Patio Garden

[jacks09]

Spent the weekend removing the weeds and moss from the grouting on our patio.

Now looking to make it look less concrete-y. One side of the garden is always in shade but the other gets the sun pretty much all day - any tips or links on making a patio garden interesting? Any cool flowers or planters? Will build up a herb garden as well....

[red devil]

What do you have at the moment for growing plants in?

Can you remove any of the existing patio e.g. paving slabs, to create a bed for plants, or is it completely concreted over?...

[jacks09]

It's slabbed over and i am starting from a blank canvas. Rented property so can't really remove slabs.

[womanofdulwich]

you could grow tomatoes in grow bags on the sunny side!

[red devil]

Ok, pots and containers it is then. The problem with any plants in pots and containers is that they dry out a lot quicker than if they were in the ground and will require regular watering. Also pots will stunt the growth of some shrubs/plants, so check with a garden centre about a suitable size...the bigger the container the better usually.

The garden centre next to North Dulwich station has a great selection of pots and containers. I'd avoid the really cheap plastic lookalike pots. I've seen old ceramic Belfast sinks used as a container. Whatever takes your fancy really.

Toms in grow bags is a good one as WoD suggests.

You can also get raised bed kits which you assemble yourself, and therefore can take with you when you leave. They would be good for your herbs and some veg/fruit too.

Ferns and Hostas thrive in shade and look good in pots. The garden centre in West Dulwich has a good selection of shade loving plants. An Acer (Japanese Maple) looks striking but will require a certain type of compost, again check with a garden centre.

A lot of plants that flower do so only at certain times of the year, so the key is to have a selection of plants that will provide continuous colour throughout the spring and summer. Most garden centres sell plants just as they are about to come into flower, so make regular visits and build up a collection.

Summer bedding plants like Geraniums and Lobelia will provide flowers all through the growing season, but they die off with the first frosts and need to be replaced each year.

Try and get some plants that are evergreen to provide all year round greenery, again ferns are good for this. A lot of plants will die back in the autumn and winter, but you can fill the empty-looking pots with winter flowering plants such as Cyclamen and Pansies whilst the main plant lies dormant until the spring.

This is a good book... https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Gardening_Through_the_Year.html?id=D-A-PwAACAAJ&source=kp_cover&redir_esc=y&hl=en

[red devil]

Agapanthus look fantastic in a pot, worth splashing out on a really nice pot too...

http://l7.alamy.com/zooms/e4c48006f461471f8d27acaef4dc3406/courtyard-with-blue-agapanthus-in-a-terracotta-planter-e5pf68.jpg

[womanofdulwich]

Helpful for watering containers

[red devil]

Busy Lizzie and New Guniea/African Impatients are summer bedding plants that thrive in the shade...

http://www.stmargs.co.uk/upload/products/0000/0025/Impatiens-Harmony-Spicy-Peach.jpg

[maxxi]

Alyssum is fast growing and has a great scent, Californian poppies, foxgloves, cornflowers and nasturtiums (the latter are great for climbing from a pot/container up a wall trellis - as are honeysuckle and jasmine - and are fast growing, colourful with lots of good green leafy coverage but really prone to blackfly; the nasty little b*stards cluster unseen under the leaves) - all these will self-seed and come back year after year with very little maintenance.

[edcam]

womanofdulwich Wrote:

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> Helpful for watering containers

Looks hideous though.

[Sue]

red devil Wrote:

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> Try and get some plants that are evergreen to

> provide all year round greenery, again ferns are

> good for this.

Not all ferns are evergreen, so make sure you get ones which are (and suit your conditions) if you want them to be green through the winter!

Climbers are lovely to give you height and to clothe fences etc and many are suitable for containers. Don't plant anything too vigorous near the house though!

Many climbers are scented.

If you plant perennials in pots they will mostly be dormant in winter, but be aware they are hopefully still living beneath the compost, so don't excavate huge holes to plant other things on top :)

[stringvest]

Ive got a small patio with lots of pots, a large phormium, a bamboo and others, I've divided the patio off from the small garden with an argos wooden arbour, better half built a wooden cupboard under the arbour and put slabs on top. The hose and other handy things are kept in the cupboard. I grow various plants in pots on the slabs, a small clematis and sweet peas grow over it in summer. It makes a cosy private corner. The raised pots don't suffer slugs as much.