Potted Plant Parents
Summer is not your typical time to plant a garden. The heat can be stressful enough without having to acclimatise into new soil and a new place, and any large planting jobs are best delayed till autumn when the sting is out of the summers sun, yet the soil is warm still and so roots quickly grow into their new spot. This doesn’t mean you can’t get gardening, however, and indeed it can be a great moment to put in a potted garden when you have the spare time and are perhaps holidaying at home, so plant “sitting” and settling your new green babies into their new home can be enjoyed.
Creating a courtyard garden from pots
There is obviously very little transplant shock involved in simply buying a plant and bringing it home to your place. There are, however, still some considerations to bear in mind. Always make sure your plant is chosen for the position its going into. If its for a sunny courtyard, make sure it’s coming from a sunny area and is already acclimatised. The reverse is true for shade loving plants – make sure these are already in the shade.
When you get your plants home, instead of repotting your selections into the decorative pots they may end up in, simply sit them in these containers till autumn. This will allow them to get used to their new position and adjust before they have any shock from transplanting. When you finally do pot them inside, they will already have adjusted nicely to their position. A good Australian Standard potting mix and a soak in some seaweed solution will be all that’s needed to ensure they settle in perfectly.
Cluster Your Pots and Save
Did you know that we offer some great bundle specials? Simply put, if you buy the set of some of our ranges you’ll save about 20%. We have $175 pot cluster bundles in our Andes and Rise Egg pots in chalk and grey, which save you nearly $45, and $250 pot cluster bundles in our Ridge Egg pots in both chalk and grey, which save you nearly $70. Creating a potted ‘plant family’ with grouping also looks great, and tends to make more impact than solo pots.
How often do I Need to Water My Potted Garden?
The wet weather we have been getting this summer is making container gardening incredibly easy. Normally, a potted garden will need a good drink every week, but more frequently in hot, dry or windy weather. Try to avoid really windy positions too, especially when the weather is hot, but you can use a product called Drought Shield, which will help protect plants from extremes and is like adding sunblock! Saucers of water should never be kept under your pots as plants hate being sodden. Make sure if you have saucers, that you use pot feet of pebbles to lift your plants up out of the water.
How Often Do I Need to Feed My Containerised Garden?
Your potted plants need feeding every 6 months with a slow-release fertiliser and you might also choose to supplement this with monthly liquid feeding. Remember that watering dissolves many soluble nutrients, so feeding is necessary…plants can’t get into the ground to look for food after all!
By: Meredith Kirton
