How to plant up a colourful container display

Winter washing fruit trees involves spraying them with a mixture of plant oils diluted with water – you’ll find the concentrated solution in garden centres. Spraying in this way can help control pests and diseases by knocking out overwintering eggs, removing debris and reducing fungal spores. It’s especially useful for controlling aphids and woolly aphids on fruit trees like apples, cherries and plums. However you may also remove overwintering aphid predators such as queen wasps, as well as othe

Blackcurrants are easy to grow and more tolerant of heavy soils than other currant bushes. Just one plant can provide a generous crop of berries. If blackcurrant bushes are kept well fed and watered you could be harvesting fruit a year after planting. You Will Need

Strawberries are not only delicious but versatile, too – you can grow them in the ground and strawberry planters. Find out all you need to know about growing strawberries in our practical guide: How to grow strawberries. You can also grow strawberries in a hanging basket – it will not only look great, but will provide you with rich pickings of fresh fruit over several weeks, and all for just a few pounds. Choose your varieties carefully and you can have fruit from June until early autumn – f

This pink, perky display produces a contemporary feel, with the contrasting dark leaves bringing some drama to the arrangement. To keep the container looking good, water it regularly and remove the blooms as they fade for a display that will perform until the first frosts of autumn. Place it in full sun or partial shade. Follow our simple steps to plant up this begonia and marguerite container display.