SPRING SPRUCE-UP
Give your outdoor space pots of personality and start growing something new in time for summer
TROWELS at the ready – whether you have a garden, sunny patio or bijou balcony, set yourself a challenge to grow one of these summer-friendly plants.
They are ideal for bringing bold colour, fresh flavours and a mix of new shapes to your outside space.
Top garden essentials
New blooms
Flowering from May to September, versatile bedding plants will brighten up your baskets, pots and borders with a riot of colours. Look for varieties like dahliettas, geraniums, petunias and osteospermums.
All these bedding plants like a sunny spot, and will need plenty of watering, particularly when first settling in.
Trumpet-like petunias in rainbow shades are ideal for hanging baskets, while osteospermums work well to fill gaps around other plants as their shallow roots won’t disturb anything else growing nearby.
Top of the crops
Get your very own kitchen garden off to a tasty start.
Empty a grow bag into a large pot to cultivate tomatoes or beans up canes (they will love the nutrient-rich compost), and put lettuces with pretty leaves, such as lollo rosso, in flower borders to save space.
A great tip: if you only peel off the outer leaves rather than cutting off the whole plant, they’ll keep going, gracing your salads for weeks.
For fresh fruit straight to your door, you can’t go wrong with a pot or hanging basket full of strawberries – just remember to cover them with netting to stop blackbirds beating you to it.
As an alternative, antioxidant-rich blueberries make a perfect patio filler.
Ward 210L Water Butt, £38
This comes with a stand and helps you do your bit for the planet and your plants, saving rainwater to give the garden a drink.
You dig? … Get started with a GoodHome Durum Trowel, £10; top: GoodHome Riveo Natural Four-Seater Coffee Set, £475
Bloomin’ marvellous … thunbergias, £10, are great climbers
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Climbing plants are a pretty way to add the wow factor to walls and fences.
The secret is to keep the roots cool, so avoid full sun; and regularly tie any new growth to wires, canes or trellises to keep them reaching for the sky.
Wisteria will take a couple of years to flower at first, but it’s worth the wait. Jasmine, passionflower and clematis should bring forth blooms from the get-go.
Want to enhance your entertaining space? Star jasmine is pollinated by moths, so gives out more scent at night – perfect for planting around an outdoor dining area.
Or why not experiment with something a bit different, like thunbergia (also known as black-eyed Susan), for an instant pop of colour?
Make scents
Bring freshness to your cooking with homegrown herbs.
Basil, rosemary, coriander, sage, mint, chives and thyme can all be sown and grown in pots for an instant herb garden that smells and tastes as good as it looks.
Short on space? Put a few on your windowsill and water daily – alternatively plant several together in a flowerbed or larger planter to beat the heat.
Herbs can dry out quickly, and with hotter weather on the way extra soil around the roots will help keep them happy.
Bee kind
Encourage bees and butterflies with the vivid colours and heady scents of lavender and salvia.
Easy to grow, these pollinator-friendly species originated in the Mediterranean, so thrive in hot weather and flower year after year.
Wildflowers are even simpler – sprinkle seeds over soil before raking in and watering well for a stunning display.
Wide Rib Fireclay Pot, £22 (28cm) or £36 (37cm)
In go-with-everything blue-grey with on-trend ribbed details, these generously sized pots are suitable for anything from flowers and foliage to beans and tomatoes.
Verve Terracotta Round Strawberry Planter, £17
Specially designed for strawberries and herbs, with wide openings and hidden drainage holes, this clever planter is bound to ensure a bumper crop.