How to Choose an Pot for your Exterior Plants

Your choice of pots will largely depend on your own individual taste and budget. If you're buying more than one pot, it looks more effective if you match your pots and buy them in several sizes to make a nice group. Large ones with several plants arranged with some small can look better than lots of small ones.

Material:em> Porous materials generally dry out more quickly than others meaning that you'll have to water your plants more often.

Quality:em> Invest in quality pots made with quality materials which will age well. A terracotta pot, for example, will change it's colour, acquire an 'aged' look over time which will add charm to your garden.

Pot ou cache-pot?em> If you like to change your decor regularly, don't plant directly into your pots, use them as 'cache-pots', that is, keep the plants in their original plastic container and put that container into your cache-pot. If your cache-pot has no drainage holes or if you cover any drainage holes, when you water your plants, the excess water dripping down from the interior pot will stay in the cache-pot providing a good source of humidity if you are going away for a short break in summer for example.

Beware in winter, however, don't leave the water to build up for a long time because the roots of the plant will rot if they are left in water. So you'll need to empty your cache-pot if it has no drainage holes. Your plant also needs air so if the roots are constantly submerged in water, it will stop the air getting to them, this will also apply if you cover the drainage holes.

Plastic v terracotta v pottery,varnished, ceramic v metal pots v wood:
Plastic Is light so it won't weigh down your balcony and it's easier to transport the pot once full. It will hold water and air in the pot for longer. There are a myriad of colours available. BUT plastic is not great for very cold or very hot situations. It can become discoloured quickly and doesn't age very well and poor quality plastic cracks easily. It's impermiability is a minus for some plants that need air around their roots.

Terracotta:em>Is a traditional quality material which ages well, it allows the air to pass and doesn't keep plants too humid. BUT for some plants and in some climates it dries too quickly meaning that you need to water more frequently. It is heavy especially when full and one must be careful not to exceed certain weight limits on balconies or terraces. Thinner terracotta pots can crack in winter frost. Some are guaranteed as frost resistant.

Pottery, varnished, Ceramic:Quality materials that look beautiful in all manner of attractive, vibrant colours that can be co-ordinated with the vegetation. Pottery keeps humidity better than terracotta. The pot does not age and will keep the same colour and look. it just needs a wash with water from time to time. BUT these pots are heavy and have the same constraints as the heavy terracotta pots. Pottery can also be more sensitive to knocks and layers of varnish can get chipped off easily. Not all pots of this type survive winter frosts but the thicker ones are more likely to do so.

I had some gorgeous varnished pots on my stairs - bright red and black alternating. I have one left - my family have accidentally kicked and toppled some and the others have cracked in the frost:-( Much as I was attracted by the same pots with their deep colours in the garden centre last week, I had to resist!

Metal and Zinc:Pots are light, posing no problems for balconies and easy to transport and change an arrangement. Normally they don't have drainage holes so they are best used as cache-pots (although I drill the IKEA zinc pots to make drainage holes in the bottom, it's very fast and easy). They heat up very quickly which may burn a plant if the pot is in a particularly hot climate in a sunny spot or may be great in a cooler spot. BUT they can get dented very easily and it's not easy to regain their original shape once dented. If they are not good quality they may not be well soldered together and might come apart at the seams, particularly if they are large and contain a lot of earth, which will exert a large amount of pressure on the sides of the pot.

Wood: Wood is an ideal material for plants that need a peat based compost (more of this in the coming weeks) because the wood doesn't heat up too quickly and keeps the plants cool. BUT wood does decompose pretty quickly, even if the wood is treated. It's better to use wooden pots as cache-pots or line them with a plastic liner before planting (although then you lose the drainage aspect).

Hope that's helped you to make an important and sometimes expensive decision. Have fun choosing!

 
Here's my neigbour's almond tree. It will be sooo pretty in my neigbourhood soon. Click on the pic to see the full beauty! My cherry has still not bloomed and it's usually all over by the end of March. Spring really is late this year. Hope this means we'll have a great summer!

Ode to Daffodils

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils,
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils

The Daffodils, William Wordsworth

This week our first daffodil burst into flower. Now we have a group just underneath the forsythia which has also burst into golden yellow flowers. I'm so pleased this little tableau at the bottom of my garden has worked out, I can see it from my kitchen window. I planted the daffodils a few years ago and the forsythia hadn't been pruned for years when we moved here and didn't flower any longer. I've pruned it hard for a few years now and this year it is covered in flowers. The hard work has finally paid off!

ps This photo is of daffodils at Derwentwater in the Lake District, UK. I held the record for swimming Derwentwater for many years.

A Living Wall in your Home

http://woollypocket.com/gallery.php

Here's a link sent to me by Diane.

