Container gardening gives you the ability to grow plants in any area of your garden, regardless if you have a roof-top terrace, and fully paved patio, or any area that needs bringing to life, if only for a season or two.
But firstly, you need to choose a container.
Planter Shape, Size & Colour
For a specimen or feature plant choose a container that balances with the size and shape of the plant. If you have the budget, try and select a larger container - this makes the care and watering of the plant a lot easier, and will give room for the plant to grow and establish well.
If you are planting a range of plants into the container, think about location and what shapes and colours might go well. Tall garden planters can help to frame doorways, whilst lower containers can work well in groups, and leave the view beyond unobstructed.
Keep in mind that in windy locations tall narrow planters could easily be blown over so you should opt for low planters with wide bases.
Powder-coated or fibreglass planters give you the flexibility to choose from a host of different colours for your planters, so consider if you want the planter to tie in with your planting scheme or whether you want to opt for a vibrant pop of colour. Our bespoke planters allow you to choose any RAL colour so you really can make a statement in your garden!
Planting
Use a thick (5 cm or more) layer of expanded clay pebbles in the base of the container to act as a drainage filter bed. The clay pebbles work better than gravel as they hold nutrients and moisture for the plants, making maintenance just that little bit easier. Next put in a layer of compost so that the plants root ball will be around 3 cm below the top of the planter. Always use a good compost when planting. Garden soil and home-made composts can contain lots of weeds and pests, so keep this for use in planting beds. We recommend using Multipurpose with added John Innes as this is a good mix of fibrous moisture holding material combined with the long-lasting feed supplied by the John Innes compost.
Remove the grower pots from your plants, and place into the container. Try not to tease out any roots, as this can cause damage to the plant.
Most plants have a good side and a not so good side, so think about where you will position the planter and rotate the plant to ensure its best side is on show.
Fill around the root ball with more compost firming gently as you go. Bring the compost up to the top of the root ball, but no higher. Now water really well as this will make all the compost and roots stick together.
Feeding
There will be enough plant food in the compost for the first month or two. To continue getting the best from your plants, use a slow release granular feed during the spring and summer.
To help you with your container planting, during September we are offering 10% off all Fibreglass Planters.
