One Pot Wonder

Sandra offers three container ideas for colour and cheer throughout the season.

Potted displays are a fabulous way to introduce life and colour into a space. Position them on a courtyard table, front steps or patio bench. When choosing speciments, use different foliage forms for contrast and go for flowers that ‘zing’, so that each plant has its opportunity to ‘shine’.



Sandra finishes the 'Mixed Delight' pot with Daffodil 'Thali

Mixed delight

For this look, I chose a neutral coloured stone composite pot. I find neutral tones enhance a planting scheme. Plants include a mix of perennials for a multi-seasonal display.

 

• White bacopa (syn Sutera cordata) is a soft trailing perennial ideal for containers and baskets growing to a maximum height of 30cm. It can bloom almost non-stop through the growing season and acts as a beautiful companion plant with tiny green leaves.

• Lavandula pedunculata ‘Sensation’ (Spanish lavender) was bred by Bob Cherry to tolerate hot humid conditions, even light frost. Fragrant flowers with purple wings are held above the foliage.

• Sedum spectabilis ‘Pure Joy’ is a compact succulent that flowers late summer with flat deep pink flower heads. Drought hardy, it makes a fine companion plant.

• Daffodil ‘Thalia’ was grown elsewhere and planted at the finish to give another floral highlight.

This container will keep growing and will look good through spring, summer and well into next autumn.

 

Fern and foliage

At this time of year, our garden is spouting this bracken-type fern, a hardy native fern with attractive green fronds. I transplanted it into this faux concrete pot, for a soft, billowy display of fronds. Cryptanthus sinuosus with rosettes of stiff, spiky leaves, makes a good contrast companion, also preferring partial shade or bright diffused light. Hidden in this mix is the golden Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'), very slow growing, with bright golden yellow foliage with green striped margins. For some floral interest, I popped in seedlings of heartsease (Viola tricolor) which freely seed through my garden each spring.



Keep this container moist, none of these plants like to dry out and keep it shaded.



Native fern, Japanese forest grass, Heartsease, Cryptanthus sinuosus

Pretty pastels

I love terracotta. The older and mouldier, the better. Pansy 'Antique Shades' is an outstanding annual with colours ranging from apricot to rose is well suited to terracotta.



The front upright pot is planted with a combination of three plants: white flowering bacopa, plum-coloured heuchera and pansy ‘Antique Shades’. A morning sun position is best for these plants. Dead head spent pansies regularly to promote on-going flowering. Keep them well watered and apply organic liquid fertiliser (eco-aminogro) once a week. 



Position potted displays in areas where they can be easily seen and appreciated, like on a bench or entry point.