REVELATIONS

H&G GARDENING
This cool, leafy courtyard has many
points of interest, including giant
strelitzia, kentia palm and bamboo
with hanging planters, lanterns and
marble tulip urns. OPPOSITE
Clusters of pots in different sizes
benefit from a little repetition.
Photography by Nicholas Watt.
Sometimes the only way to grow plants in an
outdoor space is to use pots. A well-selected planter
or two is a sure-fire way to transform a small
space. There are endless sizes and shapes available
– from a small herb trough on a window ledge or a
hand-thrown ceramic hanging planter, to a monster pot
2m in diameter. You can basically grow plants in anything
that holds potting mix and has a drainage hole – it’s just
a matter of finding the right planter for your space.
There is a good rule of thumb when selecting from
the vast array of pots and plants on the market. I call
it the ‘70/20/10 rule’. Keep the majority of pots and
plants (say, 70 per cent) very simple. These will provide
the structure and cohesion for the basic layout. Buy
good-quality planters, without going overboard. For
example, you might use mostly off-white planters in
understated rectangles and round shapes. The plants
could be a mixture of mostly soft-foliaged plants –
creating ambience and providing good bulk and scale.
Next, introduce a different style of planter by way of
contrast. The finish could be different, and preferably
the shape as well. Aim for these to make up about 20 per
cent of your pots. Introducing pots with a different
shape, texture and colour will create interest. The final
10 per cent of pots and plants can be more out-there.
Try a couple of mad architectural plants, or a beautiful,
antique, brass planter – a hero piece, like an old Turkish
stone mortar planted full of succulents.
You can create any style of garden using pots and
planters – formal and French-inspired, or relaxed
and contemporary. It all comes down to the plants
you choose.
For a more formal garden, you need symmetry and
balance, with clipped hedges and mounded forms mixed
with looser specimens for contrast. Dense foliage with
small leaves, such as Pittosporum ‘Miss Muffet’,
common jade (Crassula ovata) and hedges of Japanese
box (Buxus microphylla) are generally more formal.
If you want something less formal, use large plants to
create structure, then add clusters of smaller plants. A
series of five big aloes in simple, large planters will give
an ultra-contemporary and architectural look, then you
could use small-leafed hedging or mounding plants to
make up most of the garden’s structure. Try to minimise
exposed areas of hard surfaces: the floor, the walls and
even the pots themselves. One good solution is to
under-plant taller plants in pots with groundcovers
that will trail down over the edges of the pots to soften
the look. In larger pots, plant several specimens to give
a fuller, more layered feel. >
Australian House & Garden 167