Spilled over flower displays

Hi. I've been looking at these on Pinterest for a while. I'm sure the principal is straightforward but has anybody had experience of doing this? As always, any feedback will appreciated.

G.

 

A neighbour of mine did this (two house moves ago and a good few years in between).
If I recall correctly, you need two plantings: one in the pot and another in the ground in front of (and close to) the pot. In your example, it looks like alpine campanula but I have seen it done with other mat forming low growing plants.

The pot itself: you can buy pots which have a flat side which gives the impression of it being on its side level; or, you could buy a standard upright pot and have submerge it on it's side, at an angle, to create the low lip.

Personal thoughts: you would need to use a plant which has a long flowering period; it would need to be a low, mat forming variety.

It's a great look and I wish you well in replicating it

 

Hi @"M" If I did attempt something like this it would be on a fairly small scale. I'm not sure what kind of pot I would use. New pots all seem quite expensive. I have a small pot that is currently surplus to requirements. Sadly I don't think it's big enough. Maybe i could stand it up and grow some small red or yellow plants through it. I'll have to look to see what plants would do the job.

G.

 

It certainly does look nice, I looked at a few ideas at some point but I don't have much room for a nice display, you could do the rockery something like this, a few old pallets to make the wheel barrow and your good to go

 

If you are using that rather delightful blue pot, I think any yellow plant would simple *pop* with colour against it (which is a good thing, in case you are wondering ) and even white would be fab!

I think it would be *big* enough ... after all, it will be on it's side and any low mat forming plant only needs shallow rooting space

 

@martin-f Doesn't that look great. That has given me an idea. "I have a cunning plan, my Lord". I am always full of ideas. Not always good ones. Lol

G.

 

On this note, I have a few suggestions: freecycle/boot fairs/local Facebook/Ebay. All rather hit and miss (do you have a local gardening club? Join! That could be another source )

I was very, very fortunate that, earlier this year my son just happened to notice on our local Facebook page someone giving away terracotta pots for FREE We missed out on the bird bath but still snaffled a good dozen pots/jugs simply by being quick off the mark.

Here is an example of some of them after a clean up (June 2017) - just imagine how much they would have cost me new (one of them is "under construction" )

 

@Jack Sparrow

You don't always need a large pot for an eye catching display. There are lots of small flowers you can use or even flowering herbs like Marjoram or Thyme and they smell good too. I love the colour of your pot BTW

I planted a pink surfina in one of the Belfast sinks last year along with with some lilac nemesia and electric blue lobelia. The surfina flowed over the one corner of the sink and across the ground for about 3 ft. Looked very colourful. I did take pics but think they may be amongst the ones we've lost.

 

That looks stunning, and would be an excellent way to add that pop of colour to the corner you posted a picture the other day. I agree about yellow, but pink or red would also look terrific in that pot. Lots of scope with that beautiful colour of pot. Thank you M for explaining how it's done - I sense a new project in my garden for next year!

 

I've had the pot years. My original design way back when I bought the house was for a Japonese tea garden style. I think the photo is in my Rock Garden Ideas? thread. I bought lots of ornaments. I couldn't find a red pot so I plumped for this blue one.

10 years later, we have had several outbuildings built meaning the garden has now been reduced to a few isolated patches of earth. Easier for me that way to be honest.

Anyway, on contemplation, I don't like the look of that pot on its side. Plus I think it's a waste of a pot. I would be more inclined to keep it upright and grow a red yellow flower in it. Any suggestions?

Thinking out loud, There may be a way of integrating @martin-f 's suggestion. I am working on building a safe children's area on a raised deck in my garden.

(I have started discussing this in another thread and I will go back to it when the time comes.)

I am thinking of planting a border to hide the decking. I could possibly buy one or several of those minuture wheel barrel planters and make displays out of them. Just a thought.

G.

 

This is the sought of thing I was thinking of to grow in my pot. This particular plant might not be suitable but the colours are what I would like. It would be nice if it grow out of the windows as well as out of the top. And then something similar near the base.

G.

 

"Anyway, on contemplation, I don't like the look of that pot on its side. Plus I think it's a waste of a pot. I would be more inclined to keep it upright and grow a red yellow flower in it. Any suggestions?"

Trailing verbena?

 

It's an attractive pot!

To me - forgive me - but, it has a look of a chimnea about it (must be the "window" effect constructed on the side) so, something *hot* looking sprouting out of it would look sort of apt. Maybe a crocosmia "Lucifer"? But that would only add interest for a brief time during the year Of course, much depends on the height of the pot (which isn't obvious from the photo).
A more "year round" plant may be something as simple as a yellow leaved ivy? Perhaps underplanted with either Spring flowering bulbs or Summer flowering plants.
To be fair, you've had it quite a time, so *anything* which made use of it would be a bonus, at this stage You could even grow some herbs in it: mint flowers in the summer but dies back in the winter; thyme would be good; even chives would fill it nicely and then, eventually flower giving it a whole new look.
If a perennial would answer your prayers, an Alchemilla Mollis would look great (yellow flowers) just so long as you bear in mind the plant sets seed freely around the garden

Daffodil "Tete a Tete" would look fab in the Spring ... but then you would need something else to take its place once it had finished flowering.

 

@"M" I didn't measure the pot and it's a bit too dark to do it now. My guess would be about 10". I guess the opening would only be about 4". I'll try to remember to measure it tomorrow. I guess being tall and thin makes it more difficult to plant in.

@luciusmaximus your surfina looks interesting. I see there are red varieties.

@Irmemac I see there is red star verbena that looks quite spectacular.

Would these types of plants run amok in the flowere bed or would I be able to keep them neat and compact?

@"M" tete a tete will be used elsewhere.

G.

 

Don't think verbena tend to spread. The other ideas are good too. I've been thinking about surfina for hanging baskets next year, and it would look awesome cascading over the sides of the pot. :spring: