The right pot can enhance the appearance of any plant and can also work as a feature piece on its own. Thus in turn making your surroundings more enjoyable.

You can enjoy pot plants all year round inside and out. Always choose the right plant to go in your situation.

Make sure you place the plant in conditions it normally would like, eg: a cacti is not going to thrive in a wet shady area. We all know cacti love it hot and dry.

Kings staff can help you make your pot and plant selection.

Once you have made your choice, planting it up should be done as soon as you get the plant home. The pot should always be bigger than your pot or planter bag on the plant and some plants don't like to go up too big too fast so always check with Kings staff before you buy.

Most "out in the open" plants in pots will need to be pretty tough, wind and rain in the winter and hot and dry in the summer, can make for a hard life but we have a few tips to help keep your plants in tip top conditions.

1. Use a good planting mix depending on the plant

2. Use a good slow release fertiliser, either or pots or specific to the plants needs i.e:acidic food

3. Use pot feet under your pots in the winter to raise the pot for added drainage

4. Use a saucer under your pot in the summer time to help retain some water.

The right potting soil is essential to get your plant well established. Garden soil dosen't provide enough fibre, nutrients or minerals to maintain a plant in a contained space.

We generally recommend Kings Container Mix for all your outdoor planting requirements. This mix is especially formulated with slow release fertilisers and water storing crystals to help provide roots with all the nutrients and water they need.

In some cases we recommend using Kings Potting Mix as some plants like to dry out even in the summertime. It is still a very good growing medium with slow release fertiliser but it doesn't contain water storing crystals so it will dry out quicker.

If your planting into a "glazed pot" check how many it has as they sometimes only have one. If this is the case we recommend that you put some broken pots or crockery pieces at the bottom of the pot for added drainage and to stop the hole getting blocked. Once you've done this you can fill a half of the pot with your chosen potting mix and then carefully take the plant out of its original container (make sure it is well watered as this will make it easier to get out). Always measure where the top often original soil was and never fill above this mark.

Back fill the rest of the pot and press down firmly. Always leave a 2cm rim at the top of the pot so in summer you will find it easier to water. You can cover the top of the soil with a decorative pebble if you wish as this not only looks good it helps retain some water and suppresses weeds.

WATERING:

Once the plant is in the pot it can be watered, we recommend using a soft spray nozzle on your hose especially if the plant is young as a soft spray won't damage any branches or push any soil out of the pot. Water until water is coming out of the bottom of the pot. For the plants first summer we recommend you water every 3-4 days to get it established.

FEEDING:

Feeding is the next essential part of keeping your container plants happy and healthy. You should remember as you have contained the plant you have also contained the soil thus restricting the source of food and nutrients to the plant.

It is now necessary to maintain regular feeding especially in the growing season. (Tip: if the soil is dry and your wanting to use a liquid fertiliser water the plant before adding the fertiliser to stop the fertiliser running straight out of the pot.)

Solid or dry fertiliser can be mixed into the soil prior to planting or applied as a top dressing, depending on the type of fertiliser they can last up to one season so only one application is needed.

We recommend Kings Pot Recharger for an all round good food for your container plants which lasts up to 4 months.

Liquid fertilisers are concentrates which you mix with water and apply to the plant at watering time.

This type of fertiliser doesn't last long in the soil so needs to be applied every 2 weeks. We recommend Kings Liquid Blood and Bone.

SOME TRIED AND TRUE POT FAVOURITES:

SCENTED POT LOVERS:

Daphne, Dianthus, Heliotrope, Wallflowers, Alyssum, Geraniums, Chamomile, Rosemary.

HOT AND DRY POT LOVERS:

Cacti, Succulents, Festuca grass, Petunia, Lavender, Dracaena draco, Yuccas, Marigold.

ANGING BASKETS:

These can be a pretty addition to hang around the eves of your houses or of a fence. Wherever you put them remember you need to be able to water the basket, either have a wand watering pole for on your hose or be able to take the basket down and water it from the ground.

Hanging baskets have a very small soil area so they dry out very quickly, they need to be watered daily in the summer months. Use Kings Container Mix when potting up to help conserve some water and a tip is to put some plastic at the bottom of the basket to stop the water running staight out.

Another good tip is to put the basket in semi shade, this way it will only get part of day sun to so shouldn't need to be watered every day and you will still get a good flower show out of your sun loving plants as they are getting some sun.

Remembe to fertilise regularly as the small space in the basket runs out of food quickly. Kings recommend using a slow release food at potting time such as Kings Pot Recharger and a liquid food such as Kings Fast Food once a fortnight.

FAVOURITE HANGING BASKET PLANTS:

Alyssum, Strawberries, Fuchsias, Ivy, Lobelia, Ferns, Petunia, Abutilon, Verbena, Portulaca, Thyme, Creeeping Jenny, Impatiens, Convolvulus, Succulents, Lamium, Bacopa, Trailing Rosemary, Tuberous Begonias, Chrys. Snowland.