I found this episode very interesting as I love pots. On a personal note Alexandra I love how you do interviews by asking a question and then give the person a chance to respond without interruption. So different to the American way.🤣
I am 70 this year and with a disability injury that limits me, I miss gardening. After many years, I have decided to try again, using only pots, so I am thrilled to discover this channel!
I am 74, with pretty bad physical limits..I moved from a house with a yard I could no longer care for to an apartment with a balcony about 7 years ago. In the winter I feed birds out there, and in the summer I load hanging baskets and pots with shade tolerant plants such as fuchsia, begonia, impatiens, etc., as well as my favorite fillers, alyssum and trailing lobelia. I have someone help me clean them out every year, but buy, plant, fertilize and maintain them by myself. . The fuchsia actually can overwinter, but unfortunately don’t leaf out until about June and won’t bloom here in the US Pacific Northwest until the end of July, so I regretfully dispose of them and buy more each summer. The ones from the nursery are green and blooming or ready to do so in May. . Early last fall I broke off 3 small pieces of fuchsia and overwintered them in a small vase of water in a window. They are looking healthy, loaded with roots, and I will try planting them and see if results on blooms are better than simply overwintering outside. I hope so. Will save money, and be better for the environment.
I enjoy using pots underneath trees where it is impossible to dig because of roots. For many years I have collected blue and white pottery and blue glazed pots. I had them scattered about in my garden but recently gathered several of them to one area and planted things of various heights, flowering trees, topiaries, baby box gems, and some smaller plants and flowers. It's created a mini garden and the colors pop against that deep blue base.
Totally agree with the info on Hostas. I live in the Pacific Northwest , in the USA, and have always used lots of pots. My hostas are huge now, and have always lived in pots. I use crushed egg shells at their base to stave off slugs.
This is a great way to display plants in areas where it may not be possible to plant....like on hard scape areas such as terrace/balcony or right in the border garden....also allows one to change the pots in and out throughout the season. Thank you for sharing! 🙏❤️🇨🇦
Huge thanks to Alexandra for another intelligent, beautifully edited, info-packed episode! I toyed with the idea of putting pots in bed to fill gaps but I lacked the nerve to try it (feeble, I know). Seeing it done so successfully is incredibly helpful, and the short but in-depth piece provides all the details we need. Really excellent piece.
I bought 4 large Italianate pots this time last yr., plastic but looking like real terra cotta, I do love them. They're still in the shed because I just couldn't decide how to use them, now I know what I'll do. I plan to widen the garden along my sidewalk with a soft curve, I think they'll look great along the edge. I really do enjoy your videos. Thanks for having such great interviews now and then.
These are excellent ideas for pot-scraping , to fill a shady place in the centre of my backyard where I need some height. Thank you and stay safe! ☀️🇨🇦
I am missing my garden this year. I only have a patio. Container gardening is available for me. I am so grateful for this video for inspiration to continue to have lovely flowers and vegetables
I love pots. I have them on and around the front porch. I put pots in the beds in spring before the summer perrenials grow in. And I use pots for all my veggies. I was able to get huge nursery pots that trees and shrubs come in. I sprayed them all a satin black and they look great, really cant tell they are nursery pots. Thank Alexandra, I always look forward to your videos.
Needs a health warning- pots are addictive! We decided to limit ourselves to a small number of large pots for awkward areas when we moved here. A year later and there are perhaps fifty in various locations around the garden, and another dozen hidden away behind the shed waiting for them to spring into life and be rotated with those starting to go over. We keep a small supply of bedding plants on hand to fill any gaps or replace anything that gets eaten, and have sometimes resorted to placing pots in pots, just to fill a hole until other plants get large enough. For potscapes we find lightweight concrete blocks are useful for raising the height of the rear pots and creating a cascade effect. The are easy to handle, cheap to buy, and unobtrusive.
Alexandra, I just wanted you to know that I'm usually irked at you. This is because I enjoy your videos so much that I stay disappointed until I see your latest one pop up. Then I have rather a Pavlovian response! Thank you for your totally enjoyable videos. You do so much to make us (I'm American) all feel like we're visiting England and having a lovely time touring gardens.
Haha this made me laugh. And then it made me think a bit. These videos are short and deceptively simple. That is, they surely take more time and work to make than most of us realize. It's a bit like...oh shoot, which writer said it -- "Forgive the long letter. I didn't have time to write a short one."
Lovely! I have quite a number of pots (40+) at home and I do snuggle some into my flower beds when needed. They are a wonderful way to grow all sorts of plants you may not be able to grow otherwise. Always look forward to your weekly videos Alexandra!
