Perfecting your Plant Pots

What better way to add some colour to your house and garden than adding some potted plants? Let us talk you though how to optimise your space and how to help your plants to thrive when the hard work of potting them is done!

The right pots can add great colour and character to even the smallest of spaces indoors or outdoors. With a little creativity, they are a gardener’s paradise, particularly at this time of year.

Creating Colour at your door!

A great tip when it comes to selecting plants for your pots, is to mix evergreen plants with something bright and full of colour. This will not only create balance, but also save you having to replace everything in the pot as the seasons change. Instead having to only change out the coulourful plants and shrubs, which is a lovely, simple way to add some seasonal decoration to your home.

If you’re looking for colour, but need a more maintenance free option, a great way to do so is mixing it up with some striking foliage rather than relying on flowers which can fade with the seasons.

If foliage is the approach for you, our top picks are:

• Pink Cordyline,
• Variegated Ivy,
• Coprosoma,
• Heuchera,
• Hosta,
• Carex Grass, or,
• Astelia (Particularly strinking when mixed with evergreens!)

Lots of customers who come into us in Tirlán CountryLife are looking for plants for their front door or patios that will provide berries for the birds during the winter months. Standard holly is fantastic for this.

Choosing the right Pot

When choosing a pot there are a few things to consider. Looking for a frost-resistant container is a great place to start.

• If you plan to use pots in a windy area, choose square ones as they are less likely to blow over.

• If you want low maintenance container garden, opt for ceramic pots. They are easy to look after; you can wipe them down with a cloth or give them a little spray every now and again with a power hose, but try not to upset things too much.

Choosing the right Compost

To give your pots the best start possible, we recommend using a really good quality compost. Compost that won’t dry out too much, such as All-Purpose Compost will provide lots of nutrition to your plants, which will help them thrive.

Another great tip is to mix a little topsoil with this higher quality compost or choose a multi-purpose compost with added benefits, such as one with John Innes. To really drive your plants on, add in a little pelleted chicken manure, it makes a really good home for the plants and their roots.

Garden Pot Maintenance

We recommend that you then lift the pot off the ground just a little by placing a few tiny pebbles underneath, which allows surplus rain to drain off. This reduces the chances of frost damage while also providing a self-draining soil for the plants.

Saucers for the base of your pots are also effective for this, but be sure to get a saucer that is the same size as the pot to achieve the desired outcome. Don’t be afraid to mix and match the colours of your pot and saucer, be adventurous in the garden!

Sometimes, even when you’ve taken great care of them, pots can look a little tired. If this happens don’t be afraid to whip out any dying plants and give them an afterlife in your compost heap!

So, when it is time to give pots this revamp, make sure to give them a good clean out and replace the compost. Before discarding the old compost over your garden, check first for birds eggs. If you find any, put them in a safe part of the garden where they won’t damage flowers or shrubs.

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GET IN TOUCH:

Gardens really are our second nature. So if you’d like help with something on this post, or anything else in your corner of second nature, please reach out to us on social media, or by email on hello@countrylife.ie. If the question is quite specific, it’s really helpful to include a photo. We’d love to help.

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SHOP PRODUCTS

All products mentioned in the above blog can be bought on countrylife.ie or in you local Tirlán CountryLife branch. To find your nearest store click here.

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