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109 Garden design by Colette Charsley


they sneak up on you and you suddenly realise that you have a huge collection of assorted styles, shapes and colours that take hours to water or that probably contain a fine selection of dead plants. Too many small pots can make a garden look messy and they will dry out far more quickly than larger pots. From a design and practical point of view it is preferable to have fewer, larger pots and to try to stick to a particular colour, material or shape which will give coherence to the overall look of the space. Pots can be looked upon as finishing touches,


Containers and Pots T


he majority of readers will have pots and contain- ers in their gardens. The problem with them is that


You can be imaginative with your choices


or accessories. You can easily change them to follow the seasons. If they are not too heavy you can move them around to rearrange them as you wish. They can be viewed as more lighthearted and fun than ‘proper’ gardening. When looking for pots, bear in mind that the only


criteria are that they need to hold soil and have some drainage. You can be imaginative with your choices – think outside of the box, or indeed, pot. Consider using galvanised horse troughs – these are inexpensive, last for years and come in some really good sizes. old boots and colanders can look good planted with sempervivums (house leeks). Perhaps use old sinks, bathtubs or buckets. Containers can be sleek, elegant, traditional, modern, minimalist, colourful or downright


eccentric. Let them reflect your personality and garden style.


Containers come in almost every imaginable shape and size from traditional to bright purple with glitter. There are also some extremely good


imitation materials available. These include stone, terracotta and lead and have the advantage of being a fraction of the cost of the real thing, very durable, and lightweight (when unplanted).


Think about how you want to use them.


◆ Group them together.


◆ use as a focal point, or punctuation mark at the end of a path, on a corner or as a viewpoint.


◆ Leave a particularly fine pot unplanted as a piece of sculpture. This technique works equally well if the pot is placed amongst planting.


◆ use larger planters as space dividers or boundaries.


Whatever style, colour or shape you decide to use, be consistent and remember that, with pots, ‘less is more’.


colette@charsleydesign.comwww.charsleydesign.com t: 01803 722449. m: 07774 827799. Follow me on Twitter @ColetteCharsley


Professional Landscape and Garden Design


Creative and beautiful designs for village, town and country gardens


Colette Charsley PG Dip OCGD 01803 722449 07774 827799


colette@charsleydesign.com www.charsleydesign.com


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