Gardening in planters is a great way to brighten up and give character to a courtyard.
Here are five golden rules that will help your pots make the biggest splash.
Stand-alone plants in big pots can make a dramatic statement in a courtyard. Look for upright and architectural varieties such as this evergreen cloud tree or a spiky, sculptural succulent.
Planter size matters
If you think the pot you have chosen is big enough, then go one or two sizes bigger. Not only do smaller pots tend to look mean or bitsy, but usually a plant will thrive in the bigger space. Long-term plants, such as trees, shrubs, grasses and climbers as opposed to perennials, annuals and bulbs, will take longer to outgrow the pot, meaning less disturbance to growth and plant health caused by more frequent repotting.
A large pot, as wide as it is high, is especially important for trees when roots can overheat and, because it’s the least cold-hardy part of a tree, freeze in inclement times. Deciding on the best planter for your pot plants can come down to numerous factors. Here’s a helpful guide to help you choose the best style for you.
Mixed bag
Just as you wouldn’t expect a baby to thrive on fizzy drink, you can’t expect a plant to flourish in poor soil. Proprietary potting mix is usually best for all containers, and especially for long-term pot residents such as trees and shrubs. Also available are mixes for specific plants’ needs, such as citrus, tomatoes or acid-lovers. Of course, making one’s own mix is easy and often cheaper; it really is just a blend of river sand, compost, an organic fibrous product such as coir or leaf mould, and perhaps a slow-release fertiliser. Buying the ingredients in bulk from a landscaping supplier is the way to go if you have a number of pots to fill.
Curb your fertiliser
A common reason for plants failing to thrive in pots is, curiously, overfeeding. Unlike pets, plants do not get chubbier with excess food, rather they will display a range of symptoms, and sometimes die. This is rarely a problem for plants growing in the ground as any excess fertiliser will simply leach away (unfortunately into groundwater, rivers and oceans). In a container, the excess will build up, often in the form of a crust of salts visible on the soil surface or around the inside of the pots. Common signs of over-fertilisation include yellowing and wilting of lower leaves, browning of leaf margins and tips, leaf drop and rotting roots.
To avoid this happening, follow the instructions on the fertiliser containers. Slow-release fertilisers applied once a year in spring are suitable for many trees and plants, and avoid the angst about too much or not enough. Removing a few centimetres of topsoil in spring and replacing it with compost will also boost plants.
Always dilute homemade fertilisers and teas and apply when irrigating – a handy technique with the ugly name of fertigation.
Water: friend and foe
The effects of overwatering of plants are similar to those of over-fertilisation but occur more slowly. A waterlogged plant will die because the roots cannot get enough oxygen as the water fills any air spaces between soil particles. Ensuring adequate drainage will stop waterlogging. All pots must have drainage holes. Lining the bottom of containers with shingle or broken terracotta to a depth of between 10 and 20 per cent of the container’s height will usually suffice. The elevation of pots on small feet also helps allow water to drain away. Avoid any heavy clay soil in the potting mix.
That said, plants in pots need more watering than those in the ground as sunshine and wind exacerbate drying out. Water regularly and deeply until the water trickles out the bottom. Then wait until the top few centimetres dry out before doing it again.
Strangers in paradise
Apart from brightening up your courtyard and actually being able to give it some colour, greenery and life, a great joy in container growing is that it allows you to have plants that you otherwise might not be able to grow in the ground because of their specific soil or climatic requirements. Trees that might struggle in frost or wind can be placed in sheltered spots or brought out when the weather warms and retired to a clement spot over winter. Oranges and other citrus are a classic example of this. Pots can be moved around over the seasons to maximise sun.
You may want to move other plants to the back of the courtyard or back of the house once their prime time is over. While most of us can appreciate the cycle of life and death nature offers, sometimes the sight of the likes of a spent and sagging tulip can be dispiriting.
Great plants to grow in courtyard pots
An enormous range of plants can be grown outside in pots. Sometimes, how readily they grow boils down to how much you want to invest in them. Some plants will grow almost in spite of what you do to them. When choosing trees, however, preferable are those that tend not to get too large in the ground (although root pruning a la bonsai techniques can mitigate this), and those that tolerate constricted root and changing moisture levels.
Olive – Olea Europaea
In pots, olive trees will readily take on that beautiful gnarly appearance of their Mediterranean cousins. They grow naturally in poor rocky soil, so add perlite or small rocks to the mix to create a free-draining environment. Plant in clay rather than plastic pots, which retain more water.
Oriental persimmon – Diospyros kaki
Persimmons are a good-looking tree all year round with their bright green foliage turning vivid oranges and reds in autumn. As well as tasting delicious, the fruit of the persimmon looks fabulous glowing like lanterns from winter’s bare branches. They like full sun and excellent drainage.
Pride of Madeira – Echium candicans (aka E. fastuosum)
With its elegant symmetrical silver leaves and proud flower spires in myriad blues and purples, these drought lovers look impressive and are hardy pot inhabitants. Look out for some of the stunning natural hybridisations with the towering Echium pininana. They like free-draining soil and sun.
Olive trees thrive in big pots.
Maiden grass – Miscanthus sinensis
This magnificent clump-forming perennial grass has fine shimmering leaves. In late summer beautiful tall, tufted flower heads appear, those in some varieties are tinged pink. Cut back in late winter in readiness for spring growth. They like full sun and damp soil.
Smokebush – Cotinus coggygria
All have the coolest oval leaves spread like pennies on a wheel but the pretty green-leaved smokebush colours up best in autumn into stunning oranges and yellows. All too, have the glorious haze of mauvy-pink plumes that gives its common name. It tolerates light shade but purple-leafed varieties, in particular, colour up best in full sun. Trim after two years, if needed.
Words by: Mary Lovell-Smith
EXPERT PROJECTS
Create the home of your dreams with Shop Your Home and Garden
SHOP NOW
