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There are a great many plants that can be successfully grown in
containers, those listed here are amongst the easier ones to grow and most successful
in containers.
Summer annuals
and half-hardy perennials
There are loads of new varieties and species of plants
that are made available for purchase each year with most of them being hopefully
described as "a great breakthrough" or similar. A few years later however and you
can't find them any more. Also, if you plant up a mixed container, the plants that
are still looking good at the end of the season are the "old" traditional ones.
Not for nothing are they used year in year out. Remember to water, feed them well
and remove dead flower heads for a continuous display
Fuchsias, marvellous
bell-like flowers in a huge range of colours and growth habits. Tend to be a
bit sparse around the base and stem so under plant with something bushier. Better
with some shade.
Geraniums (properly
known as Pelargoniums), these just keep going all summer long and are heat and
drought resilient, get the F1 varieties, more expensive, but worth it. Ivy leafed
geraniums are trailers and great in hanging containers or trailing over the
edge of large urns, chimney pots or the like.
Impatiens, Busy Lizzies.
The Labrador puppy summer bedding plants always bright enthusiastic and eager
to please, but without the mess and they don't rip up your favourite cushions.
Not so good in full sun but will tolerate pretty much all conditions down to
full shade with no direct sun at all, though perform better the brighter the
shade is. Plant a container with a single colour for best effect. Good for under
planting taller plants such as shrubs or trees in containers.
Petunias,
One of my favourites and another star performer. They come in upright or trailing
varieties, so make sure you know which you're buying. I prefer the trailers
placed in a basket or tall container. Better when planted in a single colour
for a much more sophisticated effect.
Pansies, another old favourite
that keep on going in virtually any conditions available in almost any colour
and good on their own or as temporary under planting for other annuals or shrubs
/ trees in containers. Strictly speaking, they're perennials, but never very
good the second year so best treated as an annual.
Lobelia,
Delicate little plants that will withstand the most surprisingly harsh conditions
with a constant supply of bright little flowers that often almost completely
obscure the leaves. Good on their own or as a hanging or spreading under planting,
tolerant of shade I hang a simple one variety basket under my apples trees and
they flower all summer long.Great in semi-shaded positions, I always
hang a couple beneath my apple trees in single species baskets - wonderful!
Summer
bulbs
There is only one summer bulb
worth bothering with as far as I'm concerned and they are
Lilies, I recommend that you have many varieties in great quantity.
They're not that long lasting (though they do better than many spring flowering
bulbs), but are simply so elegantly beautiful. Underplant them with something else,
remove the flowers once the petals have fallen and leave the leaves to build the
bulb up for next year. Depending on the variety and the size of the bulb, you'll
get multiple flowers per stem. The older and larger the bulb is, the more you'll
get.
Alliums are popular, but not
with me, they make me think of florists on day time tv who spend too much time flouncing
about and worrying about their shirt cuffs and not enough time in the garden growing
anything - ok rant over.
Shrubs and trees
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 Acer
palmatum "atropurpureum"
Think about matching the container to the plant, color and shape. Also
useful is a mulch of some kind, here
"violet" slate has been used, this conserves moisture, stops weeds
and in my case prevents blackbirds digging in the soil for grubs and
grey squirrels from checking if they left any nuts in the pot! No it
doesn't live in the middle of the lawn, it's just there for the photograph.
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Longer term container plants tend to be elegant
and sophisticated rather than colourful. While any plant can be grown in a container
(that's usually the way you buy them in the first place after all) not that many
do very well in the longer term. Inconsistent watering, (you're bound to forget
sometimes like in winter when it's dry and windy for a while and you're indoors
most of the time) speed of growth, and susceptibility to frost, (as the pot is out
of the ground it freezes solidly) all take their toll.
Make sure you keep an eye on the plant and re-pot
it when appropriate. I don't let plants stay in the same container for more than
2-3 years, even if it's not pot-bound, taking it out, loosening the roots and changing
some of the compost that falls off can give many container grown plants a boost.
Here are some suggestions:
Conifers, a great variety are available,
make sure you choose one that is slow growing so that it doesn't outgrow the
pot too soon. Watch the watering though, conifers do a trick where they can
die but don't go brown for ages. By the time it does start to go brown it's
far too late to do anything about it.
Buxus sempervivens, Box. The evergreen shrub for containers (as
well as bay), understated and graceful. Easily coaxed into a variety of shapes
for the topiary fan, traditional ball or pyramid shapes are the ones you're
least likely to get fed up with in time. Fully hardy.
Laurus nobilis, Bay. The evergreen shrub for containers (as well
as box). Shiny aromatic dark green leaves that can be used in cooking. Not as
hardy as Buxus, needs a more sheltered position preferably in sunshine.
Lavenders. Herbs in general lend themselves well to container gardening
as they do well when they get a lot of sun and many types are tolerant to drought.
Many of them however get straggly quickly are are not so good in the longer
term. Lavender is the exception to this rule and will perform well looking all
Gallic and self contained while being aromatic and producing many gorgeous
flowers. Make sure you get a dwarf variety such as Munstead.
Rhododendrons (these are acid lovers so make sure you buy ericaceous
compost). Wonderful large colourful flowers in late spring with handsome glossy
evergreen leaves. If your Rhododendron isn't so large to begin with, bear in
mind that it will get large, so you'll need to put it into bigger containers
or plant it in the soil - not really an option in much of the country as the
soil isn't acid enough.
Roses Many roses are good for containers, but not all varieties will
be happy. As long as you avoid the shrub roses, hybrid teas and climbers and
in particular look for "patio roses" you shouldn't go far wrong.
Spring bulbs and pansies
If you start before about the middle
of September (but the sooner the better), you can have Spring Flowering Bulbs
for the house in flower at or just after Christmas. If you can get them
planted before November, then they will have a chance to start growing before it
begins to get very cold which will help them to flower all the earlier, they'll
certainly be up early in the new year and long before the outdoor ones have woken
up.
The key point to remember is that
these are temporary plantings, so you can plant the bulbs very close together,
almost touching, for the maximum density of flowers. Buy the largest bulbs
you can afford, smaller ones just don't perform as well and the smallest
may produce lots of leaves but no flowers at all. After flowering plant them in
the garden as soon as you can, they won't perform as well next year, you need to
start with large bought ones again.
Bulb fibre is often recommended,
but is only really necessary if the bulbs are to be planted in bowls without drainage.
I've always treated bulbs like any other container plants and use ordinary potting
compost in containers that have drainage holes and get excellent results.
Plant Hyacinths for scent, tulips
for elegance and narcissi for bright enthusiasm in a Labrador puppy sort of way.
spring bulbs and
winter shrubs
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The Ultimate Container Garden 
