Great ideas for Gardening in Pots

Planting in pots or containers is an easy way to make a big change to your garden in a short space of time. Ready to start your own potted garden?

Here are a few suggestions to help inspire you.

For the low-maintenance gardener

Ticking all the boxes – low-maintenance, waterwise and aesthetically pleasing – echeverias are a great addition to any pot. Bonus? They can handle light shade and full sun and could therefore be the perfect option for those “tricky” spots in your garden or on your balcony that you’re looking to fill.

If you’re looking for something that adds a touch more colour, consider begonias. Perhaps more versatile than we give them credit for, they flourish indoors or outdoors, with their brilliant flowers and shiny leaves brightening up any corner.

For the garden gourmet

Most herbs grow very well in pots – plant them outside your kitchen door, or in a window box at the kitchen window. Also try planting herbs in a pot close to your braai area. That way, they’re on hand for making marinades. Top tip: rosemary twigs can also be used as skewers for kebabs.

For the flower lover

If you’re looking for colourful flowers that will thrive in pots in sunny areas, try filling your pots with the following summer blooms: floribunda roses, petunias, gazanias, portulaca, geraniums, dianthus, pelargoniums and marigolds. For best results, feed plants in pots with a liquid foliar feed once a month.

An important note about keeping your pots’ soil moist

It’s important to remember that pots dry out more quickly than the soil in garden beds. Add moisture-retaining granules – like AquaSoil Hydrogel or Wonder Stockosorb Waterwise Crystals – to your potting soil, and keep your pots well watered. Daily watering will probably be necessary in the heat of summer. It also helps to cover the soil with pebbles or gravel. Not only does it look attractive and help keep moisture in the pot, but it also prevents the soil from blowing away in windy gardens.