Outdoor Pot Plants

Hi,

I'm a complete gardening newbie!!

So, outside my house I have two empty big stone pots (40cm x 40cm) and I want to plant something that is easy to look after, can handle UK weather and adds a bit of colour.. preferably something that I can buy from B & Q as I have a tonne of vouchers to use up .. Any suggestions would be appreciated..

Also can I just pot them in multi-purpose compost?

 

It depends on how sunny/shaded the position is, but this my "go to" suggestion .

Nandina domestica 'Obsessed' | Thompson & Morgan

I'm pretty sure B&Q sell Nandinas, possibly not this variety though.

 

Ooh I like that. This is probably a silly question, but when I click the link it shows different ordering options, which one do I need to fit a 40cm pot??

 

Personally I would go for either the biggest one, or the 3 x 9cm pots option per pot.

If you can though, l'd advise going to B&Q and seeing them in the flesh so to speak. If you can't find any there then most garden centres stock them.
There are several different varieties of Nandina, but in my personal opinion Obsessed is one of the best. I've had one in a large pot for years.
Multi purpose compost should be fine, make sure there is good drainage by putting "crocks" in the bottom of the pots. This will stop the drainage holes getting blocked up and causing the compost to become waterlogged.

No such thing as a silly question . Ask away.

PS If you could state whereabouts you live (a general location will do), that helps with advice. You can add it to your avatar.

 

Another easy option is a Phormium, one of the smaller variegated ones would be happy in a container just with morning sun. B&Q stock them. I’d use a soil based compost like John Innes No 3, adding a few handfuls of MPC and some horticultural grit. Top your pot with some grit to keep weeds away, retain moisture and improve the look!

 

Some more info will definitely help people to offer ideas @Barney Waspe , as @AnniD has said.
Also - where will you be siting the pots? If it's right next to your house, the eaves can prevent rain getting in, so it's even more important to be vigilant with watering ,especially if you don't want to spend lots of time with maintenance.
Anything in a pot needs more attention though, so regardless of what you choose, you need to keep an eye on it all year round. I'd go for one of the Hebes - they can mange shadier sites as well as sunny, and don't mind drier conditions either. There are hundreds of types though, so you'd have to check what would suit. I use the smaller leaved ones a lot - the foliage is similar to box, hence the name H/ buxifolia, and there are various types. If you're in a very cold, more exposed location, they can succumb though. I've lost them at various times too.
B&Q will certainly have those, but you might find it better to wait until spring when they'll have more stock. I was in the other day, and there's certainly plenty of bargains, but it isn't a bargain if you don't want, or like, it

 

I have Nandina Fire Power. Here she is in a concrete pot in February with both Winter and Summer colour ...

 

How about a Daphne "Perfume Princess"? It will give you flowers and perfume in the winter when there's not much else performing.
My two both came from B&Q.