Over the years it has taken me a little while to come to the conclusion that when it comes to picking and choosing plants for pots and containers; it is very similar to the art of creating in floristy.
What colours to choose, What plants go together? Do these plants suit the pot and will they survive where the pot is suitated? When does each plant flower? Will it eventually all come together?
There seems to be quite an art to it, if you want to achieve a good display. Im always searching for what to plant in pots that will last awhile and look good most of the time but always in the past end up with tulips flowering while pasies that have lasted all winter are now slowly dieing off.
While pasies (winter) and petunias (summer) have been my absolute go to for pot displays and petunias will always look good trailing down a bold coloured pot; having more permanent perennial plants in the pot over temporary flowering summer or winter annuals seems to be the better option for a lasting display.
My top tips for pots for the best display:
-Something tall, something small and something trailing.
-The fuller the pot the better the display.
-For flowering plants pick a base colour or stick to two matching colours that work with the foliage of other plants in the display.
Plants such as Lavender, cyclamen, Fuchia shrubs, dasies, flax, hellbores or Alstroemeria as well as anything tall flowering with striking foliage such Cineraria 'sliver dust' or Antirrhinum 'Snapdragons' for height make great centre plants in a lasting display.
Smaller plants round the outside such as ferns or native small grasses such as mondo grass or any small flowering plants like Dianthus, Geraniums or Begonias are great options to full out the base of the pot.
If you have a slender or tall pot a trailing plant such as Clematis, Creeping Rosmary or thyme, Dichondra 'sliver falls' and Dichondra 'Emerald falls' or Bridal veil varieties such as Astilbe bridal veil and Gibasis Bridal veil can add any extra element to a potted display and create more enthesis on the pot it's self making your eye notice the pot and the display as a whole piece not just the plants themselves.
The fuller the pot the better the display becomes over time as the plants establish themselves. Try planting at least two of the same plant and plant tighly depending on the space in your pot and place the plants evenly in the display so from all angles the pot appears to have a visual of every plant used in the display and be some what symmetrical.
Below I have chosen Lomandra 'Lime tuff' grass, Dianthus, Cineraria 'silver dust', Cyclamen 'dragon blue', dwarf mondo grass and Creeping wooly Thyme that need part-sun to shade for these deep slender pots that get morning to midday sun but not the heat of afternoon sun.
Cineraria 'Sliver dust' is my something tall and I wanted the added bonus sliver colour to go with my flowering plants; dianthus and cyclamen 'dragon blue' while the Creeping wooly Thyme will eventually grow down the slide of the pot as my pick of trailing plant.
