Pots of delight?
I have been having and on off relationship with planting up pots for the last few years. Sometimes I am pleased with the results and sometimes not. In the past I have struggled financially so the pots have been one of the sacrifices I have made but in recent years things have improved and I have found myself in the position where I can afford to treat myself to these things without feeling guilty.
Yes I know some of you will be crying ‘Oh no not more blue glazed pots’ but I like them! I planted these up for the winter and then decided to try and be clever and just replace the spring bedding with summer bedding. However, I hadnt fully engaged with how big the Hebes would grow in such a short space of time so they are now languishing in pots on the patio looking for new homes. The Festucua ‘Elijah Blue’ is the only perennial to survive in the pots and it looks lovely. On the other side of the front door I have another large pot (not blue) with a Fushcia Thalia in it, in fact I have two of these plants which I have mixed feelings about but they refuse to be killed by the cold in winter and I havent the heart to ditch them.
So, when I went shopping for bedding plants to plant in the pots my main objective was to find something that would compliment the Fuschia. Well, as I havent bought bedding plants for years I really couldnt make up my mind what to get. My youngest was beginning to have a sense of humour failure and was getting to the point of screaming, ‘Just buy something’! I had read that to get the best effect in pots, it pays to limit the range of plants you use to just three and to repeat the plants in several pots. This was the grand plan.
Like all grand plans, it went slightly off the rails. The Ageratum were meant to be white but they are blue, but in hindsight I do think they compliment the pots quite well and tie in the Festuca. They also pick up on the lavendar behind the pots. I#m not at all sure if the Begonias are the right choice to go with the Fuschia, I think I thought the white of the flowers would be cooling compared to the orange flowers (yet to appear) but I have my doubts on this combo – time will tell
I think your blue gazed pots are very distinctive : I like to see a jumble of sizes but also I like to see harmony in the pots and I think you have achieved just that. I struggle with pots I must admit…….
Im hopeless with pot planting schemes: I just stick a scented leaf geranium , nicotiana or nasturtium in a pot ,feed and water them, and then and hope for the best. Yours are very very artistic and cool. Lovely.
You can come and plant up some pots for me any day
Don’t worry – I love blue pots too!
After seeing Sarah Eberle’s Bradstone garden at Chelsea and the massive pots filled to the brim with Marigolds, I’ve become a fan of using lots of one type of flower in my pots.
Luckily we have a local plant sales at a school in the spring and autumn which sells bedding plants at knock down prices, so I’m able to indulge myself at about £3 per pot!
I’ve also got lots of herbs (and Heucheras of course) in pots. I was just about to re-house some lemon balm from one of them the other day, when I noticed a leaf cutter bee was going into the soil to make its nest!
Have a great weekend – it’s your trip to Goodwood isn’t?
Don’t let anyone tell you that your glazed pots are not right .. what ever it is that you like is RIGHT for you and I think they are pretty ! I have green glazed pots in different sizes .. I bought them when we lived in Holland so they have a history with me : ) Very pretty pots !
I like blue pots too and I have several of them.
Best wishes Sylvia
I love blue pots and have several. The white begonias make a statement and look elegant. I think you’ve chosen well. I don’t put fuschias in pots any more because of the dreaded vine weevil! Val
I have Fuchsia Thalia too and wish the flowers were a little less orange, especially as the foliage has a reddish cast too. I planted a couple of F. denticulata in the ground three years ago and they are still going strong though the top growth dies back each winter. I think I may do the same to one of my Thalias to see if it survives. Orange in the border would be no bad thing!
I love blue glazed pots too. I think your plantings look great. I’m almost never happy with my containers. I don’t think I have the artistic eye for them. Usually I get lots of ideas from what the nurseries have put together.
‘Delightful’ pots
I think a single colour helps unify the grouping, and makes it look very sophisticated. You’ve used only one colour for the pots and quite a limited colour range for the plants and it looks terrific.
Your pots look GREAT!
Michelle
I call it multicultural arrangement… and they really live in peace. The contrast is beautiful.
~ bangchik
I like your blue pots and they do add to the blue of the lavendar and ageratum. My problem is I have too many pots of plants. I often add my nursery plants in amongst my pots such as yong hebes and lavendar, rosemary and choisia amongst other things. Then when I need something to replace in a bed I just select from my pots or they end up as gifts for visitors to my garden. That then makes room for the other babies coming along.
I like the blue posts. Keep adding them, they are a lovely accent to any garden and look good in the group.
I LOVE blue pots because of the contrast they create–so keep them! And your begonias are so healthy and blossoming beautifully! Very nice post. And I had a good laugh about your child nearly having a meltdown! My daughter gets the same way “Just buy something! I’m done already!” LOL.