Pot Planting

I am new to this board. I would like to now how is the best way to start growing plants in pots. I have a very big patio with slabs and this looks quite empty. I would like to have some plants which would make it more lively.

Thanks

 

Buy a nice big plant to encourage yourself!
Things that have come up on this forum:

Make sure the soil you put in suits your plant.

Put polystyrene in the bottom to help drainage, members say it is just as efficient and much lighter [better insulation in winter too]

Sit the pot on little feet to raise it off the ground a bit so that drainage can occur.

Remember that your plant will be reliant on you for watering and feeding much more than when in the ground- containers can dry out astonishingly quickly in summer.

Put pebbles or other dry mulch on the top. This will help to prevent drying out and also help to stop creatures such as vine weevils [larvae eat roots], snails, and other nasties from getting in and eating your plants.

Look in the supermarkets for bargains in pots!

This time of year you can buy lots of lovely plants in the garden centres, big and small, and vegetables that look good in pots. Green beans look good, particularly with ipomoea [morning glory] growng with them. Herbs such as basil, parsley, thyme and sage come in loads of different colours and textures and look great in smaller pots.
Have fun!

 

I would agree with everything that Liz said, the only thing I would add is to get pots as large as you are able. The larger the pot the closer the plant is to being in soil itself. Small pots dry out very quickly, and then get too wet when it rains.

Water it daily (unless it has been raining hard) AND feed it regularly - I do it once a week. If you buy a packet of feed, such as Miracle Grow, it will give instructions on the packet.

 

Liz

Could you please let me know which soil would be best.

Thanks

 

NEW: It really does depend on the plant; rhododendron, azealeas and heathers etc. need ericacious (lime free) compost whist other lime loving plants will fail miserably in acid soils. The beauty of container growing is that you can grow your plants in exactly the right conditions and can have acid bog plants sitting in a container next to limestone alpines that need free drainage.

 

For most plants you can use multi-purpose compost. I like a mixture of about 30% SHARP sand with the compost, to help with drainage. Pure compost can get very water logged. Though as Frogesque says some plants like special conditions.

I have about 35 large pots, with a sand/compost mix in each. I am growing geraniums (technically pelargoniums), fuschia, petunia, osteospermum, diascia, heliotrope, argyranthemum. These are all tender perennials, and you might find this type a good starting point. They all flower for a very long period of time, but are not hardy. So they need protection over winter, or easier still abandon them and replace next year. I am also growing some annuals, bulbs, and hardy perennials.

There is almost no limit to what you can grow, as long as you water and feed them.