We have finally had our first BBQ, a bit late this year considering we sometimes have one in early April. And as we sat and enjoyed our outdoor dining experience I’m deciding what I’d like to be surrounded by this year in the pot department.

There’s always a few staples there, the fig that I really should plant out as it never amounts to much in it’s pot, my agapanthus which always put on a lovely display and the clematis winding up over the pagoda but I do like to have a few pretty pots with some summer colour as well, not as many as I used to admittedly, where every bit of wall space was crammed with a hanging basket these days moving more towards fewer, larger pots, hours of watering at the end of the day can be therapeutic but a bit of bind so the larger pots not being quite so high maintenance.

You don’t just need to use good old Petunias and Lobillia to fill your pots…shrubs are also great in containers as well as annuals…the variegated foliage of Euonymus fortunei Emerald ‘n’ Gold is good all year round; Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Tom Thumb’ is also an elegant evergreen shrub with it’s rich mahogany leaves or you could try a Hosta ‘Night Before Christmas’ and by planting them in pots they will be more protected from slug and snail attacks also. The orange foliage of Heuchera ‘Midas Touch’ planted in a terracotta pot compliment each other beautifully. For a green formal look you can’t go wrong with box balls paired with ivy, these will last all year round also.

Of course annuals always have a part to play, I always plan a lovely single colour theme but this rarely happens as if I have a glut of something I’ve grown in the greenhouse, this is what will be used! I always make sure I have a few Cosmos as they are my absolute favourite flowering for such a long period but you could also try Coreopsis tinctoria ‘Mahogany Midget’ which look great combined with nasturtiums or you can’t go wrong with a failsafe of Impatiens of course busy lizzies which are always great value for money.

The ultimate in low maintenance are of course succulents are the least demanding when it comes to watering as they store water in their fleshy leaves, stems and roots. Make sure you use lots of gravel mixed with your compost when planting.

Stake before the wind takes them…

Don’t forget to stake your tall plants before the winds whip up and take them over….delphiniums, rudbeckia, poppies, foxgloves and phlox to name but a few that will need some support.