Surrey Homes | SH41 | March 2018 | Fashion supplement inside

Garden
Pots of love
Jo Arnell shows how easy – and enjoyable - it is to
make a Mother’s Day treat for mum yourself
The garden centres are packed full of springtime
loveliness, much of it already made up into
generic containers in readiness for Mother’s Day.
But with a little time and thought it’s easy and satisfying
to make an original floral gift. Classic spring flowers are
always cheerful and uplifting, but there are also permanent
plants or plant combinations that will work equally
well and will be a lasting reminder of your devotion.
Types of container: Whether you choose a conventional
terracotta pot, bespoke planter, or something more quirky,
drainage is essential, so make sure there are holes in the
bottom of the container. If it’s not possible to make holes,
add a generous layer of gravel to the bottom so that plant
roots don’t drown in a pool of water. If you are planting into
a basket, line the inside with polythene prior to planting, or
even plant in a pot and then place that inside the basket.
The plants to choose
Bulbs are great in containers, providing welcome bursts of
colour at the start of the season. Plant out in the garden,
or tuck out of sight once they’ve finished flowering.
Narcissi Many of the smaller varieties are scented
which adds an extra layer of loveliness. They are also a
better scale for containers than the giant show-offs.
Tulips Look out for varieties that have good foliage,
as some have lots of leaf that can start to look tatty
and yellow before the flowers have gone over.
Hyacinths are highly scented bulbs and
come in every colour except orange.
Muscari (Grape Hyacinth) have delicate blue flowers
that look like tiny upside-down bunches of grapes. These
will quickly multiply if planted on in the garden.
Biennials make ideal companions for bulbs as they flower
early. Basically a biennial is just an annual plant that
spreads the growing period over the winter, so it is ready
to start flowering as soon as the light and warmth come
back in the spring. Once a biennial has finished
flowering it will die and can then be
replaced with summer bedding.
Forget-me-nots will flower happily in
pots and make a good ‘skirt’ at the base
of flowering bulbs, helping to
disguise that tatty foliage.
Wallflowers (Erysimum) are
available in a good range of
colours and spicily scented, they
mix especially well with tulips
for a glamorous container display.
Bedding The first
outdoor bedding plants
available at the garden
centres are happy and
tough, so they should
survive any cold snaps.
Don’t be tempted to
choose tender bedding
plants for your containers just yet.
Primroses and polyanthus Choose either a demure
natural-looking species primrose, or go for a jaunty
and bright polyanthus. They are low growing, so
work well either singly in small pots, or as fillers.
Pansies and violas will go on flowering for
months if you keep deadheading.
indoor succulent arrangements
These trendy plants make great table top displays for
inside the house, but as the name suggests, succulents
have evolved to store water in their leaves, so are
ideally adapted to grow in arid conditions (perfect
if you are giving them to a plant neglector).
This means that they will need to be potted into
free draining gritty compost. You can make up
your own mix, using equal parts sand, compost and
horticultural grit, and then top with a gritty mulch
once planted in the container. Cacti and succulents
(contrary to popular opinion in my family) do need
to be watered, especially in the growing season, just
make sure that the water can drain away adequately.
Herbs
Planters of mixed herbs are fun to put together and can be
tailored to suit a cook’s requirements. Small single pots are in
good supply at the moment, as the foliage will be young
and fresh. Pot them up singly into attractive containers
and group together, or arrange in a planter. Use a
taller plant like rosemary or lavender in
the centre and arrange the others around
it. Herbs might not be as colourful as
flowers, but they will make up for that
with their aromatic charms and flavour.
Contact Jo for gardening courses
and garden advice: 01233 861149
jo@hornbrookmanor.co.uk
surrey-homes.co.uk