Ready to get planting but don’t know where to begin? Use this easy guide for all the best plant combinations to try in your pots
Match your plant to the location
Almost any type of plant can be grown in a pot, and there are so many different effects you can achieve. Select plants based on the environment they’ll be in – are they intended for a hot, sunny courtyard, a shady patio, or a windy roof garden or balcony?
Hot, sunny, windy spots
New Zealand flax, Poor Knights lily, Cycas revoluta, New Zealand and Australian grasses, succulents and sedums, pelargoniums, daisies, petunias, cordylines, bougainvillea, agaves, bromeliads and herbs such as chive, basil, mint and oregano.
Shady, sheltered locations
Opt for Japanese maples, daphne, ferns, Rhapis palms, azaleas, clivia, hostas and New Guinea impatiens.
How to choose the right mix of plants
Planters look best when you combine plants with different growing habits. Think of them as falling into three categories, thrillers, fillers and spillers. Here are some fail-safe opens for each type:
Thrillers are taller plants with a strong upright form. They are the visual centrepiece – something bold such as phormiums, hibiscus, cordylines or dracaena.
Fillers create the middle level – plants such as grasses, petunias and begonias.
Spillers are smaller, cascading plants that soften the pot edge, such as Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’, bacopa or lobelia.
Words by: Sandra Batley.
This article was first published in Your Home and Garden. Follow YHG on Instagram, Facebook and sign up to the fortnightly email for inspiration between the issues.
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