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#1
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Pots to bloom in summer months
Hi guys,
As you may know from my introductory post I am a noob gardener. One challenge I have set myself is to grow some plants and flowers in pots, so they bloom in the summer months. I can then position the pots at tactical places in my front rockery, my back patio or hanging baskets. I have bought three bergonia bulbs which I am going to plant this weekend. I would really welcome any advice on what sort of stuff is cheap, relatively easy(so my experience is rewarding), and adds a splash of colour. Is this a good idea? Are there obvious plant types I should go for? How many should I do (I am not wealthy)? I hope these aren't stupid questions - and I know a lot of this is subjective and down to taste - but I want to get a feel for what other (novice and experienced) gardeners would do. Thanks for reading, Jennings |
#2
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you can go to the garden store to buy one.
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#3
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Pots to bloom in summer months
"tony homegarden" wrote in message ... you can go to the garden store to buy one. -- tony homegarden I can't offer much advice on what to grow being quite inexperienced myself, but I can advise you to ignore comments like the one above from "tony homegarden". Whoever "Tony" is I have never noticed anything useful from him, but have gained a lot of useful advise from others on this newsgroup. Please don't let "Tony" and his type put you off, sadly this newsgroup seems to attract several idiots who seem to gain pleasure from being downright rude. The good news is they are greatly outnumbered by the helpful folk. I have planted my own hanging baskets and pots using whatever plants were cheap in Lidl or Aldi as we have both close by. Last year for the first time I got a bit more adventurous and bought little "plug" plants online with mixed success. Someone else will probably be along shortly to advise you what to buy, I hope so anyway as I will be making notes myself. Mike |
#4
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Pots to bloom in summer months
On Fri, 18 Mar 2011 18:23:30 -0000, "MuddyMike"
wrote: I also suggest looking out for stalls in local markets, plant sales at open gardens, yes! Car boot sales. is a great place to look and buy, they are full of easy to grow stuff, and if its easy to grow ,people tend to grow too much, then take it to a car boot sale to get rid of the surplus. Outdoor tomatoes, definitely, go for any one that has small 'cherry type', this year I will be planting three varieties, 'red Cherry' 'Gardeners delight and an Italian one called 'Cilique' surplus plants will be stuck in any open space between the flowers, and left to their own devices, will 'graze' on them as I walk round the garden :-) www.lincolnfuchsiasociety.info |
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Pots to bloom in summer months
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#6
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Wow. What an awesome response! So many people to thank and so many great ideas.
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#7
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Guys - thanks to everyone that has replied.
I have collated a set of notes from all of your posts and am going to get to work this weekend Mrs ??Jennings is going to hate me - I don't have a shed, so I will have to bring the pots into the house until the frost risk has passed. |
#8
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Pots to bloom in summer months
Jennings wrote in
: Hi guys, As you may know from my introductory post I am a noob gardener. One challenge I have set myself is to grow some plants and flowers in pots, so they bloom in the summer months. I can then position the pots at tactical places in my front rockery, my back patio or hanging baskets. I have bought three bergonia bulbs which I am going to plant this weekend. I would really welcome any advice on what sort of stuff is cheap, relatively easy(so my experience is rewarding), and adds a splash of colour. Is this a good idea? Are there obvious plant types I should go for? How many should I do (I am not wealthy)? I hope these aren't stupid questions - and I know a lot of this is subjective and down to taste - but I want to get a feel for what other (novice and experienced) gardeners would do. Thanks for reading, Jennings Jennings, I am a not wealthy either, so I rarely buy plants, just seed. You could buy a couple of packets of seed from B&Q or your local garden centre, muck cheap. Have a wonder around and choose some things you like, not what other people like. There are thousands to choose from. Have you considered growing outdoor tomatoes? It's easy and I think they look as good as anything. I grow Gardeners Delight outdoor and I tell you they are wonderful. You can buy tomatoes for hanging baskets too. My main advice to you is to buy seeds not plants,(cheaper by far) unless its a shrub, and even then you can take cuttings from shrubs. If you are a noob this might sound difficult, but I promise its not. Hope this is helpful Baz |
#9
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Pots to bloom in summer months
On 18/03/2011 12:02, Jennings wrote:
