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Container ideas for front door

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  • Dirty HarryDirty Harry Posts: 1,048
    edited May 2019
    All good suggestions.

    As a general rule then, safe to have a quite a few pots (odd numbers) and plants providing there's a variation in size etc?
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    Yes, a mix of pot sizes and plants would look good in that corner. If it was me, I would probably go for pots of different sizes but the same colour.
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • Dirty HarryDirty Harry Posts: 1,048
    Might struggle on that front given the multitude of different coloured pots I've bought recently but we shall see!
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    Oh well, it doesn't really matter, use what you've got.  I did once resort to painting a brown pot with blue emulsion paint - which lasted remarkably well, so it fitted in better with my colour scheme.
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • BorderlineBorderline Posts: 4,700
    edited May 2019
    Pots of different colours and styles huddled in varying sizes may add a nice naturalistic look. Part of pot planting is to include container colours and surfaces as part of the design. Large metal pots you can paint up to give it a two-toned effect against wood and clay pots. That should make even plant leaves look interesting. 
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    You could 'go large' - have quite a large pot with a small multi-stemmed tree in the corner so it stands to the right of the window and then a mixture of smaller ones clustering along towards the door and down the driveway.
    Or you could have a bigger tree pot part way along the drive to make a slight enclosure with smaller pots between it and the house. You might need to use a square pot for the tree if it''s windy there, so it's less likely to blow over.

    A bit of height would have much more impact in what is quite a large area
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • Dirty HarryDirty Harry Posts: 1,048
    Quite like the sound of a small tree. Any suggestions for exposed and morning sun only?

    Bonus points for anything the pollinators like. Try to grow such plants as much as possible.
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    Small or dwarf versions of lots of garden trees have been produced. Prunus or cornus kousa or malus would all be fine if you get ones grown on dwarfing rootstocks or that are naturally smaller. If you're willing to take the time to prune it regularly, a dwarf lilac would be lovely - they can look stunning - but they aren't easy container plants.
    Or one of the hardier trees that will put up with being pruned hard to keep it small - the RHS site has a few suggestions https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=274#section-3

    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
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