Five tips for easy container care

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine

Published: Tuesday, 6 August 2019 at 10:55 am

Keep the pots and containers on your plot looking good with these five tips.

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There are hundreds of plants to grow in pots and containers, and a few simple care tips you can keep all in fine fettle.

If you're new to container gardening, take a look at some of the best plants for containers to get you started. They're ideal for small spaces like balconies, courtyards and rooftop gardens.

Most flowering plants growing in pots will need regular deadheading to ensure the continued production of flowers – find out how to deadhead flowers.

Check out these tips for easy container care.

Group your pots

Group together pots of plants that enjoy similar conditions. Move or turn pots around for healthy growth and don't let larger pots shade out plants in smaller pots.

Pots grouped together on a patio beside a bench

Use saucers

Sit your pots in saucers to catch water – old plastic food containers work well. This is especially useful for containers placed in baking hot spots. Discover more ways to save water in the garden.

Placing a potted geranium into a saucer

Top up the compost

Regularly top up containers with fresh compost and feed weekly in the main growing season. Find out how to refresh the compost for container grown trees and shrubs.

Topping up the compost in a container

Water in dry spells

Try to restrict your watering to dry spells and give the containers a really good soaking when you do. It might sound obvious, but be sure to water plants at the base rather than wetting the foliage – Alan Titchmarsh demonstrates.

Watering a container of flowering plants with a watering can

Use plastic pots

Consider using plastic pots for larger plants – it'll make them easier to move them around. Another good tip is to upcycle old tins, troughs and crates; gather ideas and inspiration with these upcycled containers.

Herbs in colourful, large plastic pots

Cranesbill with small pink flowers in a terracotta pot

Shade-lovers for pots and containers

Hostas
Ferns
Hakonechloa
Japanese maple
Mint
Hardy geraniums
Astrantias
Hellebores
Epimediums

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