Wealden Times | WT171 | May 2016 | Restoration & New Build supplement inside

Containing
your joy...
Growing plants in containers is not only aesthetically
pleasing, it can be practical too, says Sue Whigham
I
don’t know if any of you have been down to Hanham
Court Gardens near Bath. Julian and Isabel Bannerman,
Chelsea Gold Medal winners and whose commissions
include incredibly imaginative creations at Highgrove,
bought the house, part of a glorious mediaeval monastic
establishment, in 1983 and created a dream-like garden
there. They’ve moved on now but their garden very much
remains and is open for the NGS several times in 2016.
The reason I mention it is that I remember one of those
wonderful days when a group of us drove down to see it.
We arrived to find Julian gently watering a huge copper
absolutely full of a dense planting of Lavender ‘Hidcote’
and Argyranthemum ‘Cherry Red’. I’ve never forgotten
it as the combination of the lavender and the marguerite
was completely stunning. ‘Cherry Red’ has daisy-like
flowers in a deep carmine-red which fade to different
shades of pink as they age. And to cap it all you have
feathery grey leaves contrasting with the deep purple of
the lavender. I’ve been meaning to try this combination
in one of my myriad pots. Maybe this will be the year.
The joy of these sorts of plants is that they don’t need too
much watering and of course it is a bit of a relief not to have
to spend hours wielding a hosepipe and watering everything
in sight. And whilst it is difficult on a wet and windy early
April day to imagine hosepipes being anything but redundant
after the winter and early spring we have had, I suspect that
they will have to be wheeled out by the time summer arrives.
So, are drought resistant plants, or plants that need little
watering, right for containers? There are thousands of plants
worldwide which are so cleverly adapted to dry conditions.
Think of all the silver-leaved plants whose leaves reflect the
harsh rays of the sun and whose coating of fine hairs on both
stem and leaves help trap moisture around the plant’s tissues.
But there are also other adaptations plants have made to
cope with lack of moisture so look out for these too when
you’re choosing your drought resistant plant which involve
minimal care once they are established. Apart from silver
leaved plants, there are plants which have succulent leaves
and stems, tiny leaves, needle-like leaves and waxy ones too.
Think of how plants grow in their native conditions. I think
that agapanthus are one of the most striking plants for pots
and they grow in crevices and on cliffs with a minimal
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