Plants for Containers

April 17, 2009 by Linda
Filed under 2009 04 (Apr)

Question:

We have a side 3ft gate (adjacent to pavement verge/road) set into a well established 8ft hedge of mixed varieties. We cannot plant as the area is a concreted path so.... have you any suggestions of a large POTTED plant that we could place against the gate to provide ourselves some privacy (gate does not need to be in use). The spot gets the sun (when it's out!) most of the day and is in a pretty sheltered location.

Answer:

There are lots of plants which are happy to be kept in containers long term.
The important things to remember are:
• Use as large a pot as possible even if the plant looks a bit "odd" to begin with, it will soon fill it's space
• Place stones, broken up bricks or broken clay pots in the bottom of the pot to aid drainage and provide stability
• Use a good quality compost and add manure and a general fertiliser to help get it doing
• Don't overfill the pot, leave a good 2-3 inches to ease of watering.
• Fill the pot with water and leave it to seep through the compost, once you see the water escape from the bottom you know its watered correctly
• Don't overwater and don't allow it to dry out completely.
• Top dress with a layer of manure, bark, slate or gravel to help keep moisture in and weeds out
• Each autumn, remove any weeds or moss which may have grown on the surface, remove the top inch or so of compost and replace with a mulch such as manure or bark
• To also help retain moisture you can add some Moisture Retaining Gel
• If you want to grow acid lovers such as camellias or rhododendrons use an ericaceous compost
• Buy some pot "feet" to raise it off the ground, this will allow water to escape more easily and stop water-logging

Here are some examples of plants that should do well.

I have included a link to the relevant pages on Crocus.co.uk for you to find out more, just click on the links:

Camellia - acid loving so use ericaceous compost
Olive - if you live in a milder area this can be grown without protection, otherwise cover with fleece during frosty periods
Phormium - quite a dramatic plant which may also need some protection
Acer - there are lots of varieties available and most of them have wonderful autumn colour, prefers acid soil
Hibiscus - I have one grown as a standard and it looks great
Cherry Tree - you can get lots of ornamental cherries which have great spring blossom. I have just bought a "Stella" cherry tree and planted it in a pot, it should start producing edible cherries very soon
Rosemary - although this is a herb it produces a good sized shrub. Prune it to a pyramid or other shape for interest. The smell is wonderful and, of course, you can use it in the kitchen
Clematis - place a nice obelisk in the pot and grow a couple of clematis for colour. They will die down for winter but will be great for quite a few months
Box - evergreen shrub which can again be pruned into a pyramid. I wrap fairy lights around mine at Christmas time and move to by the front door

You could plant up two pots, one for summer and one for winter interest and swap them over. You can get wheeled pot trays to make moving them easier, they are available at most garden centres as well as B&Q.