Containers By The Season - Spring 1

Spring is the most important and usually the busiest time of the year in the garden and, of course, it's no different for the container gardener!

Preparing and planting out new pots and containers is an important task but, before we get to that, here is an idea to rejuvenate the containers you already have.

Refreshing Winter Containers
The containers you planted out in the Autumn for Winter colour are now looking a little dull and lifeless as the Winter blooms fall away but why not give them a new look for the Spring?

Firstly, go round each and tidy up the existing leaves and plants and see how much room you can make for additional plants.

Go out and buy some small flowers, such as pansies, and some tiny but bright Summer bulbs to plant in between. If you are careful you can give a new look to an old set of plants and create some Spring colour while retaining the existing structure and greenery.

You should also replace the top inch or so of compost and add a general fertiliser.

This enables you, effectively, to recycle your containers into the next year without have to buy new ones and without having the problem of finding somewhere for the Winter plants.

It is also a good idea to do this if you have large containers that are difficult or heavy to move around.

If your containers are smaller it's perhaps useful to rearrange the positions so that you create a new look to your garden - this, after all, is one of the main advantages of containers.

Caring for Winter Containers
You may decide to make some new pots for Spring and keep your existing containers for next Winter and enjoy their greenery throughout the coming year. If so, now is the time to go over them and cut back the contents as well as tidying up what is already there. Spring growth will be prolific so a good prune is justified.

If you were pleased with your display then there is little more to do other than replace the top layer of compost and apply some fertiliser. However, if you felt that you could do better then now is the time to rearrange the plants or to change one that, perhaps, did not look right.

Finally, it is also a good idea to stop and think about your garden and see what improvements you could make. I often find that a few minutes outside on an early warm Spring day begins to sow the seeds of a new design.

The next post will continue the theme of Spring containers and introduce my 'easy and instant' container for those who, like me, want instant results with the minimum of effort!