With potted plants, you can transform any space
Words: Karen Booth
Growing plants in pots gives you a means of having foliage and flowers in the smallest of spaces. Just as importantly, the pots can form part of an outdoor decorating scheme, adding colour and texture or, if large, providing design focal points.
Spoiled for choice
There are many materials to choose between … cast concrete, GRC (glass reinforced concrete), stone, plastic, poly-fibre, ceramic, metal and terracotta, which is a timeless choice – you just need to seal the interior to prevent water loss. Glazed ceramic pots are a popular option and come in myriad shapes, colours and textures so you can mix and match to your heart’s content.
When choosing a pot there are practical considerations, of course, ranging from the eventual size of the plant that will be going into the container to issues of weight and manoeuvrability. And it should go without saying pots must be waterproof.
Perfect placement
For a focal point, place a single pot against a feature wall; to create a privacy screen, try a row of large pots with tall plants. When grouping pots, do so in uneven numbers and limit the number of colours and shapes.
For permanent plantings choose plants with a long flowering period (fuchsia, pelargonium, impatiens). Some plants, such as gardenias, may even flower for longer periods in a pot than they do in the garden.
There are also many hardy architectural plants (cordyline, dracaena, agave) that look amazing year-round in a pot as they don’t rely on flowers to make an impact. Just remember to place your pot in a spot that meet’s the plant’s sunlight requirements.
Colour your world
One way to organise plant colour combinations in pots is to use similar hues (for example, three different shades of pink or yellow with yellow-green and green). This creates a harmonious, calming effect. A more dramatic effect can be achieved by using complementary colours (those across from each other on the colour wheel — like blue with orange, or yellow with purple).
If you’ve chosen the plants first, when selecting a pot pick an accent colour from the plant and be guided by that. If you have a highly ornamental plant, opt for an unpatterned pot so it doesn’t compete for attention. And don’t forget the pot needs to be in proportion to the plant.
This article was originally published in Outdoor Magazine, Issue 47.