I loved the combination of yellow cannas with yellow nasturtiums. Also next to it was orange cannas & nasturtiums. Will keep that in mind for next year. I have always done containers in the past. But now I must use fewer pots because of the time involved for watering them. Also, I no longer want to transplant perennials into the ground at the end of the season so I use annuals for pots only. Ages ago I would plant lily bulbs in pots and then place them in empty spaces in the borders.
Great video. I love using pots in my garden . Totally agree with everything you said about what pots do in a garden. I find they also help to add height and structure in a garden.
🌻Really nice garden and how lovely from the owner to share it with us. So thank you you both. I also did and still do lots of pots and its always nice to have more room to plant. Yesterday I finely planted the fruittrees into the new garden and now I have the big pots left over and I will plant them up and put them in the frontyard. There is nothing nice at the Moment and that will bring instand color. Real good Video again. Thanks so much Alexandra. 🌻👍
@@TheMiddlesizedGarden I always do. There is something I wanted to ask. How did and do you deside what you will plant and ad to your borders? Since I am starting here from nothing, I find myself in a bind ,because I would like so many plants but I dont have the room. There are so many lovely flowers.. .... and every year there is something new. Its really hard to start from a blank space. Any Tipps? Thank you and have a wonderful day.
Love the enclosed stone walls as well as all the pots. I love planting my pots, maybe even more then planting in the garden soil. Having more control over the locations and plant choices. Thanks for sharing your videos 👍❤️😊
Thank you Alexandra for this video! I love pots and have alot of them! Mostly with hosta, hens and chicks, sedum and some annuals. I do like to move them around for color and a change. I have noticed I have a habit for buying blue pots. Also we have some huge pots on our deck with daylilies in them. It was beautiful to see your friends garden snd what she does with pots. Thanks so much for taking the time to make this video for us ❤️
I have actually edited my pots I had so many. While they did serve a purpose, for ease I have really limited them the constant worry of watering to keep them alive. Yes years ago I did lots of them but times change.
Very informative as always with your channel. I usually have pots permanently on my patio or in borders for the whole of the growing season. I found the idea of using pots to cover spaces in the borders that appear when annuals or perennials come to the end of their growing cycle very interesting. It would certainly make a late summer border come alive again
I love the old pots my mum used to use a lot of old pots her garden was beautiful .and I realy want to learn gardening these videos are so help full thank you x
oh great! I was hoping you'd get to this one day. I saw a vid from Bunny Guinness who does a great trick of cutting out the bottom out of the pot and letting the plant root through into the ground. Rarely has to water them, and they can't be stolen. Enjoyed this video - inspiring Alexandra!
Oh, my goodness! This video came at the perfect time. Yesterday, I began my research for pots/plants to go in them. This video has been very helpful with my research. Thank you! : )
Hi Alexander, just when I think our gardener's friend have covered just about every subject, then there is a new topic. I love garden pots, whether it is the large Grecian pots like we saw or the various garden pots. I am so pleased to see your guest has incorporated those cement pots into the borders. Garden pots are such treasures, they come and go just like a fashion show, today it is glazed ceramic, then it's earthen clay, and so on, they all serve the same purpose! I found some plants do better straight into the garden than planted up in pots. I want to protect some bulbs as they can be quite pricy, and go for the pots but after a season they are better suited planted out. The red geraniums planted in the oversized cement pot is absolutely stunning. It is a lovely garden talk, and I am sure many viewers are going to be inspired. Until next time, Elize
What a lovely garden and great execution. I'm very impressed by the beautiful curved stone wall with the concrete planter. This winter I plan to make some concrete planters - and maybe a concrete obelisk for roses to lean upon. Warm regards Jennie
I keep trying to encourage moss and algae onto two of my pots, and have tried all the tricks (painting yoghurt on etc). They remain relentlessly smart. Sigh.
Currently at the side of the house is a small narrow garden which is mostly in the shade. When I get my driveway done next year I want to pave right up to the house and then use that 2' or so space at the side of the house for pots of all kinds. I expect it will look much neater and there won't be dirt to wash onto the driveway.
Good video Alexandra, thank you. I would like some ideas of perennial or long lasting plants to put in pots instead of so much bedding/ annuals. I'm interested in varied foliage as well as flowers and berries. Many thanks for your advice, inspiration and explanations 👍
Thank you. Although I didn't manage to do a video of this, I did do a blog post on evergreen plants for year round pots, which may help: www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/10-easy-care-evergreen-pots-for-year-round-impact/
I so love this video and how interesting the questions and answers. She has done an awesome job of placing and filling her pots. She definitely has a knack for that. I like to return and watch this over again. Pot mania. So funny and I can relate.
