3 Winning Plants to Revitalise Your Container Garden
Be bold with your container planting! Yes, you can grow a huge variety of gorgeous plants in pots. Roses, trees, shrubs, herbs and fruit can all be grown in containers. They will add colour, richness and texture, even if you only have a tiny outdoor space. Choosing bee-friendly plants will boost your garden even more as they attract valuable pollinators.
Why not start with these 3 plants and see how easy it can be?
1. Thyme (any variety)
Pictured above, beautifully fragrant thyme flowering abundantly in May (in Somerset, England).
Thyme is an evergreen plant; these are especially wonderful in the dreary depths of winter when most of the garden is asleep. The variety shown has a crisp lemony scent, even in the pouring rain with the temperature hovering just above zero.
When you only have a tiny outdoor space, hard working evergreens like thyme and rosemary are priceless. Their dainty flowers are nectar rich; they will attract lots of beneficial insects to your garden in the spring and summer.
Picking sprigs of thyme to add to chicken or vegetable soup will add a splash of sunshine to your kitchen. Inhale the scents of summer as you cook.
All varieties of thyme will benefit from planting in good quality compost, with a couple of handfuls of grit swirled through to aid drainage. Thymes will be happiest in a warm and sunny spot. They can manage some shade as long as they’re not waterlogged.
2. Roses
I started growing roses in pots when I thought we would only be living in our house for a short time. I was desperate to brighten up the tiny, dull back garden, but I didn’t want to invest time and money growing glorious roses, only to have to leave them behind when we moved.
Despite lots of advice to the contrary, I planted six roses in large containers 11 years ago and they are still going strong.
It’s wise to choose a shrub rose, rather than a climber or a rambler, when planting in a container. Apart from that, there are dozens of fabulous roses which will rejuvenate your outdoor space. All your rose will need is at least six hours of good sunlight each day. But that’s where container gardening is so easy — all you need to do is watch the sunshine then move your pots around for optimum growing conditions.
Plant your new rose in a deep container so it can form strong roots. Use good quality compost mixed with horticultural grit for good drainage. Planting with Rootgrow is worth considering; roses are an investment buy and you’ll want to give it a great start.
3. Strawberries (all varieties)
Strawberries are a fabulous choice for container gardening. They are surprisingly robust, very low maintenance and you can pick lusciously sweet and juicy fruit from your own tiny garden.
Bees will adore visiting the charming white or rosy pink flowers with their golden stamens.
Watching fruit develop, swell and ripen is one of life’s simplest, yet deepest pleasures. Feed your strawberries with organic plant food or make your own from comfrey (in another post soon) and these ruby gems will be free from any pesticides.
Strawberries propagate readily by throwing out runners from the base of the plant (like spider plants). To increase your number of strawberry plants, all you need to do is cut off the cluster of new leaves at the end of the runner and pop it in a little pot with some fresh compost. These mini plants make great presents too, if you’ve run out of room in your garden.
Strawberries enjoy being planted in good quality compost and placed in a fairly sunny position. Water frequently when the fruits begin to swell, especially in hot weather and feed every week. Try placing them near a window or door, so you can watch the fruits transform into mouth watering jewels of flavour.
These 3 plants will easily revitalise your container garden, even if you only have a tiny outdoor space. They are all low maintenance and very easy going.
Once you’ve tried growing these 3 winners, you’ll know how satisfying and rewarding it can be to nurture your very own tiny green space.
