Get The Most from Container Gardening This Autumn

Choosing your containers

There are three important factors to consider - Colour, Grouping and Plants:

• Colour. The colour scheme is critical. Mediterranean white, earthy sienna or even a terracotta coloured container is superb on the garden patio. For the more adventurous, try the more trendy colours - wine red shiraz, emperor blue, a lush red papaya and deep forest green. Avoid exposing glazed containers to direct sunlight as they tend to retain the heat which may be harmful to the roots of the plant. Clay containers, being porous with natural colours, retain less heat and thus allow the roots to breathe and develop with less disturbance.
• Grouping. A group of three large containers of different sizes or shapes will always look better than a hundred small plastic containers. When grouping containers together choose one design in three sizes, or go for a traditional arrangement of one tall, one medium and one low container. Natural materials such as pebbles, driftwood or wood chips may be scattered around the base of the container to complete the group picture.
• Plants. Highly decorated containers should be planted up with foliage plants, whilst variegated plants look better in plain containers. Fussy plants also look best in pots with simple shapes. Chunky containers suit a slim plant or one with a stem or trunk that raises the plant above the level of the container. Narrow containers can be used for plants with fountains of leaves or gracefully arching branches. As a general rule, the plant should eventually grow to a height that is two thirds of the total height of the container and plant combination. For a patio tree or climber on a terrace, for example, choose a container with a diameter and depth of 500mm. or more. Remember that trees in containers never grow to their normal size, as their root development is restricted. Avoid planting shrubs into a small pot of less than 450mm. diameter.
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Containers large and small

Containers less than 300mm. in diameter are suitable for small perennials, herbs and flowering annuals, whilst the flat bowl shapes are more suited for bulbs and colourful annuals.

What would you plant into a large container? Try these small trees in a large container - Chinese Maple, Japanese Maple, Leopard tree, Kiepersol, Prunus Nigra, Bottlebrush, Yellowwood, Acer Negundo, Silver Birch, Gingko Biloba (Maidenhair tree) Liquid Amber, Mexican Cherry, Palms or a Swamp Cypress.

Shrubs in containers

Need a container filled with shrubs? Try a viburnum (Abelia grandiflora),Hibiscus, Yesterday Today & Tomorrow, Bougainvillea (Crimson Jewel or Tom Thumb), Strelitzia, or any of the dwarf conifers. Medium height shrubs include Hydrangeas, Azaleas, Cape Honeysuckle, Calamondin, Coprosma, Fuchsia or St John's Wort. Rosemary, May bushes, Veronica and Wild Iris also do well in containers.

Winter and spring flowering shrubs for containers

Towards autumn the nights cool down and it is time to plant up a host of spring-flowering winter bulbs and annuals. Leave the planting of spring-flowering winter bulbs and annuals to late autumn if you live on the coast. Consider these combinations for container planting:

• Bulbs: Allium, Anemone, Babiana, Begonia, Daffodil, Freesia, Gloxinia, Hyacinth, Iris, Ixias, Leucojum, Muscari, Ranunculus, Scilla, Sparaxis, Tulips or Tritonias.
• Annuals: Alyssum, Snapdragon, Bellis Perennis, Calendula, Cineraria, Dianthus, Namaqualand Daisy, Lobelia, Nemesia, Pansy, Petunia, Poppy, Primula, Schizanthus, Stocks, Sweet Peas, Sweet William, Verbea or Viola.