Just coming back to this video after a while to get some more ideas and inspiration. These are great ideas, and I see you have a few more videos. I'll check them out next. Thank you!
You're so good at conceiving of, and editing, I imagine, your videos in a way that really conveys concise and useful information. Maybe this comes from your magazine experience? I don't know, but it's really unusual and great. You must have a great mind for this.
Thank you so much. I did spend many years as a magazine journalist under some very clever editors, and some times I can hear what they would say! So I'm glad you're enjoying the videos.
@@TheMiddlesizedGarden That experience serves you well. There are wonderful gardening videos on here that I watch every day. But yours are uniquely and consistently pragmatic (tho never without joy! and never pedantic!) in a way that I can almost always put to use. It crept up on me slowly, the realization that there was not one video of yours from which I did not learn something that would likely stick with me and be put into use. The "sticking with" part is big for me as I'm not good at taking in and retaining information. So, it's the particular way you pare things down that really works for me. I know I'm going on a bit, but I really want you to know that your ability is not typical and that it's much much appreciated.
Another advantage of pots, particularly in a temperate climate, is that they enable you to contain plants that would otherwise be invasive, alstroemaria for example. Also, plants that you want to rest and dry out over winter - cacti, cyclamen - may more easily be moved. My amaryllis overwinters in the dry dark under the house, comes out for the spring rains until the flower stem appears, comes inside to bloom, then goes out in a shady border till it dies back. Autumn crocus in a shallow bowl are treated in a similar way.
Yes about invasive plants. I'm not in a temperate climate, but for once I listened to advice and put the mint I got from my next door neighbor in a pot, not even letting that pot touch soil because it would send roots right through the drain hole and pop up all over the place, and now I have a nice pot of mint that is dependably green and always growing. (An exception this year where I am -- Connecticut -- because we had such a mild winter that the beetles population was insane and they actually ate the mint which they are supposed to dislike so much that it's used as a companion plant! Still, though, after the beetles finally departed, I cut the mint down and now it six, eight inches tall again and green.)
I'm another 70 plus gardener who's trying to figure out what I can do. In my case, sciatica has reduced my ability to haul large bags of mulch, plant trees, and move large pots. Fortunately, I have found a service in my neighborhood staffed by young gardeners. I love the idea of inserting pots for blank spots.
So glad I found your channel. I'm very new to this so not very good. Can you recommend some outdoor flowers for small pots, my garden is extremely small. Any help is gratefully appreciated 🙏
Lovely examples of how to make pots look striking, such as the front door twin pots, and to add height and interest to the borders. Do some UK gardeners use timed drip systems for pots near the house? I would love to see an interview with someone who does this successfully. Would save water and be so convenient when away from home. 🍃
Thank you, I'll keep an eye for someone who uses one. So far, the people who have really found drip irrigation useful have said that they've had it installed by professionals while re-vamping their terrace or patio, rather than using the DIY kits.
UK gardeners don't seem to use drip systems so much - there's an acceptance of manually moving a sprinkler about. We used to live in Australia where irrigation is vital if you want an 'english style' garden. When we moved to the UK, we were stunned at the cost of professional installation, so we did it ourselves. It's especially useful in our heavily planted raised beds. The systems here reflect the size of the market though: the products aren't that great and they are comparatively expensive. Still, it's a huge labour saving and our cheap & cheerful system installed in 2016 is still going strong.
@@klvadsbootieboot3227 that's great! I think drip systems are more common here in the drier climates of the southwest US, but I've seen a few good examples of them here in the Northwest. I'm setting up a lower maintenance border and I think a drip system would work great especially if I can get the timers to work. A little late in the fall to set it up now but a good spring project. Thanks for sharing your experience with it! 🍃😊
Love your vlogs!! Thank you so much. Great content as always...this lady you interviewed is super interesting and love her voice!! Super nice vlog! Stay safe😷🌻🌼🇳🇿
I have a limited budget for fancy pots but lately I will buy classical fiberglass ones because they just are lighter and easier to move around the garden. Also I’ll buy cheaper ceramic pots maybe pay an extra 10 for ones that are unique shape. Finally if I must buy cheap plastic pots I nearly always spruce it up with a better color using spray paint. “hammered”, or stone-like, thicker paint with gloss is a good way to disguise an ugly plastic pot
I haven't yet, but it is on my list. The main issue is protecting the plant from slugs and snails and also I believe they like reasonably moist soil, so may need extra watering if they're in a dry spot.
