While many container displays are looking past their best by August, this late-summer display will brighten up a corner of the patio right through autumn. The fiery colours of the crocosmia, rudbeckia and penstemon contrast beautifully with the evergreen foliage of pheasant’s tail grass.
Place a layer of broken polystyrene or crocks in the base of the pot, to aid drainage. Add compost until the pot is two-thirds full. Push your fingers into the compost or gently knock the pot to remove air pockets.
Sprinkle slow-release fertiliser over the compost, to keep the display looking good for as long as possible.
Place the tallest plants at the back of the pot and the shorter plants at the front. Add more compost around the plants and firm gently.
Add the smaller plants around the tallest, filling in gaps with more compost.
Water the pot thoroughly and leave to drain.
In this pretty container display we’ve combined the gorgeous foliage of Pelargonium ‘Frank Headley’ with Senecio cineraria ‘Silver Dust’, which contrasts beautifully with the dark-leaved sedge and ipomoea. Throughout summer, the pelargonium will flower continually, providing further colourful contrasts, while the ipomoeas will trail gently over the sides.
Add a touch of graceful charm to your patio, with this stylish display that combines the silvery foliage of plectranthus with the delicate beauty of Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’. The salvia and pelargonium add a splash of soft pink colour – they’ll flower until the first frosts, making this the perfect, low-maintenance container display to plant up and leave until late autumn.
Primulas are one of our most popular spring bedding plants. Here we’ve combined them with anemones, hebe and salvia for a dramatic spring display. Once this display is over, plant everything out into a damp spot in the garden. More spring garden projects: How to revive cannas in spring (video) Sowing cut flowers in spring (video) How to plant daffodils and wallflowers for spring colour (video) Plant up this primula and anemone pot display with our easy steps.
There are fewer gardening jobs to keep you busy in winter, so make the most of extra time and plant up a stylish container to decorate a terrace or doorstep. This elegant cube-shaped container is filled with the curly sedge, Carex buchananii, and Helleborus niger, the Christmas rose, which starts to flush pink in January and February. You should be able to find both plants at the garden centre at this time of year. Here’s how to make this simple display.