Pot garden

I have to use pots in my garden. Use the largest pots you can and remember that whatever you plant you need to feed them during the growing season. Roses grow really well in pots. Look at dog woods. They are deciduous but the winter stems add colour to your garden in winter. They're also very forgiving regarding watering, compost, feeding etc. and easy to care for as you simply cut them back towards the end of February. This ensures colourful stems for the following winter.

I think it is rubble on top of very heavy clay. I would have to get someone in to dig down for me.

Good thought!

I'm a very experianced gardner and my first suggestion is...find out what's under the gravel! You might well be able to plant through it and that will give you a much larger choice.

More lovely suggestions! I am making a list!

If it doesn't get morning sun - a Pieris Flaming Silver looks great all year round - I have had one in a whisky barrel now for around 20 years!

Hi, I have gravel at front too. I have planted some cherry Laurel in earth at fences which with some fish, blood and bone fertiliser has done well, along with some birch trees. And have bay trees, hydrangea and purple hebes in pots. I regularly feed them with liquid feed, keep them well watered and they have done really well. Good luck xx

Luckygirl, my son's friend's gran had a 'pot garden' - all rapidly dug up and disposed with - when she was told what she was growing!

Mine is mostly pots, I love to do lots of bedding plants into small hanging pots too. A lot of geraniums, lavender and always lobelia as I love blue flowers too.

fatsia japonica big bold plant looks fab in a pot with some under planting. Green all year as well.
Sure it will all look fabulous

I have pots on various paths and gravel in my garden and they are becoming my favourite part because they offer so much variety. If you are looking for inspiration try Arthur Parkinson's Instagram feed his combinations of texture and colour are gorgeous.

I would get a few large pots rather than lots of small ones for impact and to reduce watering needs. You can underplant any shrubs with bulbs so that you get early spring flowers too. I find Hydrangeas do really well as they flower most of the summer and the flower heads are attractive over the winter. Lavender is good and Acers for good Autumn colour.

What’s underneath the gravel, Luckygirl? Many plants thrive in gravel.

Diggingdoris

Try some Hebes, they are easy to grow and can be clipped to the size you want. They survive in all weathers, evergreen, and bees love the flowers.

In a very cold winter I lost a lot of Hebes so I think it depends on your local microclimate.

Growing dalias for the first time. Noticed yesterday one covered blackfly ? dosed it and the others in soapy water spray but haven’t checked yet what reaction there is. Think it may well be a commercial spray? Any ideas? All my garden (patio) is potted.

Casdon

One thing I’d definitely get is an azalea. My mother in law gave me one in a pot when we moved into our first home, and it’s still going strong 36 years later, it never fails to put on a stunning display of bright pink each May.

I second this idea, as I have one the same, also pink and comes out by the middle of May, easy to look after and evergreen.
Have just bought a red one this year, they grow fairly quickly.
Hydrangeas do well in pots too, although deciduous. Hostas look very good too.
I have some evergreen photinias in pots called ( I think!) Pink Crispy, again easy to take care of.
Bear in mind that all plants/ shrubs need feeding as well as watering, especially those in pots.

Teacheranne

I read in a gardening magazine that if you put pieces of sponges at the bottom of the pot it help retain the water as the sponges soak it up when you water and release it slowly. I’m going to try it next year - too late now as I’m not going to dig up my pot plants!

same idea as gel crystals. You can mix them on the soil when you repot, or mix them in with the top layer of soil or poke holes in the earth and fill with the crystals so you get "tubes" of them through the pot

I love the different shapes of Buxus trees and like Diggingdoris Hebes are great too, the colours are lovely. All they need is a bit of clipping once in a while to keep their shape. Plant some small pots of mini daffodils and crocus so you can add more colour in the spring by popping them out with the larger pots.

I don't claim to be an experienced gardener, but for what it's worth, I would go for a walk and see what your neighbours have in their gardens to determine what will do well in the same position. I see someone mentioned rhodedendrons, but whilst ideal for pots as they need ericaceous soil, they also prefer dappled shade so may not be suitable in your proposed location (and they are quite expensive so better to check first)
I would also ask friends for cuttings when they thin out their pots - I have blue and pink everlasting geraniums in pots which started off this way and they do really well.

Try some Hebes, they are easy to grow and can be clipped to the size you want. They survive in all weathers, evergreen, and bees love the flowers.

what a lovely garden kittylester, thanks for sharing

Being on the coast we have a small garden and I have everything in pots. I grow cottage garden plants, roses, Mahonia, bulbs, peonies, magnolias, clematis, salvias, summer bedding for extra colour. I have a bonsai and several other shrubs for green interest, ferns. it is great as I can rotate the containers for seasonal interest. This year I have added some grasses, an Ilex, and others for height and structure at the back. In some containers I have more than one plant creating a colour combination. I tend to stick to plastic containers for moving around and use terracotta ones at the front for show. The bigger the container the easier to water. So good luck designing your pot garden.

Your biggest problem is going to be watering. If you mix water retaining gel with your compost, this will help, use the largest pots you can, then grow drought-resistant and Mediterranean plants - lavender, rosemary, thyme, oregano, sedums, etc.
Group the plants together to reduce water loss, and create their own micro-climate,

Lovely arrangement of plants kittylester; different textures and colours and relatively low maintenance. Love it!

Not all plants have to flower in order to give impact and look beautiful; Phormiums and Cordylines come in red, bright lime green, dusky pink, copper brown or almost black. A few of these set amongst other pots gives great architectural interest and height.