Pots, tubs, baskets, barrels and buckets make ideal planters when you have little of no garden space.
Options for container gardening include:
- tubs (e.g. empty yogurt containers )secured to or placed on wooden beam
- pots of many sizes and colors
- half wine barrels
- troughs (wooden, cast concrete, plastic or fibreglass)
- guttering mounted horizontally
- wooden wine boxes
- polystyrene boxes
- crates in a mixed raised bed
Where to place them
- As close to the kitchen door as possible.
- In or along the driveway.
- On the ground.
- On a pedestal.
- Mounted on the window sill.
- On a deck, balcony or patio.
- Vertically up a wall.
- Hung from the rafters.
Different arrangements
- Put two matching pots on either side of the walkway or entrance.
- Use one single large container as a feature
- Group a number of containers for outdoor decoration
- Arrange a number of containers both large and small on stairways and terraces
- Raise a series of bowl-shaped planters one on top of each other with bricks separating each level. It gives a similar effect to a fountain.
Advantages of container gardening include:
- adds instant colour and appeal to your space
- practical for kitchen cuttings
- space saving
- adds versatility to your garden as you can move containers to follow sun’s seasonal movements
- adds a focal point
- enhances ambience of outdoor sitting areas.
Suggested plants for container planting
- Mix basil, chives, thyme, parsley and other herbs.
- Blend texture with colour, planting your favourites like hen and chickens, nasturtiums and pineapple sage.
- Succulents, aloes or cactuses are ideal for hot, dry spots.
Other suggested mixes include:
- lettuce, spring onions, spinach, cucumber and other salads.
- lemon verbena, lemongrass, rosemary, lemon balm and other teas.
- carrots, beetroot, beans, snow peas and other vegetables.
Always include a “thriller”, a “spiller”, and a “filler” in a large container.
- thriller – one focal plant with dramatic leaves like rose pelagonium
- spiller – plants that can drape over the edges like petunias, creeping zinnias, nasturtiums, rosemary or sweet potatoes
- filler – plants with small leaves and flowers that add colour and fill in the arrangement all season long, like parsley, salvias, verbenas, chillies and licorice.
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