Pots with Panache

Having created the gardens at East Ruston Old Vicarage in Norfolk from nothing, its owner Alan Gray reveals the secrets behind his glorious container planting

Pots play a very important part in the furnishing and structure of my garden. They adorn steps, they stand impressively like ranks of soldiers on the terrace, they bring intimacy to doorways and gateways and they are even elevated to such importance that they form the centrepiece of parts of my garden. However, to get the maximum amount of impact – even length of flowering period – from them, there are a few rules to follow.

Let us start with the container first. This should always be as large as possible, I see so many good attempts at pot planting ruined because the pot is too small, which means that the display fizzles out by midsummer. For summer pots, let me begin with the large specimen plants that I use in my garden. Years ago I fell head over heels in love with the scent of Brugmansias while on a continental holiday, and soon after I acquired some plants of my own. I still have them, but they are larger than ever; I like to be able to look up into their trumpets and in the evenings I enjoy the swooningly sweet scent. To get the best from these I allow each a very large pot.

The preparation for all my pots starts with crocks over the drainage hole, then a layer of very good compost, I use equal parts of John Innes No.3 and a ready-prepared, peat-based mix. Then a layer of wellrotted manure nine to 12 inches deep; this is important because summer plants are greedy feeders. The pots are then topped up with the compost mix. With plants like Brugmansias, I start a twice-weekly liquid feeding regime after four weeks which ensures that my plants keep on producing wave after wave of blossom getting ever better as the season progresses, their finale can result in them carrying as many as 200 flowers on each plant.

I think it important that due consideration be given to the centrepiece of each pot. Years ago I used standard Fuchsias, but these became somewhat ubiquitous, so I made standards of Solanum rantonnetii and Tibouchina urvilleana, both with rich, papalpurple flowers. I then work out my colour palette for the whole pot, which is kept quite simple; it may be purple and pink, or purple and yellow, or purple and white… the important point is to keep the tonal quality of your planting similar. For instance, keep the pinks pure and on the red side, omitting any hint of orange. Similarly, with yellow, either keep it to a sharp, acid tone or to a warmer, more orange tint.

The flowering plants that I choose are quite ordinary: Verbenas, Petunias, Pelargoniums… in fact, I use any ingredient that suits my purpose, but I always include some good, architectural foliage. This will come to the fore later in the season when some of the flowering plants start to dissolve into an amorphorous mass. Plants like Melianthus major, with its gorgeous glaucous leaves, or Sparrmannia africana with huge, bright-green paddles, then take over the scene and grab everyone’s attention.

If you are in any doubt, why not plant a white-themed pot? Nothing cold be simpler or look smarter. One of my best pots last summer was composed of a tall, growing, small-flowered Fuchsia ‘Hawkshead’, Gaura lindheimeri, Verbenas, the silver foliage of Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’ and Melianthus major for late interest. White and silver: so simple, so good!

Alan Gray is a gardener, author, radio and television personality. As an NGS Ambassador he also opens his own garden to NGS visitors