I've an assortment of old pots which I love but the freeze is cracking them. How can I protect my pots in the winter? I'm thinking that wherever they were made the firing was not done well as I am on N.CA. and the freeze in the winter/spring is not that severe, at times getting down around 26 so it's not like I'm in the 10's or 0-minus range hence the pots should not be eroding.
I'd suggest moving them close to the house (for example, right next to the wall of your house), which is always warmer than the rest of the garden, and wrapping them in horticultural fleece or sacking. I hope that helps.
Any ideas for colour on a budget for a planter at a North facing front door? I have a huge pot and struggle to create anything other than a random mass of foliage which looks flat from a distance. One day, I’ll have a large architectural specimen, but till then, I keep trying!
I personally loved a friends collection of pansies, which she bought cheaply at a supermarket. She kept dead heading them and they lasted for five months. She also chose all the same colour, which looked very effective. Although it may seem to be quite a small plant for a large pot, it can look very effective if you crowd them together. This post may help: www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/the-best-plants-for-amazingly-low-maintenance-garden-pots/
@@TheMiddlesizedGarden Thank you for responding! Yes I do use saucer but my saucer overflows most of the time as I tend to overwater. :( I wish there was a solution where we didn't have to make drainage holes in the planter and avoid the mess. 🤷♀️
I have pots either side of my door but whatever I put in them one tree always dies!!! It's weird, I think maybe one side is more windy than the other but not sure.
That does sound like the best explanation. Perhaps try some particularly wind-resistant plants? It's hard to think of any other reason, unless something odd is dripping off your roof from time to time....
Pots are good for invasive plants - it's often recommended that you plant something invasive like mint or alstroemerias in pots because the pots contain their spread. But ivy isn't classified as invasive in the UK, although it can get out of hand if neglected for too long. It's an excellent plant for wildlife because it has flowers and berries later in the year, and also offers evergreen shelter for birds and insects. However, invasive plants vary according to where you live, so it may be invasive where you. Hope that helps.
I found this episode very interesting as I love pots.
On a personal note Alexandra I love how you do interviews by asking a question and then give the person a chance to respond without interruption.
So different to the American way.🤣
Thank you!
I am 70 this year and with a disability injury that limits me, I miss gardening. After many years, I have decided to try again, using only pots, so I am thrilled to discover this channel!
Welcome to the Middlesized Garden, hope you enjoy it.
I am 74, with pretty bad physical limits..I moved from a house with a yard I could no longer care for to an apartment with a balcony about 7 years ago. In the winter I feed birds out there, and in the summer I load hanging baskets and pots with shade tolerant plants such as fuchsia, begonia, impatiens, etc., as well as my favorite fillers, alyssum and trailing lobelia. I have someone help me clean them out every year, but buy, plant, fertilize and maintain them by myself.
. The fuchsia actually can overwinter, but unfortunately don’t leaf out until about June and won’t bloom here in the US Pacific Northwest until the end of July, so I regretfully dispose of them and buy more each summer. The ones from the nursery are green and blooming or ready to do so in May.
. Early last fall I broke off 3 small pieces of fuchsia and overwintered them in a small vase of water in a window. They are looking healthy, loaded with roots, and I will try planting them and see if results on blooms are better than simply overwintering outside. I hope so. Will save money, and be better for the environment.
Wonderful. You are inspiring.
I’m 62 and have arthritis in my spine. I’m definitely doing more pots recently.
We are all blessed to be gardeners , cannot imagine life without
I enjoy using pots underneath trees where it is impossible to dig because of roots. For many years I have collected blue and white pottery and blue glazed pots. I had them scattered about in my garden but recently gathered several of them to one area and planted things of various heights, flowering trees, topiaries, baby box gems, and some smaller plants and flowers. It's created a mini garden and the colors pop against that deep blue base.
An excellent point, thank you.
Totally agree with the info on Hostas. I live in the Pacific Northwest , in the USA, and have always used lots of pots. My hostas are huge now, and have always lived in pots. I use crushed egg shells at their base to stave off slugs.
This is a great way to display plants in areas where it may not be possible to plant....like on hard scape areas such as terrace/balcony or right in the border garden....also allows one to change the pots in and out throughout the season. Thank you for sharing! 🙏❤️🇨🇦
Thank you!
Huge thanks to Alexandra for another intelligent, beautifully edited, info-packed episode! I toyed with the idea of putting pots in bed to fill gaps but I lacked the nerve to try it (feeble, I know). Seeing it done so successfully is incredibly helpful, and the short but in-depth piece provides all the details we need. Really excellent piece.
Glad you enjoyed it!
