Pots and planters

Hi ive run out of planting space in the garden but i have a decked area and a few other places i can introduce some pots and planters,

A property i am renovating at the moment had these left behind so ive picked them up today ready for planting up, any suggestions what works well in pots what do you have in yours and any pictures would be nice,

I am south facing on the back garden but ive created a slight shade most of the day on the decked area.

 

Hiya Martin-f
Convolvulous cneorum is a fantastic container plant.....silky, semi cascading silver foliage and white flowers in summer is a must for me in containers
Hostas are superb in containers. Phormiums (dazzler is esp colourful), heucheras, grasses like the fantastic hachonechloa and black ophiopogon nigrescens, gold coloured libertias, lewisias and even cannas. Diosmas too...tactile, heatherlike and aromatic.
Here I grow perennial heliotrope, salvia elegans, lippia citriodora, zaluzianskya, daphne and lillium Regale for scent in summer on pathways, doorways, near windows, patios etc.
Fuchsias, sunpatiens, trailing small flowered "bonfire" type begonias, bidens for summer colour.
Succulents like aeoniums, echeverias, etc., thrive in pots.....very tactile.
For acid soil to flower in spring dwarf pieris, rhodos, azaleas and camellias.......
The great thing about pots is you can make soil suitable for the plant you want to grow so varying the scope and range of subjects
Sorry Martin-f, I dont really keep pictures of my plants but hopefully one or two ideas!

 

Think @Verdun has covered just about all types of flowers there ! ..

Other uses could be for herbs eg the types like thyme and rosemary which prefer it more alkaline so should grow better than in garden soil.

Also fruit, strawberries, summer and perpetual types do well in pots, and for larger pots you can grow the smaller varieties of blueberries, blackberries ( now patio types) and even raspberries.

The downside though, regular watering needed in hot weather and being vigilant about snails and vine weevil.

 

Great grab @martin-f ! Painting or coating them with a single colour might bring out the shapes really well

I grew most of my garden in planters in our previous house, and have tried everything. Everything works to some extent if you can ensure they don't dry out completely. Even larger perennials, shrubs and trees can do well for some years.

The low, rectangular sinks cry for succulents. I could kill for those... perfect!

Verdun and ricky101 have covered a lot of great plants so here are just some favourites: Shrubby thyme is a great plant for smaller containers, it tolerates draught, flowers well and is evergreen. It tastes nice, is fragrant and bees love it.

Echinops Ritro (I got roots cheaply from Wilkos) looks stunning in a large container. It doesn't flop and the shape is majestetic when seen in a pot, even before the flowers appear.

My latest trial is Alpine Strawberries from seed. Very vigorous, and importantly, the tiny flowers and berries are at their best when they are just under your nose rather than in border. How perfect is it to sit on your garden bench and nibble strawberries?

That's the benefit of containers, you can bring them close when they are at their best and hide them when not. And the constant watering... mmmhhhh... develops your deep muscle corset as they say in Pilates world.

 

Thank you for the ideas and information i am obsessed with watering so that shouldn't be a issue i probably water too much,

I will have a look through the plants mentioned @Verdun and see what takes my fancy, good idea regarding painting the pots @Selleri i will get some bright different colored paint and give them a coat, thanks @ricky101 i still have a large strawberry planter to pick up a bit of fruit will bring some interest to the grand kids thanks again a great help.

 

What a lovely thread. I have a sunny patio and grow quite a variety of plants, a fig being my favourite. It produced a few fruits for me this last summer.
I also like to grow annuals from seed; these give me lots of scent, colour and variety for each season.