A shady garden might seem like a challenge, but in reality there’s a huge range of plants suitable for growing in dark places.
This container display is made using a bold selection of plants, combining different leaf forms, colours and textures. The Nandina domestica and berberis make an an eye-catching centrepiece all year round, with attractive flowers and berries, and fantastic autumn colour.
Add crocks to the base of the pot to aid drainage.
Fill the pot two-thirds full with compost.
Plant the berberis first, at the back of the container. Make sure it’s level and planted at the same depth it was in its original pot.
Fill in around the berberis with the nandina, heuchera, viola and saxifrage plants.
Fill any gaps between the plants with more compost, firm down gently and water well.
Water the plants thoroughly and allow to drain, before moving the container to its final planting position.
The red berries of Skimmia japonica ‘Reevesiana’ and flowers of red cyclamen add colour to the autumn garden, and they’ll continue to steal the show into winter. Ornamental stipa grass acts as a lush green backdrop, while Phormium ‘Rainbow Queen’ adds a splash of winter interest, that will last for months. You Will Need
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. What to plant in August You Will Need
Add a cottage-garden feel to your patio with this simple pot project. The trio of narcissus, carex and aubretia provides instant colour, as plants can be bought in flower. If other spring flowers catch your eye at the garden centre, you could use those instead. Find out how to create the display, below. You Will Need
The sweet-smelling irises should be in flower by late-winter if the weather is mild. Before then, you can enjoy the foliage combination of the needle-like iris, the filigree English ivy and the crimped fern. If you plant up this container feature in autumn you can use iris bulbs; if you wait until spring, simply buy pots of iris. Yo