From the beautiful days, the purchases of plants in pots as well as the cuttings are going well because it is the moment to prepare suspensions and planters in order to vegetate the terrace and balcony, window sills, awning, as well as certain areas of the garden to which we wants to bring an original touch. Many gardeners also prepare pots of winter- or spring-flowering plants in the fall. But you can love plants and not have any particular knowledge of gardening, so you risk making mistakes. Here are some valuable tips for successful plant decoration and creating sublime weddings in ceramic, zinc and even plastic pots.
Creation of hotpots: the keys to success
When you want to get into the creation of pots, it is better not to act blindly. We start by taking an interest in the coveted plants, and the interest in bringing them should not be only aesthetic. Admittedly, this is a point that matters a great deal, but above all, there are selection criteria which must absolutely be taken into account. It’s here key to success.
Combining plants in pots, planters, hanging plants or even in a basin requires respect some fundamentals and we could quite sum it up in a single sentence: associate in a pot only plants with the same needs. Thus, knowing their requirements is a key point in order to be able to marry them. We risk a total fiasco when we plant in the same planter plants that have different needs.
The frequency of watering
It is always necessary to inquire beforehand about the water needs of all plants intended to share the same pot. For example, a plant that must be watered very often does not go at all with a species that is content with a glass of water every fortnight. If we are not careful, there is bound to be one of the two which will perish very quickly either by drying out due to clearly insufficient irrigation, or by rotting due to excess water.
Be careful because in pots exposed to full sun all day, especially when it is very hot, the substrate dries extremely quickly. It is therefore imperative to water frequently (with the exception of plants that do without water), much more often in any case than if the plants were grown in the ground, in a bed.
However, it is essential to use pierced bottom pots and it may be necessary to lay a drainage layer at the bottom of the pots, such as clay pebbles or gravel.
The nature of the substrate
As with water requirements, care should be taken to choose plants that have the same soil requirements. Some like heath soil because it is acidic while others can die there, or are satisfied with a good garden soil quite simply. There are also some that can only be planted in sandy soil and many species hate calcareous soils. There are also many plants that like well-drained substrates, others that need rich soil…
You really have to pay a lot of attention to type de sol because it is fundamental for the development of the species that we wish to install together in a pot. But it is possible to simplify your life by buying soil for flowering and pot plants, rich in nutrients. Of course, don’t forget to also buy fertilizer to dilute in the irrigation water in order to have even more beautiful plant compositions.
The exhibition
It is necessary that set location future vegetable compositions for pots in order to know which plants to offer. Shade or full sun? This is a crucial question for make the right choice of plants. It is therefore necessary to be observant in order to know precisely at what time of the day the terrace or the balcony is sunny, and if the sunshine is of short duration or persists all day. Between a zone located in the North and another full South, that changes everything. There are indeed plants that must be installed in theombresome to partial shade and others in full sun because the direct rays of the sun in the middle of the afternoon do not scare them.
Consequently, the exposure also counts for the brightness since you can install a pot in full light while another, depending on the composition, will be more appropriate in a dimly lit corner.
Some ideas of vegetable associations to create sumptuous stews
There are a thousand solutions for attractively uniting plants in pots. We can for example combine:
- Mauve rosebush with a compact habit, Allium and Lavender,
- Surfinia (which is none other than a cascading drooping petunia), Ivy with green and yellow variegated foliage, grass,
- Hyacinth, Narcisse, Tulip, Muscari, Crocus,
- Trailing Geranium, Lobelia, Sage, Nemesia,
- Petunia, Verbena, Campanula,
- Pansy, Ranunculus…
Every detail counts to achieve an unequaled result, namely:
- The height of the plant : the highest ones are to be placed in the center of the pot so as not to hide the lowest ones, and this also allows you to play the card of verticality.
- the harbor : climbing plant, hanging plant… Whether supple or upright, the habit is important. This is how we create magnificent associations because by marrying plants with different ports, it is possible to create a movement and thus give rhythm to the decoration of its green space.
- Foliage : its texture, its color, its variegations, its graphics… it counts as much as the flowering.
- Flowers : their shape, their size, their period and their duration of blooming are to be taken into account just like their perfume.
- Colors : you have to be careful not to make mistakes, especially when it comes to color associations. It would be a real shame to make a mistake in taste… If you don’t really have a sense of harmony, you can settle for a monochrome. It’s absolutely lovely and it still works great.
Pots can be made up of several plants of the same variety but of different colors, or plants with decorative foliage and flowering plants, low and tall plants… And if you install climbers in a pot, you don’t don’t forget to plant braces to allow the stems to cling to them. Finally, you should always think about potting up plants that are adapted to the climate and choose them according to their flowering period.