As well as a few seasonal containers it’s nice to have some evergreens in pots to give year round interest.

As rewarding as flowers, and requiring a lot less maintenance, they can also be moved around and give you options in areas that you may otherwise not be able to have plants in.

Evergreens will serve you well, looking good all year round, but they will appreciate a reward of a top dressing of fresh compost after the winter months. Repotting may also be needed for containers that have become outgrown.

To slide the plant out you may need to remove some of the old compost, teasing out some of the roots as you do. Once repotted with fresh compost water well.

Only go up one container size larger at each stage or overpotting can occur, this is when a containerised plant has been moved to too large a container and it will suffer as a consequence, including leaf yellowing, wilting and leaf fall.

If you opt for bamboo, choose one of the smaller varieties. Chimonobambusa tumidissinoda, for example, only reaches 1.5m or go for fargesia murieliae. It has arching leafy canes which rustle, sway and are lovely on a decking.

Evergreen container options

Heucheras are a good low-growing option from vivid greens and corals to deep purple.

Hostas provide good architecture.

Pennisetum setaceum, fountain grass is a real show stopper.

Box, buxus you can’t beat for moulding into any desired shape or keeping to the classic box ball.

Bay, laurus nobilis are great for showing off a front door.