container planting - create an eye-catching display of colours and textures
April is a good time to think about creating a striking planting in a container.
In a small urban garden, you could position a few containers around the paved areas of a garden, on a balcony or a windowsill, to make an eye-catching display of colours and textures.
There is large number and variety of containers of differing sizes available at any garden centre. You could also use old terracotta pots; their beautiful old patina will add real character into your space.
Planting in a container doesn’t take a long time and gives you a real sense of achievement quite quickly.
Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’ is a plant well suited for use in a container. Its long spikes, topped with lavender-blue flowers, will deliver height and colour. Moreover, its grey foliage is highly aromatic. Position it in a sunny and open spot around your garden or balcony.
If you have an old terracotta pot you could plant Lavender. This combination will create an old style, countryside vibe. Lavender likes sunny locations and soil that is not too heavy and wet.
When planting in a container, especially plants that like sun - they usually have greyish foliage, make sue to incorporate enough grit and place some broken pieces of terracotta at the bottom of a pot, this will help with drainage.
There are also many trailing plants that could dress the soil around plants and will hang down from a container. A fantastic plant that will create this cascading effect is Vinca.
In this small hanging basket project that we created for one of our clients, we incorporated small Vinca plants around the edges.
If you have a spot for just a few small pots why not create a small herbal garden! How exciting it would be to pick your own herbs for cooking or to make fresh tea infusions.
Experiment with varieties of herbs, for example there are so many types of mints available, that could be easily planted in a container. I recently discovered Strawberry mint! It smells divine.
Positioning the pots planted with herbs closer to the kitchen or on a windowsill will allow you to access them easily, and you could always brush them with your hand when passing by, adding to the olfactory experience.
There is a good variety of plants, including herbs and small shrubs that would create a fantastic planting in a container. Don’t be afraid to experiment and mix different varieties, colours and textures.
They will add a new and memorable dimension to your garden.