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Gardening

Container Gardening

(3 Posts)
Sidelined Sat 10-Jun-23 11:33:01

Despite what my last thread elsewhere suggests I do garden and enjoy it on my terms. Last year we had our small plot relandscaped and now have a nice patch of grass and the rest gravelled so I can garden using containers. I grow shrubs, grasses, evergreens as well as my favourite perennials and add annuals that I try to grow from seed every year. Containers (generally 2ft tall or taller and raised here and there) allow me move plants about and create new displays through the seasons. It’s a lot of watering and lugging compost and shifting pots but it works for me. What I find hard are the technicalities of gardening, it goes over my head and I feel stressed when listening to all the excellent advice from our TV gardeners. I tend to pick a plant or six that I like and cross my fingers. Sometimes I’m happily surprised by the results, sometimes I’m sadly disappointed. But that’s gardening for you! I never succeed with cuttings but randomly sown seeds do OK. Anyway, I’ve noticed that more people do container gardening and more plants are described as great for containers so clearly container gardening is getting to be a thing! So can I encourage folks to share their container tips and successes here? Thank you.

Chardy Sat 10-Jun-23 11:51:20

I've a large balcony with some trellis for climbing roses and honeysuckle, so everything is in containers. I'm not wild about geraniums, but they do well, come back the following year and fit in with different colour schemes. I've several lavender in containers and a rosemary.
A friend, who is a professional gardener, says don't be afraid to cut back hard, top up with good compost, feed periodically and water early in the day.

grandMattie Sat 10-Jun-23 11:55:50

I’ve just move to a ground floor flat with no garden.
I do have a paved area near the front door, where I’ve put three pots with annuals. On the other side, I’ve put runner beans and tomatoes, as well as a few colourful annuals.
I’ve not yet branched into perennials. I need to wait to see how the winter pans out, wind, rainfall, etc.