Rustic Pot Planted with two Colours of Nemesia
It's that time of year again. Faced with the challenge of creating our summer pot display, we head off to the local garden centre or nursery and fill our trolley with colourful tenders. If we're lucky we might have a colour scheme in mind and might just manage to keep to it when hit with a riot of potential colour in the nursery display. Usually though we come back with:
a) the same thing we always do (after all that is usually what we are faced with for our bedding plant shopping)
b) not quite enough plants to have the impact we envisage
c) a colour explosion of small low growing or trailing plants with perhaps (if we're lucky) a tall specimen for the centre of the pot
It may work for some but it's not interesting and it's probably no reflection of the style we'd see if we ventured into each other's houses. It's likely our trolley has limited or indeed no reflection of our style or personality. Why do we let this happen? It is down to that buying moment and lack of planning.
Traditional Summer Bedding Pot her with Pelargoniums
Bedding plants are tricky to raise from seed unless you have space and probably a greenhouse. we need to keep them frost free until they have their graduation moment usually in Mid-May. Indeed, unless we look for more unusual seed suppliers we're likely to be growing the same old plants we see in the garden centres anyway. It's time and energy many of us don't have and that's ok. With a bit of planning we can all get this right.
Is there a fashionable plant or plants for pots? A trendy colour for the season? NO! Remember we are in the anything goes period of design. That includes gardens too. There hasn't been a Chelsea Flower Show for a couple of years now, there are no designers striking out their new trends or at least not publicly at least. Indeed, will they hold the same influence again? Not if we can get to enjoy our freedom and use it. We need to paint with plants. Plan our pots in the same way we would decorate a room.
Rustic Display of Erigeron (single type planting)
Single type of plant or multiple different plants in one pot?
Well the answer to this lies in how we are using the pots. A single specimen plant can look spectacular but unless we already own it, it will cost. A similar look can be achieved by planting several smaller plants of the same type in a pot. Usually pots are temporary things anyway so we won't need to worry about overcrowding until later. Keep in mind that unless this is a long flowerer or we've chosen it for its foliage, a single specimen pot will have a shorter season of interest. The answer may lie in several smaller pots of the same species that can be moved about depending on when they look their best or a big pot with multiple different plants in it with different flowering times. I just want to create my summer pots once a year and don't need to be revisiting them until it's bulb time.
Large Pot with Multiple Plant Types Mainly for Foliage - Picture Taken Ulting Wick
If we are looking to group several pots together to make a larger display, it is often easier to do this with pots planted with one type and colour of plant. This way we can move the pots around to create an overall display with impact. As a person who enjoys big colour, this is a modern way to use it. It's like block colour pattern. It avoids that rather old fashioned multicoloured pot that has one of almost everything the nursery has to offer. These can be hard to look at and often jar, without each colour actually being able to generate impact.
Single Plant Type and Colour per Pot - Picture taken at Ulting Wick
When we're creating our multi pot display, we should think carefully about how we are arranging the pots. Unless we happen to work for Birmingham Parks Department (or its local equivalent) the formal rows of often clashing colours are a stretch for most of us. Try to mix the colours more organically to achieve a balance of colour. Usually we want harmonising colours with the odd accent. Just like we would when decorating a room. But of course we don't have to harmonise, we can also clash. With plants, that might be fun. In a way we are creating a garden border with our plants in pots, that's how we'll want it to appear overall. This can be tricky as many of the bedding plants on offer at this time of year are small or trailing. Borders need height and so do pot displays. The bigger the area we're trying to fill with our display, the more height we will need. It may well be necessary to consider perennials, shrubs or tropical plants such as dahlias, bananas or cannas to get the height. There are no rules remember. Anything can be grown in pots including trees (if they are watered and fed properly). Remember, perennials and shrubs are likely to be more expensive and we may need to shop around for our tropical plants. Also consider that as they're expensive we'll want them back next year. Perennials should be fine over winter, if a bit dull once their foliage dies back but tropical plants need storing frost free and that takes space. Mind you, who's to say we can't have a tropical plant in the house for winter.
Summer Bedding for Shade - Picture Taken at Perch Hill
I think it's worth giving some thought to pots for shade. A large part of my garden is north facing and has more shade than many of the bedding plants can cope with. There are exceptions such as begonias, fuchsias and if you can get them plectranthus. Big pots with plenty of foliage interest are my go to here. The big leafed, mint scented pelargonium Tomentosum is good for shade too and who can resist it's furry leaves?
Pots on Tables - Picture Taken at Perch Hill
I like to have a few tables or other means to view more closely some smaller plants in pots that deserve their moment. Succulents can be moved outside from the house. In fact it's worth shopping our own houses for house plants that would enjoy a season outdoors. They add interest and often bring some of the unusual to our pot displays.
Pot of Traditional Bedding Plants Taking Colour Inspiration from Surrounding Planting
So you're off to the garden centre for the summer pots bedding, go with a plan:
1) Think carefully about the number of pots you may want to make an impact with - a single large pot or a group of several smaller ones?
2) Buy more than you think in terms of bedding plants, you'll always use them and any left can go in the garden.
3) Don't forget height, shop the whole garden centre not just the bedding section, there might just be something unusual in another part of the shop that makes your display this year.
4) Choose a colour scheme for an area and stick with it. The colour scheme might just be what you like or inspired by a nearby border plant or painted door or fence perhaps. Remember these pots need to fit in with your garden as a whole.
5) Think small. Pick up a couple of smaller plants that catch your eye to use on table tops or other outdoor furniture to bring interest.
6) Don't forget those shady corners. A single pot planted up with a shade lover can have more impact than anything else.
7) Let's see some summer bedding pots personality this year!
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