Waterproof but breathable, flexible containers made from recycled materials for you to make your very own living wall. Lovely photos on the website and the naked women lying around are quirky (ok so that's got all the male readers clicking onto the link). You can use woolly pockets inside and out and it states they are waterproof so you don't need to worry about your floor getting mouldy or drips. Apparently because they are breathable, once the plant senses its roots getting towards the air, the plant automatically stops growing and this is called 'air pruning' - I'd never heard this term before. Careful not to overwater or use soil that is not absorbent enough, this will cause leaks. You can plant the pockets with any plant you choose.

An unusual solution for indoor gardens, tricky spaces (look at the shop front photo) or for those of you who really want a living wall at home.

ps they ship internationally

Growing in containers Part 1

Just about any plant may be grown in a container throughout it's entire life.

Growing your plants in containers provides you with a few options that are not possible with plantings in the ground:

1. The ability to move the containers around is perhaps the biggest advantage. As the seasons and the sun's position changes, you can move your plant to a sunnier or shady spot to fit the needs of the plant. You will also be able to move plants into the 'limelight' when they come into bloom, or into the background somewhere when they are finished.
2. You will be able to grow acid loving plants in an area of alkaline soil and vice versa.

Remember though, that when you are growing plants in pots or planters, those plants are much more dependent on you to provide their growing needs. They are in a limited amount of soil, with their roots restricted, and exposed to the elements far more than if they were garden grown. It is important for the plant's health that pay close attention to watering and feeding requirements of the plant.

Plants in containers will dry out much sooner and need watering more often. To determine when the plant needs watering, stick your finger down into the soil and if is dry water the plant thoroughly. Because frequent watering will wash the plant food out of the soil, and the plant will utilize the limited soil nutrients they will be depleted much more rapidly, so a regular feeding program should be established according to the type of plant. During the growing season, either a slow release type plant food should be used or a soluble complete fertilizer should be used every two weeks. ALWAYS follow the manufacturers recommendations.

Here's a little composition I planted in October, that's beginning to look nice. Three garden canes in a pyramid held together with twine in a cheap IKEA terracotta pot, a nice ivy planted in the middle and crocus bulbs in one colour planted all around. The ivy hasn't had a chance to grow yet but soon it will be wrapping itself around the canes and making a pretty all year round green pyramid. I'll be planting some small summer bulbs soon so that there will be colour all year round. I display it in the front garden.

Going potty!

Want to cheer up an empty space? Don't want to/can't plant in the ground? Dull courtyard? Sad entrance way? Empty balcony full of small pots with dead plants in them? It's never been a better time to choose some flowerpots and plant them up. There is so much choice, it's just a case of looking around. I've done some looking for you: Just in two shops so far, we have these Habitat concrete pots in muted colours and various sizes. Or the small 50's influenced IKEA pots at 2E50 you can spread them around on a low wall or a ground floor windowsill, instant brightener, as are these lovely green rubber pots from Habitat! Or these ribbed fawn pots from IKEA. Or these elegant black zinc Habitat containers. Or the zingy pink and grey ones. Or the IKEA zippy green and red ones. Or these funky modern angled white pots from Habitat. Or the classic vibrant blue Habitat...the choice is yours.

Your display will look more effective if you use the same pots and colours in different sizes or replace lots of small pots with one larger container with a few plants in it.

You'll need some old terracotta smashed into pieces (wear goggles whilst you smash it and put it between two layers of cardboard so the pieces don't fly everywhere) or some billes d'argille (little balls sold in bags in garden centres) in the bottom of the pot. If the container you've chosen doesn't have a hole in the bottom for drainage, put your plant in a slightly smaller thin plastic flowerpot and then inside your container. Raise it slightly inside the container (put it on top of 3 large stones or some terracotta) so it's not touching the bottom of the larger container. That way it won't be sitting in water when the winter comes or it rains (most plants do not like their roots constantly in water, particularly bamboo). Fill up with earth specially produced for containers and choose your plant.

A shortish job that will bring lasting effects and pleasure. Remember, if you're buying terracotta, stone or cement pots, they are really heavy so best to take help and the car or a taxi from the shop.

It's Livin' Thing!

Living Wall: a vertical arrangement of plants and other organisms that naturally removes toxins and unhealthy contaminents from the air. It can be an indoor our outdoor feature.


Out and about in Paris I chanced upon 2 living walls; thought you'd like to see them.

The recently created shop 'BHV for men' has one and the second one is in the Pershing Hotel just off the Champs Elysees. Two very gracious members of staff there allowed us a look at the wall and the interiors. Their wall has a sliding glass roof (like Wimbledon tennis) that covers the interior courtyard and slides open in good weather, so I noticed they had 'interior' plants climbing up theirs. Very interesting urban detail. Possible to do chez vous if you are really determined and a good gardener. Here's how to http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Living-Wall

http://www.fra.cityvox.fr/restaurants_paris/restaurant-pershing-bar-lounge-du-pershi_78393/PhotosLieu

Click on here to see the magnificent Pershing Hall Living Wall.