home&living
POTTY
FOR
PLANTS
It’s time to contain your excitement
Rachael Woodgate
refuses to contain her
enthusiasm for all
Rachael Woodgate invites you to get your hands dirty and
things green!
get excited about container gardening.
Living in the city, it’s easy to forget the joys of Get C’rocking!
plants, so it’s all the more important to make the From now on, don’t throw away any of those chipped
most of any green space available to you. Everyone plates, broken mugs or that hideous tea-set granny
needs to see a little of nature’s wonder, for their gave you. Instead, unless it’s antique, put it all into
soul’s sake, if nothing else! a heavy duty sack, grab a hammer and smash the
hell out of it – it’s wonderful therapy! Placing crocks
Urban gardening requires more creative solutions, in the bottom of pots is vital to allow good drainage.
but not having a garden shouldn’t stop you – as
long as you’ve got a windowsill, porch, balcony or Plant Passion
flat rooftop, you can enhance your surroundings For a real treat, get out to the countryside for the
with a splash of colour and vibrancy using containers. day and visit a rural nursery; these are usually much
cheaper than most city garden centres! Many
Even for those fortunate enough to have a city vegetables and herbs can also be easily grown in
garden, the likelihood is that it’s small and partly containers if you want a feast, not only for the eye
courtyard, decking or patio and, if you’re renting,
Give your frontage instant lift
but the belly too, but that’s another delicious story!
it’s often not worth investing in permanent
ground planting. This is where container gardening
provides a good solution for city dwellers wanting POT PREPPING
90
instant gratification that won’t cost the earth. The key to success is making sure
you get the foundations right.
The primary advantage of potted plants is that
you can move them around, creating new themes Be Creative
and moods. Despite lifestyle trends, it is vital to Terracotta or wooden containers rule over plastic
remember that any plant will thrive more when in my book, but why not recycle unwanted
planted in the ground rather than being contained, household items like wine crates, olive oil cans,
therefore you must ensure that you do your even old sinks and baths. Simply drill holes in the
utmost to promote its growing environment. bottom of your vessel and ensure it’s raised up
at least an inch from the ground on feet to allow
good free drainage. Use your imagination to create
character and fun focal points.
The Right Mix
Use multipurpose or specialist compost where
Pots of contentment
required e.g. Ericaceous compost for acid loving
plants. Save time on maintenance and promote Rachael Woodgate is a RHS silver medal
success by adding slow release fertilizer and water winning garden designer. For more information
Alpine rockery plants and shells
make a striking combination
retention gel to your soil mix when potting. check:
www.myspace.com/rachredgardening
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