The definitive guide to planting outdoor displays
First things first! Let's get to know your soil, good quality soil is deep and fertile, allowing plants to grow and grow. The condition of your garden's soil can vary depending on the area you live in, if necessary improving its structure and fertility before it grows can really pay off.
Ground
Compost for containers
We recommend using a high quality peat-free compost to keep the plants in your container looking healthy. Our compost contains a mixture of fine bark, wood fiber and coconut. Wood bark and fiber are sustainably sourced from UK managed forests and coconut fiber is sourced from a single known source, making this compound guilt free and environmentally friendly.
Garden soil
The three main types of garden soil are sandy, loamy and loamy. Most of the garden soil contains all three, the sandy soil is sandy and light, making digging easier. However, the water flows freely, which means that the nutrients are also quickly eliminated. This means you will need to add organic matter to help maintain the health of the soil, garden compost or manure will do the job here.
Clay soil has a very sticky texture when wet, with water draining much slower after rain. Soil becomes hard and cracks when dry, not an easy excavation, but it retains water and nutrients well. Adding sand or bark chips will improve drainage and aerate the soil.
Clay decomposes well when cultivated, it is a rich, healthy soil that retains nutrients and water without flooding.
Planting
Whatever you're planting, annuals, perennials or evergreens, preparing the soil is vital. Start by removing all the weeds, doing it manually is the greenest way to do it. After weeding, you can dig up some organic matter and add a general fertilizer before planting.
When considering plant placement, grouping plants into three and five of a kind will have a greater impact on your boundary, especially if it's a larger space. Working with a small space? A single specimen can go a long way, considering whether the plant you have chosen is fast growing or vigorous. Tall plants work best at the back or center of a ledge, ensuring they don't hide or shade other plants around them. You can place smaller or smaller plants in front, which creates a layered landscape that allows all the plants to be seen at once.
Containers
Planting in containers is a great way to create your own attractive display. Troughs, vases and bathtubs are ideal containers, effortlessly transforming areas of your garden that may need softening, more architecture or a splash of color. What is better? They can be moved to suit your needs. Containers come in many different sizes and styles, materials ranging from ceramic to wood, terracotta and plastic. You can avoid mixing too many different types so you can create a uniform look throughout your garden.
A quality peat-free potting compost will help your plants thrive, but be sure to keep an eye on watering during the summer months when pots are at risk or dry out quickly. You can use a plant fertilizer to promote flowering from spring to summer, don't forget to delete your flowers once or twice a week to keep them looking tidy!
When planting your containers, it's worth thinking ahead and deciding whether it will be a seasonal exhibit or year-round interest.
Summer containers are planted after the first frost, usually containing grassroots, perennials and creepers to smooth the edges.
Winter and spring displays can contain bulbs, winter flowering plants, perennial foliage, and spring bedding plants. These containers must be placed in a sheltered place; you can lift them off the ground to avoid flooding.
The year-round containers are permanently structured, using hardy perennials such as shrubs, palms, conifers and ivy. As these plants are often larger, you can afford to use less of them in your pots, avoid using more than one large specimen per display.