The gigantic terracotta pots used for trees are my favourite. Lovely to sit by and admire with a gin and tonic in hand x
Yes, they're beautiful.
Cost an arm & a leg though.
I bought 4 large Italianate pots this time last yr., plastic but looking like real terra cotta, I do love them. They're still in the shed because I just couldn't decide how to use them, now I know what I'll do. I plan to widen the garden along my sidewalk with a soft curve, I think they'll look great along the edge. I really do enjoy your videos. Thanks for having such great interviews now and then.
Thank you!
These are excellent ideas for pot-scraping , to fill a shady place in the centre of my backyard where I need some height. Thank you and stay safe! ☀️🇨🇦
I am missing my garden this year. I only have a patio. Container gardening is available for me. I am so grateful for this video for inspiration to continue to have lovely flowers and vegetables
I love pots. I have them on and around the front porch. I put pots in the beds in spring before the summer perrenials grow in. And I use pots for all my veggies. I was able to get huge nursery pots that trees and shrubs come in. I sprayed them all a satin black and they look great, really cant tell they are nursery pots. Thank Alexandra, I always look forward to your videos.
Thank you and that sounds like a great tip with the spraying black.
This is another beautiful garden, I love the high surrounding wall.
Needs a health warning- pots are addictive! We decided to limit ourselves to a small number of large pots for awkward areas when we moved here. A year later and there are perhaps fifty in various locations around the garden, and another dozen hidden away behind the shed waiting for them to spring into life and be rotated with those starting to go over. We keep a small supply of bedding plants on hand to fill any gaps or replace anything that gets eaten, and have sometimes resorted to placing pots in pots, just to fill a hole until other plants get large enough.
For potscapes we find lightweight concrete blocks are useful for raising the height of the rear pots and creating a cascade effect. The are easy to handle, cheap to buy, and unobtrusive.
Totally agree!
Alexandra, I just wanted you to know that I'm usually irked at you. This is because I enjoy your videos so much that I stay disappointed until I see your latest one pop up. Then I have rather a Pavlovian response! Thank you for your totally enjoyable videos. You do so much to make us (I'm American) all feel like we're visiting England and having a lovely time touring gardens.
Thank you so much!
Haha this made me laugh.
And then it made me think a bit. These videos are short and deceptively simple. That is, they surely take more time and work to make than most of us realize. It's a bit like...oh shoot, which writer said it -- "Forgive the long letter. I didn't have time to write a short one."
Lovely! I have quite a number of pots (40+) at home and I do snuggle some into my flower beds when needed. They are a wonderful way to grow all sorts of plants you may not be able to grow otherwise. Always look forward to your weekly videos Alexandra!
I am thinking of doing that, I just started a small Garden but the roots from the tree next door is smothering my plants
Thank you so much!
Pots are a good way of dealing with ground that is difficult to plant in due to tree roots.
Excellent video! So many things to consider when using potted plants, and you have laid it all out in an intelligent way. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
I loved the combination of yellow cannas with yellow nasturtiums. Also next to it was orange cannas & nasturtiums. Will keep that in mind for next year. I have always done containers in the past. But now I must use fewer pots because of the time involved for watering them. Also, I no longer want to transplant perennials into the ground at the end of the season so I use annuals for pots only. Ages ago I would plant lily bulbs in pots and then place them in empty spaces in the borders.
I agree, I thought the colour combinations were exceptionally pretty, too. Lilies in pots works well for me, too.
Great video. I love using pots in my garden . Totally agree with everything you said about what pots do in a garden. I find they also help to add height and structure in a garden.
That's an excellent point, thank you.
🌻Really nice garden and how lovely from the owner to share it with us. So thank you you both. I also did and still do lots of pots and its always nice to have more room to plant. Yesterday I finely planted the fruittrees into the new garden and now I have the big pots left over and I will plant them up and put them in the frontyard. There is nothing nice at the Moment and that will bring instand color. Real good Video again. Thanks so much Alexandra. 🌻👍
Thank you so much, I'm glad you enjoyed it.
@@TheMiddlesizedGarden I always do. There is something I wanted to ask. How did and do you deside what you will plant and ad to your borders? Since I am starting here from nothing, I find myself in a bind ,because I would like so many plants but I dont have the room. There are so many lovely flowers.. .... and every year there is something new. Its really hard to start from a blank space. Any Tipps? Thank you and have a wonderful day.
Love the enclosed stone walls as well as all the pots. I love planting my pots, maybe even more then planting in the garden soil. Having more control over the locations and plant choices. Thanks for sharing your videos 👍❤️😊
Thank you -and that's very well put - 'having more control over the locations and plant choices.'