Hi guys, As you may know from my introductory post I am a noob gardener. One challenge I have set myself is to grow some plants and flowers in pots, so they bloom in the summer months. I can then position the pots at tactical places in my front rockery, my back patio or hanging baskets. Look for packets of dwarf half-hardy annuals (such as marigold, antirrhinum, mesems (good in a hot, dry spot if you are likely to forget to water the pots!), nemophila, petunia, salvia, and many others. Have a browse in your local garden centre (or Wilko if you want to save money) I have bought three bergonia bulbs which I am going to plant this weekend. I wouldn't if I were you as begonias will suffer if a frost gets to them. It is too early unless you have a greenhouse to keep them in, or start them on a windowsill for putting outside in late May. I would really welcome any advice on what sort of stuff is cheap, relatively easy(so my experience is rewarding), and adds a splash of colour. As others have said, seeds are the way to go. Get the dwarf varieties for pots, or they will look very odd. You could also consider summer bulbs, although the flowering spike of majority of these are too tall for a pot. But many new varieties are appearing (eg dwarf dahlias). Once again, have a browse in a garden centre. Is this a good idea? Are there obvious plant types I should go for? How many should I do (I am not wealthy)? you could always pop along to your local Horticultural or Garden society and ask for advice. They often have cheap stuff available as they buy in bulk. I hope these aren't stupid questions - and I know a lot of this is subjective and down to taste - but I want to get a feel for what other (novice and experienced) gardeners would do. No, these are sensible questions for any beginner. -- Jeff |
#10
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Pots to bloom in summer months
"Jennings" wrote , As you may know from my introductory post I am a noob gardener. One challenge I have set myself is to grow some plants and flowers in pots, so they bloom in the summer months. I can then position the pots at tactical places in my front rockery, my back patio or hanging baskets. I have bought three bergonia bulbs which I am going to plant this weekend. I would really welcome any advice on what sort of stuff is cheap, relatively easy(so my experience is rewarding), and adds a splash of colour. Is this a good idea? Are there obvious plant types I should go for? How many should I do (I am not wealthy)? I hope these aren't stupid questions - and I know a lot of this is subjective and down to taste - but I want to get a feel for what other (novice and experienced) gardeners would do. .............................. The begonia tubers should be potted up asap but must not be left outside until all chance of frost is gone, about Chelsea Flower Show time usually, the end of May. Pot them with the concave side uppermost, rounded side downwards, and just cover with half an inch of compost. Water vary sparingly at first until you see the shoots breaking through and then water slightly more until it's growing away well. You can keep these tubers for years if you take the pot into a frost free place before the first frosts and put it onto it's side so you remember to not water it at all until the spring. Cheap is relative, but Fuschias and Zonal pelargoniums (Incorrectly called Geraniums in most GCs) make good centre plants and are both easy and will give a superb display all summer. Fuschias don't need a lot of sun but do like a lot of water, Zonal pels do like sun and don't want to be wet. These two can also be kept over winter but with more difficulty, the Fuschias need to be potted up and the Zonal pels need cuttings taken in late summer. Under these plants, especially the Fuschias which also like a lot of water, you could plant Bizzy Lizzys but I would suggest only one colour per tub, not the multi-coloured ones which can look a mess. Try to find a local Nursery that grows and sell bedding plants, they will usually be much better plants probably have a greater variety and be cheaper than a GC or Shed. -- Regards Bob Hobden W.of London. UK |
#11
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Pots to bloom in summer months
On Fri, 18 Mar 2011 23:50:46 -0000, "Bob Hobden"
wrote: these plants, especially the Fuschias which also like a lot of water Lots of water only if in a Hanging Basket, a pot needs very good drainage, as Fuchsia's don't like water logging. Fuchsia are very easy to grow, and will produce a good show from small plug plants this year, and can be kept, with care for future years. But as with any plant, they want to grow!. Nice to hear that remark on GQT this week. www.lincolnfuchsiasociety.info |
#12
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Pots to bloom in summer months
On Fri, 18 Mar 2011 12:02:54 +0000, Jennings
wrote: One challenge I have set myself is to grow some plants and flowers in pots, so they bloom in the summer months. I can then position the pots at tactical places in my front rockery, my back patio or hanging baskets. I grow Agapanthus in pots. The flower heads follow the light like crazy, so by having them in a pot I can turn it on a castor base. The year before last I got the timing just right with my turning and was rewarded with a potful of 13 gracefully spiralling stems topped with big blue flowers. Next I repot though, I think it'll be too big. Time to split, methinks. |
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