What garden doesn’t have potted plants? Small apartments to sprawling acreages all have a collection of pots so we can enjoy our plants up close and personal even without needing soil.
There’s a phase that gets thrown about in the potted garden world of ‘Thriller, Filler and spiller’ referring to the contents of a pot to get a layered look. The thriller is the main statement, the filler some fluff or shrubbery to take up space and the spiller some trailing pants to spill over the edge of the pot. I’m not so optimistic about this use of potted life as it’s a lot of competition for your plants that may look good for one season but will need ripping out and replacing come the next season. The reason for this is the lack of room, all plants grow and will quickly fill a space, also the potting mix will get used up and need freshening up too.
It’s not the most sustainable way to enjoy your potted plants instead I’m more of a fan of a cluster of pots allowing the different heights in the pots to create interest and to give a layered effect. I do feel spill over plants can also do this, having two species of plant is achievable especially when the spill over plants are annuals.
Start with the best quality potting mix you can afford; the bag needs to have a red tick to show it met the Australian standards and made from quality ingredients. Then place some mesh over the holes in the bottom of the pot, the fines in the potting mix will work their way to the bottom of the pot over time and you don’t want them clogging the hole. Raise the pot up on feet or rocks to allow the water to get out too as poor drainage is a killer in the potted world. Then fill the pot with the potting mix to the level that will allow your plant root ball to sit under the lip of the pot. With the plant in place fill around the edges. I like to water mine in to get the soil to drop around the root ball and then top up as this stops any excessive compaction. Finishing off with mulch to help retain moisture.
The plants you select all depend on your aspect, how hot will your plants get? Well, here are a few of my favourite combinations.
Succulents love a pot as they love great drainage but how do you get a succulent look in the shade? Start with Elephants Tusks, a variety of Sansevieria and around it plant Moroccan Mounds, a Euphorbia that can take sun and light shade. As the Elephants Tusks grow and give vertical interest the mounds will form around the cylindrical leaves and give a great architectural look.
In full shade you need to water less but that doesn’t mean less impact. Start with a fern, the silver lady is a great small and hardy dwarf tree fern, for a larger area where height isn’t an issue a coin spot tree fern will give lots drama then for the spill over plant use canary island ivy it has a contrasting large leaf in deep green that provides a lush appearance without needing lots of feeding.
In the sun there are so many options for you to try, a native Queensland bottle tree can be a stand-alone feature, even pruned to give the look of a giant bonsai tree. It works well with drought tolerant dichondra silver falls spilling over the edge of your pot. For more of a tropical look canna lily will give a burst of height and combine well with spill over rosemary giving you an edible green carpet around the taller element in the pot.
For a formal look a clipped Buxus ball or cone looks spectacular surrounded by annual petunias constructing the clipped with the looser colourful surrounds.
When I plant my bulbs in winter I also use the space on top of the pot for sweet alyssum as this fills in the gaps, provides lots of fragrant flowers and looks great even when the bulbs push through to do their thing.