Thank you once again for a wonderful tour that offers so much inspiration. That garden is so elegant
Thank you!
Thank you Alexandra for this video! I love pots and have alot of them! Mostly with hosta, hens and chicks, sedum and some annuals. I do like to move them around for color and a change. I have noticed I have a habit for buying blue pots. Also we have some huge pots on our deck with daylilies in them. It was beautiful to see your friends garden snd what she does with pots. Thanks so much for taking the time to make this video for us ❤️
Thank you so much!
Obviously good examples of using pots in the garden.
I have actually edited my pots I had so many. While they did serve a purpose, for ease I have really limited them the constant worry of watering to keep them alive. Yes years ago I did lots of them but times change.
Very informative as always with your channel. I usually have pots permanently on my patio or in borders for the whole of the growing season. I found the idea of using pots to cover spaces in the borders that appear when annuals or perennials come to the end of their growing cycle very interesting. It would certainly make a late summer border come alive again
Thank you!
I love the old pots my mum used to use a lot of old pots her garden was beautiful .and I realy want to learn gardening these videos are so help full thank you x
Thank you!
Another fabulous video. Oh how I love visiting England with you.!!!
Glad you enjoyed it
Good topic, I never knew potscaping was a thing, and I always wondered if pots looked good in beds so I found this interesting, Thank you👌👍
Glad it was helpful!
oh great! I was hoping you'd get to this one day. I saw a vid from Bunny Guinness who does a great trick of cutting out the bottom out of the pot and letting the plant root through into the ground. Rarely has to water them, and they can't be stolen. Enjoyed this video - inspiring Alexandra!
Thank you! Yes, I saw that one and thought it was a really good idea, though am not going to do it myself at the moment.
I love displaying pots in my garden. Great video
Such lovely pots!so well arranged!
Thanks so much 😊
Oh, my goodness! This video came at the perfect time. Yesterday, I began my research for pots/plants to go in them. This video has been very helpful with my research. Thank you! : )
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you so so much for the advice. I am pot mania and have learned a lot.
Glad it was helpful!
I LOVE YOUR CHANNEL❤️❤️🌸🌷
I am not really a great fan of pots, but loved the way they were featured in this video. Lots of ideas!
Thank you!
Hi Alexander, just when I think our gardener's friend have covered just about every subject, then there is a new topic. I love garden pots, whether it is the large Grecian pots like we saw or the various garden pots. I am so pleased to see your guest has incorporated those cement pots into the borders. Garden pots are such treasures, they come and go just like a fashion show, today it is glazed ceramic, then it's earthen clay, and so on, they all serve the same purpose! I found some plants do better straight into the garden than planted up in pots. I want to protect some bulbs as they can be quite pricy, and go for the pots but after a season they are better suited planted out. The red geraniums planted in the oversized cement pot is absolutely stunning. It is a lovely garden talk, and I am sure many viewers are going to be inspired. Until next time, Elize
Thank you! And yes, I imagine some plants really are better out of the pots.
What a lovely garden and great execution. I'm very impressed by the beautiful curved stone wall with the concrete planter. This winter I plan to make some concrete planters - and maybe a concrete obelisk for roses to lean upon.
Warm regards
Jennie
Thank you very much!
I do love a pot too! Old ones ideally - a bit tired, the odd chip and some moss!
I keep trying to encourage moss and algae onto two of my pots, and have tried all the tricks (painting yoghurt on etc). They remain relentlessly smart. Sigh.
@@TheMiddlesizedGarden A metaphor!
Currently at the side of the house is a small narrow garden which is mostly in the shade. When I get my driveway done next year I want to pave right up to the house and then use that 2' or so space at the side of the house for pots of all kinds. I expect it will look much neater and there won't be dirt to wash onto the driveway.
That sounds like a very good use of pots.
Such a great video, I had to watch it twice. And I love all the ideas and tips that are sprinkled throughout the comments. I'm learning so much!
Thank you!
These are gorgeous, well done, I can see that I will catch pot mania as well. 😊
Good video Alexandra, thank you. I would like some ideas of perennial or long lasting plants to put in pots instead of so much bedding/ annuals. I'm interested in varied foliage as well as flowers and berries. Many thanks for your advice, inspiration and explanations 👍
Thank you. Although I didn't manage to do a video of this, I did do a blog post on evergreen plants for year round pots, which may help: www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/10-easy-care-evergreen-pots-for-year-round-impact/
I found your channel through Linda Vader. You ladies are so knowledgeable and inspiring!
Thank you!
