Category: Plants in containers

Aethionema is a flowering plant that belongs to the Brassica family and has the common name of Stonecress.  The genus itself has 60 species within them, where over 40 of them are found in Turkey.

The common name of stonecress comes about as the plant has a creeping habit as it normally grows on stony ground. The plant originates from the mountainsides in Europe and West Asia, where it normally grows in limestone rocks.  It is normally a shrubby evergreen or semi-evergreen perennial with a mat of fleshy blue-green or grey leaves. On top of these leaves, sprays of tightly …

In this article, we will be discussing how to grow the wonderful and colourful hardy annual of Agrostemma in containers. It has the common name of corncockle, which is a delightful sounding name for a plant.

It is an excellent plant for cottage garden schemes or for those who like wildlife plants, It is a plant that is commonly found growing in the UK in the past but not so much today due to changes in agricultural measures that has somewhat reduced the plant frequency in farmlands. Agrostemma does have a tendency to self-seed everywhere but growing in containers they …

In this article, we will discover how to grow the perennial Agastache in Containers. It is a plant that is native to the plains and prairies of North America and so you can imagine is a tough plant. Let us get something straight, although it has the common name of hyssop on its name, it is only related to true hyssops and mint very distantly. After all, they are members of the Lamiaceae family (the mint family).

It is a tender perennial that has aromatic green leaves and on top of these colourful spikes of blue or purple flowers appear. …

In this article, we will discuss how to grow the notorious Aconitum in containers. You may wonder why I have called Aconitum or Monkshood, Wolfsbane or Aconite to give its common names, as notorious, the answer is because it has a reputation of being toxic to humans, with the possibility of death.

This is exaggerated as very few gardeners die after handling it, as long as you do it with great care.

It is a firm favourite that in nature is found growing in meadows throughout the Northern hemisphere. It is grown for its deeply divided green leaves and for …

In this article, we will discuss how to grow the beautiful foliage and bloom plant of Achilleas in containers. Achilleas or yarrow or Milfoil as it is commonly known, are border perennials that are grown for their feathery foliage and the tiny, flat plated flowers that appear on top of the leaves.

The flowers that are traditionally produced en masse tend to be yellow but they can be white, pink, red or cream. The leaves make a great alternative to other perennials that have broad leaves and so will make a great addition to the container garden.

It is an …

In this article, we will be discussing how to grow the creeping herbaceous evergreen perennial plant of Acaena in containers. It is actually a member of the rose family with 60 species being known but certainly, it does not look like one. It is native to New Zealand, Australia and South America with only a few species growing in the northern hemisphere.

Acaena is a low growing perennial that is great for covering cracks between paving slab stones and providing ground cover between plants or cascading over the edges of containers.

The leaves tend to be small or large, from …

In this article, we will be discussing how to grow acanthus in containers. They are wonderful flowering plants that belong to their own family, where 30 species are known to exist. It is native to tropical and warm regions in the Mediterranean and Asia. The flowers are grown for their nectar production and for attracting butterflies.

Acanthus make handsome plants that are grown for their attractive leaves and colourful, impactful flower displays. The deeply-divided arching leaves clothe the bases of the tall spikes of tubular purple and white flowers that appear in midsummer.

This is one plant that will suit …

In this article, we will discuss how to grow the beautiful and colourful trailing bedding plant of Lobelia in containers. They are a mainstay of hanging baskets and tall plant pots, where the deep blue, red, white or purple flowers are allowed to cascade over the edge.

These tend to blend well with the red, white, orange and yellow Begonias and showy pansies. The flowers that are often used are based on the half-hardy annual called Lobelia erinus, where some varieties are trailers, whilst others are more compact.

The annuals are not the only plant in the species as there …

In this article, we will discuss how to grow the wonderful scented and colourful herb Melissa officinalis (Lemon Balm) in containers. Lemon balm to give its common name is a perennial herb that has lemon-scented leaves and small, white or pale pink flowers in summer. The flowers are a magnet for bees, so great as part of a wildlife container garden. The flowers are insignificant compared to the leaves that can be green, gold or variegated, especially in early spring when new growth emerges.

It is a vigorous grower and like mint, it is best to grow them in containers …