am open to different sorts of plants/small trees as there is nothing else out there at the moment. TIA

What about a hydrangea? I am thinking of putting one in a large pot myself 🙂

You could plant cyclamens now - they are low maintenance.

You will need to feed whatever it is you put in it now and again though

PS please show us your lovely pot! Am looking for inspiration

Where in the country are you roughly so that we know the climate?

I would go with a red leafed acer tree. They grow quite slowly so sgoukd be fine in a large pot. Then cheap and cheerful bedding plants on thr surface, such as cyclamen, violas and primula.

One house I lived in had a huge lavender bush by the front door, and it was lovely when you brushed past it, plus insects love it (so maybe less of a good idea if you have a bee allergy, although they just got on with being busy on the flowers.) So I might go for lavender (which doesn't need much attention,) and also put in some snowdrop and crocus bulbs, because those first flowers of spring are so important.

South of England

Actually I have had reasonable success with hydrangeas, but would it look ok through the winter? Hoping for something that can stay there throughout the year and look ok. I’ll try and get a photo of the pot a bit later! Happy to feed things, is that just a liquid feed? (See I am such a novice!)

A South West facing pot in the South is going to be too hot and sunny for an Acer or a Hydrangea. They'll be scorched in the summer.

How about an olive tree underplanted with succulents.

Rosemary, lavender, cordyline?

A slow growing small tree does appeal as it would have a bit of height and add interest to the front of the house. (I am slightly traumatised by a smoke bush which we planted 15 years ago as a tiny shrub and has taken over the back garden due to my lack of attention!)

You could cut the smoke bush back really hard in the winter and it will be just fine.

We have had flowering cherry trees in two large pots going for 23 years and I have done very little to them all that time (maybe added compost once or twice, watered in the summer but not always consistently. They are beautiful in flower and in leaf, and even with the leaves off they have a pleasant structure. I have them under planted with a kind of daisy now, which is pretty.

If you want something that is going to look good all year round and not lose its leaves I think an evergreen euonymus would be good or even two, you could pick one of the yellow/green varieties and one of the white/green varieties and put them together in one pot. They're pretty trouble free in my experience.
www.rhs.org.uk/plants/euonymus/evergreen-euonymus

Heather or lavender are low maintenance. As previous posters have suggested spring bulbs, pansies or cyclamens will look good too

I would go with lavender munstead and Erigeron for summer flowering and supplemented with narcissi, tulips and allium bulbs for successional spring flowers. Buy online now from Crocus. Plant the bulbs in Nov/Dec.

Thanks, is an olive tree quite robust? I have noticed a couple outside neighbour’s houses along the road, though haven’t noticed how long they’ve been there

Agree with @SeaAndStars - no sane person grows a hydrangea in a pot; they love water and hate to get hot. Olive trees are really slow growing and like being in pots. They are robust though in the summers we've been having, anything will dry out.

Cordylines aren't all fully hardy in a cold winter, FWIW.

If you're underplanting with heather you need ericaceous compost.

Camellia underplanted with vinca and small bulbs (Scilla, snowdrops, aconites, cyclamen, dwarf iris etc)

What shape is your pot?

It does depend of the size of the pot but assuming you do mean large, I agree with this. I have a brilliant acer with red stems in winter, bright green leaves in spring, they go darker in summer and then fiery orange-red in autumn. Always something of interest and it only needs watering in dry spells and a top dressing of mulch in the winter.

I also have olive trees under planted with thyme in pots which are very happy. Thyme dies back in winter but pops up again in spring and we use it all summer for cooking. Make sure you get something small leaved and very fragrant so it is good for using as well as looking pretty

We’re getting a pair of dwarf flamingo willows on either side of our front door. They’re such beautiful trees.

How about an Oleander? You can get a variety of colours to choose from. My Oleander has survived in a pot for about 15 years and managed a house move. I keep meaning to get round to planting it in the garden, but haven't as yet and seems happy enough in the pot.

It depends on how incompetent you are. My dd is hopeless but has a large spider plant that looks pretty spectacular. I believe they are more or less indestructible. Try and remember to water it.