I so love this video and how interesting the questions and answers. She has done an awesome job of placing and filling her pots. She definitely has a knack for that. I like to return and watch this over again. Pot mania. So funny and I can relate.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Just coming back to this video after a while to get some more ideas and inspiration. These are great ideas, and I see you have a few more videos. I'll check them out next. Thank you!
Thank you!
You're so good at conceiving of, and editing, I imagine, your videos in a way that really conveys concise and useful information. Maybe this comes from your magazine experience? I don't know, but it's really unusual and great. You must have a great mind for this.
Thank you so much. I did spend many years as a magazine journalist under some very clever editors, and some times I can hear what they would say! So I'm glad you're enjoying the videos.
@@TheMiddlesizedGarden That experience serves you well. There are wonderful gardening videos on here that I watch every day. But yours are uniquely and consistently pragmatic (tho never without joy! and never pedantic!) in a way that I can almost always put to use. It crept up on me slowly, the realization that there was not one video of yours from which I did not learn something that would likely stick with me and be put into use. The "sticking with" part is big for me as I'm not good at taking in and retaining information. So, it's the particular way you pare things down that really works for me. I know I'm going on a bit, but I really want you to know that your ability is not typical and that it's much much appreciated.
This is a wonderful channel, I’ve learned so much! Thank you.
Glad you enjoy it!
Another advantage of pots, particularly in a temperate climate, is that they enable you to contain plants that would otherwise be invasive, alstroemaria for example. Also, plants that you want to rest and dry out over winter - cacti, cyclamen - may more easily be moved. My amaryllis overwinters in the dry dark under the house, comes out for the spring rains until the flower stem appears, comes inside to bloom, then goes out in a shady border till it dies back. Autumn crocus in a shallow bowl are treated in a similar way.
Yes about invasive plants. I'm not in a temperate climate, but for once I listened to advice and put the mint I got from my next door neighbor in a pot, not even letting that pot touch soil because it would send roots right through the drain hole and pop up all over the place, and now I have a nice pot of mint that is dependably green and always growing. (An exception this year where I am -- Connecticut -- because we had such a mild winter that the beetles population was insane and they actually ate the mint which they are supposed to dislike so much that it's used as a companion plant! Still, though, after the beetles finally departed, I cut the mint down and now it six, eight inches tall again and green.)
Excellent points, that is very good advice, thank you.
Beautiful.....
I love your videos! Thank you!
Another great episode. Well done
Thank you!
Thanks for another great helpful video.
I'd love to see a video on growing edibles indoors through the winter if you don't have a greenhouse.
Great suggestion!
I'm another 70 plus gardener who's trying to figure out what I can do. In my case, sciatica has reduced my ability to haul large bags of mulch, plant trees, and move large pots. Fortunately, I have found a service in my neighborhood staffed by young gardeners. I love the idea of inserting pots for blank spots.
Thank you!
Another magic video , many thanks
Thank you too!
Beautiful pots!
Thanks so much 😊
The friend looks like a gorgeous old and intelligent Melania who has accepted herself. Nothing like Melania from the inside. She is just lovely.
Would love for you to come and see bicester village. All the best.
I love your channel as it has so much good information. Thank you!
Thank you!
So glad I found your channel. I'm very new to this so not very good. Can you recommend some outdoor flowers for small pots, my garden is extremely small. Any help is gratefully appreciated 🙏
Great video! Super helpful information. Thank you!!
Glad it was helpful!
Love your videos! Sending you lots of kudos!
Lovely examples of how to make pots look striking, such as the front door twin pots, and to add height and interest to the borders.
Do some UK gardeners use timed drip systems for pots near the house? I would love to see an interview with someone who does this successfully. Would save water and be so convenient when away from home. 🍃
Thank you, I'll keep an eye for someone who uses one. So far, the people who have really found drip irrigation useful have said that they've had it installed by professionals while re-vamping their terrace or patio, rather than using the DIY kits.
UK gardeners don't seem to use drip systems so much - there's an acceptance of manually moving a sprinkler about. We used to live in Australia where irrigation is vital if you want an 'english style' garden. When we moved to the UK, we were stunned at the cost of professional installation, so we did it ourselves. It's especially useful in our heavily planted raised beds. The systems here reflect the size of the market though: the products aren't that great and they are comparatively expensive. Still, it's a huge labour saving and our cheap & cheerful system installed in 2016 is still going strong.
@@klvadsbootieboot3227 that's great! I think drip systems are more common here in the drier climates of the southwest US, but I've seen a few good examples of them here in the Northwest. I'm setting up a lower maintenance border and I think a drip system would work great especially if I can get the timers to work. A little late in the fall to set it up now but a good spring project. Thanks for sharing your experience with it! 🍃😊
Thank you gorgeous!
