Sunday Magazine – August 25, 2019

50 S MAGAZINE ★ 25 AUGUST 2019

Alan Titchmarsh

thickly to make a good show. As it’s

the end of the season, plants won’t

have time to grow bigger.

Water sparingly and keep the

displays in a sheltered place out

of wind and heavy rain and where

rainwater won’t form puddles.

They are best placed close to

a wall and raise up on pot feet

or bricks for extra drainage.

Spring bulbs

in containers

Choose large tubs or troughs.

Place handfuls of gravel in the

base for drainage and cover with

an inch or two of potting compost.

Sit a layer of bulbs on top of this,

placed close together so they

make a good show. However, they

shouldn’t quite touch each other

or the sides of the container.

Only just cover the bottom tier

of bulbs with compost then sit a

second layer above them. These

could be more of the same

variety or a smaller species that

flowers at roughly the same time

(botanical tulips and Anemone

blanda team well together, as do

dwarf daffodils and crocuses).

In a large container there may

be room for a third tier of bulbs,

but don’t plant them too deeply

• their tips should just show
  above the compost. Otherwise,
  plant spring bedding plants such
  as polyanthus or wallflowers for a
  mixed scheme. Water sparingly
  and stand the container in a safe,
  sheltered corner of the patio,
  again raised up on bricks or pot
  feet to prevent waterlogging.

Hanging baskets

Winter hanging basket displays

are never as rich and colourful as

P

lanting up winter tubs

and hanging baskets is

a very different job from

preparing summer

containers, and that’s

not just down to the different

plants involved. In summer, the

emphasis is on retaining water,

while in winter waterlogging is

a killer. A different planting

technique is needed and, because

of the worsening weather, you

will need to take more care in

choosing the site and situation

of your container displays.

Planting tubs

and troughs

Choose containers made from

durable materials that can

withstand repeated frosts without

cracking or turning brittle – good-

quality terracotta, ceramics,

heavy-duty plastics and wooden

tubs are best. Plenty of drainage

holes are essential – cover with

stones or large pieces of broken

flowerpot (laid concave-side

downwards) so that excess water

can escape, but not the compost.

Place a generous layer of gravel or

small stones all over the base of

the container for extra drainage.

You can make a winter compost by

mixing half and half John Innes

potting compost and multipurpose

compost, then adding 10 per cent

potting grit by volume.

Choose suitable plants for winter

and/or early spring displays, such

as dwarf wallflowers, polyanthus,

winter-flowering pansies, ornamental

cabbages and kales. Tip these out

of their pots and plant without

breaking up the rootballs. Add

ivies, small euonymus plants or

other evergreen shrubs for

foliage, if required. Plant

Prepare now for a dazzling container display

Pots of

Anemone

blanda

Michaelmas daisies