Container gardening – Make a mini garden in a pot or basket full of summer colour

To create a mini garden doesn’t have to be expensive and it can be a lovely project for the summer with young ones! All you need is a broken terracotta pot and an extra few pieces for steps up to your little house and surroundings. Depending on the plants you choose, it can be displayed indoors or outdoors. Moss can be used for your lawn on your outdoor display where Soleirolia for your indoor. Try to take small, slow growing plants so that they stay in proportion with your miniature landscape. Add a few pebbles for a path that will bring you to your little house. The miniature accessories are available in our Garden Centre which include little houses, garden “welcome” signs, little gnomes, tables and chairs, mushroom houses, miniature gardening tools. Accessories start from €3. Something else to be doing this time of the year is to plan and plant your baskets full of summer colour. There is a huge choice of fast growing and free flowering plants to put in your basket. They would last throughout the summer till the first frost. The following plants would do great in hanging baskets – for sunny spots: Petunias, trailing Geraniums and Geraniums, Verbenas, Bacopas, Alyssums and for shady spots: Fuchsias, Lobelias, Brachycome, Creeping Jenny, Glechoma and many more. Patio plants start at €2.50 for a 10cm pot. Also use a good quality hanging basket or container mix. They usually have a wetting agent in the compost keep the plants moist for longer and a feed as well. You can give your plants a liquid feed too for a longer flowering period. Until next time! Monica