Gransnet forums

Gardening

Suggestions please for large pot.

(42 Posts)
shysal Mon 29-Jun-26 14:27:39

My Hydrangea Runaway Bride has been very disappointing for the last few years so I have decided it has to go. I have garden gift cards burning a hole in my pocket, so hope to find something spectacular for the pot.

I needs to be evergreen, compact and to grow to no more than a metre in height, although I can prune if it will tolerate it. It will be right outside my French window so all year interest would be good. The garden flower colour palette is lilac/pink/blue.

Thanking you in advance for any ideas.

Oreo Mon 29-Jun-26 14:29:55

Azalea?

Oreo Mon 29-Jun-26 14:30:17

They seem hardy too.

Madgran77 Mon 29-Jun-26 18:40:31

Agapanthus are not evergreen but beautiful throughout the summer especially the blue ones. And you can plant bulbs round the edge for a spring display whilst the agapanthus rests and then the leaves appear again in the spring.

Woollywoman Mon 29-Jun-26 18:46:41

Salvia Rosmarinus ‘Mrs Jessopp’s Upright’? Would need to be in a sunny position…

shysal Mon 29-Jun-26 18:57:30

Madgran77

Agapanthus are not evergreen but beautiful throughout the summer especially the blue ones. And you can plant bulbs round the edge for a spring display whilst the agapanthus rests and then the leaves appear again in the spring.

I have some pots of Agapanthus, some of which I grew from seed. I love them. The giant ones are a show stopper! They are just bursting into flower. I protect them over winter so the leaves remain.

I saw some beautiful hot pink Alstromeria in the village this afternoon and looked them up. They flower all summer until the frosts. Some die down in winter, others don't apparently. I will keep them in mind.

Gwyllt Mon 29-Jun-26 23:33:44

I have just potted up some good sized pots with herbs such as rosemary, thyme, lavender etc and interspersed with Mexican fleebane it will gain height and the latter will flower all summer Won’t mind a bit of drying out

Wyllow3 Tue 30-Jun-26 00:16:44

Evergreen Jasmine? Gorgeous, it will need training over a shape. I have one just near my French windows and the scent is lovely and it gives all round colour.

kircubbin2000 Tue 30-Jun-26 09:20:00

You have a flower palette?
Does anyone else?

silverlining48 Tue 30-Jun-26 09:27:25

Just a thought. We had a hydrangea in the soil but It never really flowered so we planted it in a big pot and it’s flowered ever since. Looks stunning. We got the erecatious soil it needs and away it went.

Ladyleftfieldlover Tue 30-Jun-26 09:28:35

kircubbin2000

You have a flower palette?
Does anyone else?

Yes! Blue, purple and pink!

shysal Tue 30-Jun-26 09:34:01

kircubbin2000

You have a flower palette?
Does anyone else?

I don't do yellow or orange in the summer. Daffodils and primroses in spring are fine!

Grannybags Tue 30-Jun-26 09:34:50

kircubbin2000

You have a flower palette?
Does anyone else?

No! I just bung in (plant!) anything I like 😁

Patsy70 Tue 30-Jun-26 09:35:18

I have a large white Heritage pot and last year I planted lavender, a grass (in the centre), evergreen trailing plants and winter flowering violas. It has been beautiful all year, so far.

25Avalon Tue 30-Jun-26 10:12:31

Lavender is evergreen, the leaves are perfumed all year and it would fit the colour palette.
A variegated leaf azalea.
A dwarf conifer.
A small evergreen Ceanothus.
A hebe with coloured leaves which will also flower.

foxie48 Tue 30-Jun-26 10:45:37

Another vote for lavender, Munstead or Hidcote would do well if you make sure the pots drains well. Sorry your hydrangea hasn't done well, we have several really big ones in pots in our courtyard but they do prefer some shade and we use a watering system so they never get too dry.

shysal Tue 30-Jun-26 12:55:04

foxie48

Another vote for lavender, Munstead or Hidcote would do well if you make sure the pots drains well. Sorry your hydrangea hasn't done well, we have several really big ones in pots in our courtyard but they do prefer some shade and we use a watering system so they never get too dry.

I have several successful Hydrangeas in pots, so Runaway Bride should have done well too in the same conditions. It has flowers along the whole length of each stem, and was the Chelsea Plant of the Year 2018.

Bluesmum Tue 30-Jun-26 14:40:35

I would plant a pieris, preferably Forest Flame, especially for all year round interest. If you don’t know this plant, do look it up and make room for it in your garden, it really is spectacular I have had them, both in the border and in pots on the patio, for as long as I have had a garden if my own, over 60 years, and they never disappoint, ever changing and always of interest.

grandMattie Tue 30-Jun-26 14:57:39

I’ve got a lovely red leaved Loropetalum which seems happy in my pot. It has hot pink flowers

Janlara Tue 30-Jun-26 14:59:03

I like hebes. They are evergreen and come in a variety of leaf shades and flowers in shades of pink and lavender or white.

The larger leaved varieties, which will grow larger, can be a little tender in a harsh winter, but if you are in the south and have them close to the house you should have no problem. Steer clear, though of the green and gold Veronica variety as this is more tender.

There are more and more hebes to choose from these days so do have a good look at the label.

I hope you find something lovely smile

cc Tue 30-Jun-26 15:22:41

I also like agapanthus and have some pots that have been planted for many years, but they obviously don't flower for that long.
We also have a Camellia Sasanqua which is evergreen and winter flowering, it's stayed fairly small for more than seven years - I do pinch out the tips if any branches grow faster than others.
I'm very keen on salvias, there are bright blue ones which I love, such as Salvia Greggii 'Blue Note', or others perhaps more to your taste. Many flower for much of the summer, one of mine started a month ago and another last week. With judicious dead heading they go on almost until the first frosts. I do put fleece on them once the weather is very cold, but they vary in hardiness and are not expensive to replace.
There are also clematis recommended for pots (such as those from Raymond Evision) though I've never been very successful with them in pots. You can get plant supports which will fit in pots and work well with climbers: www.crocus.co.uk/product/_/pot-obelisk-gunmetal-grey/classid.2000046894/ This one seems expensive but I think that I bought mine in a sale in a discontinued colour!

cc Tue 30-Jun-26 15:35:33

The other plants which have done well for me in pots are olive trees. I had one which grew as a small bush for many years but eventually sucumbed to a really hard frost, and still have another "standard" which has a stem about two feet high and I've had for at least eight years. Again I pinch out the new growing tips once they've reached a couple of new leaves, to persuade them to bush out and to keep them small.

cc Tue 30-Jun-26 15:37:01

shysal

kircubbin2000

You have a flower palette?
Does anyone else?

I don't do yellow or orange in the summer. Daffodils and primroses in spring are fine!

You have the same colour palette as me, people can't understand why I like yellow in the spring but not the summer!

Indiebee Tue 30-Jun-26 15:51:45

Was your hydrangea in the sun? When mine kept getting its beautiful white blossoms turning brown prematurely, a gardening friend suggested the container was in direct sunshine and it would prefer more shade.

He was right. I moveed the container (with help!) into the shade. No brown blossoms and it is now joyously thriving.

cc Tue 30-Jun-26 17:18:37

I've just found a small olive tree for sale: prickleplants.co.uk/products/olive-tree?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Olive%20tree%2030th%20June%202026%20%282026-06-30%29&_kx=mVffF8UZu0LpqStBj4ZaD5Ab-OIArWBdRefG7-6evi5ZPxfJyzOXQ_TD-GnXjdm1.RzggZK