Hi Alexandra- I cam across your channel a few days ago. Great videos and lots of good information!
Thank you!
Beautiful garden and so unique pots 💚💚💚 I'm very lucky to fiend your Chanel New subscriber
Thank you!
Love your vlogs!! Thank you so much. Great content as always...this lady you interviewed is super interesting and love her voice!! Super nice vlog! Stay safe😷🌻🌼🇳🇿
Beautiful
Love your garden wall lol 😆
amazing dear stay connected lots of love from india
I have a limited budget for fancy pots but lately I will buy classical fiberglass ones because they just are lighter and easier to move around the garden. Also I’ll buy cheaper ceramic pots maybe pay an extra 10 for ones that are unique shape. Finally if I must buy cheap plastic pots I nearly always spruce it up with a better color using spray paint. “hammered”, or stone-like, thicker paint with gloss is a good way to disguise an ugly plastic pot
Some very nice pots & some very good advice. Many thanks :0)
Glad you enjoyed it
Amazing 😀
Very helpful garden tip, I'm going to roll around in my garden as soon as I can, let's be UA-cam mate?
I always say, if a pot doesn't do it! Put a rock there!
Sofie: I hope I'm not late for the luncheon!
Have you made a presentation on Hostas as I have a shaded area which I believe the Hosta will address
I haven't yet, but it is on my list. The main issue is protecting the plant from slugs and snails and also I believe they like reasonably moist soil, so may need extra watering if they're in a dry spot.
What kind of Skimmia does Diane Perry use in her pots at her front door, they look great.
How have you got on with the shaded area where the trellis used to be?
We're slowly clearing the muddle away...no real decision yet, but I will plant it up while I continue to think about it.
I've an assortment of old pots which I love but the freeze is cracking them. How can I protect my pots in the winter? I'm thinking that wherever they were made the firing was not done well as I am on N.CA. and the freeze in the winter/spring is not that severe, at times getting down around 26 so it's not like I'm in the 10's or 0-minus range hence the pots should not be eroding.
I'd suggest moving them close to the house (for example, right next to the wall of your house), which is always warmer than the rest of the garden, and wrapping them in horticultural fleece or sacking. I hope that helps.
I have a lot of pots x
Absolutely love the windchime/windmill shown at the beginning of your video. Is it available in the states?
Any ideas for colour on a budget for a planter at a North facing front door? I have a huge pot and struggle to create anything other than a random mass of foliage which looks flat from a distance. One day, I’ll have a large architectural specimen, but till then, I keep trying!
I personally loved a friends collection of pansies, which she bought cheaply at a supermarket. She kept dead heading them and they lasted for five months. She also chose all the same colour, which looked very effective. Although it may seem to be quite a small plant for a large pot, it can look very effective if you crowd them together. This post may help: www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/the-best-plants-for-amazingly-low-maintenance-garden-pots/
The Middle-Sized Garden thank you! North facing areas of gardens.. an idea for future episodes. Best wishes. Love the Channel!
Wish I could afford a garden like that and something nicer than my £5 plastic pots...
How do you handle water drainage from the pots near front door? The water leaves nasty water marks. Any suggestions for that?
It depends on what the surface is - some surfaces don't acquire such obvious marks, but where they do, people use pot saucers so that there's no drip.
@@TheMiddlesizedGarden Thank you for responding! Yes I do use saucer but my saucer overflows most of the time as I tend to overwater. :( I wish there was a solution where we didn't have to make drainage holes in the planter and avoid the mess. 🤷♀️
Very little info here...
What kind of Roses do you put in pots? They must not be too big, I suppose.
roses can be easily maintained at almost any size, simple pruning means they need never grow too large for any given container.
I have pots either side of my door but whatever I put in them one tree always dies!!! It's weird, I think maybe one side is more windy than the other but not sure.
That does sound like the best explanation. Perhaps try some particularly wind-resistant plants? It's hard to think of any other reason, unless something odd is dripping off your roof from time to time....
0:28 is that poppies
Ivy?..invasive
Pots are good for invasive plants - it's often recommended that you plant something invasive like mint or alstroemerias in pots because the pots contain their spread. But ivy isn't classified as invasive in the UK, although it can get out of hand if neglected for too long. It's an excellent plant for wildlife because it has flowers and berries later in the year, and also offers evergreen shelter for birds and insects. However, invasive plants vary according to where you live, so it may be invasive where you. Hope that helps.
👍🤓🪴🤓👍
better
Inherited ? Or precious something stolen by your ancestors from another country…that’s so British u know😅😂