If you are a first time buyer who has just moved into your first home, you may be new to gardening. Even if your garden is modest in size or if you live in a flat where your only outside space is a very small balcony, it is still possible to create a splash of colour with “pot gardening”.
Garden centres and the larger DIY stores sell a large choice of gardening pots of all types, shapes and sizes – from cheap and cheerful plastic flower pots to heavy, rustic looking terracotta pots and rough wooden planters. In order to give height to your floral display, consider wall mounted planters and hanging baskets. With some simple carpentry skills, you could fashion some wooden shelving out of off-cuts of timber on which to display your pots.
It is essential that you use a good potting compost for your plants and it is a good idea to mix in some water retaining gel or crystals. The biggest problem with “pot gardening” is to make sure your plants are watered very regularly, especially during dry periods as pots can dry out quickly.
Ideal Summer plants for growing in containers include nasturtiums, geraniums, osteospermum, petunias, pansies and fuchsia. Trailing lobelia and ivy are ideal for hanging baskets. However, the best idea is to mix and match plants in order to get a varied display. Plants grown in pots will need feeding. Usually a balanced liquid feed applied once a week will ensure bright and colourful flowers throughout the Summer months.