Containers - what’s a minimum size?

Latimer · 28 January

So I that’s a very open ended question but for general display purposes on a patio, what kind of size would you get?

I think I’ve always been suckered into the 30-40cm diameter ones from the likes of Aldi but I wonder if they’re just a little on the small size, especially when just stood on the ground. They just don’t seem to have much impact and lots of them together just seem a bit “flat”.

philippasmith2 · 28 January

What material were you thinking of ? Concrete/plastic/terracotta/metal ? What is the area you want to cover ? You could mix different sizes/shapes to avoid the "flat" look. Most important of all - what do you want to grow in them ?

GardenerSuze · 28 January

@Latimer When it comes to pots the bigger the better. Visit any RHS garden and some are huge. So it is a case of buying the biggest you can affort and forget the smaller pots that need so much extra water. One large pot can be very dramatic.
If you do have pots already then different heights and shapes work well. Also odd numbers and stick with a plain pot in my opinion let the plants do the talking. Plants such as annuals can look their best when two thirds the height of the pot. However it is also good to break the rules and plant a tall grass in a short pot.

Plantminded · 28 January

It depends what you are growing. Some plants seem to perform better with their roots slightly restricted and a very large pot for one young plant could result in the compost being constantly wet and causing problems. I prefer one plant per pot and put each plant in a pot size which is larger than the one it came in to accommodate one or two years’ growth and then either pot it up to a bigger size when it needs more root space or put it in the ground.

ViewAhead · 28 January

I use quite small pots, so I can manage to move them as needed. If a plant outgrows its container and can't go in the ground for some reason, I take a cutting and start a new one. You do have to keep on top of watering, but I don't mind that.

Lizzie27 · 28 January

You could try grouping them together, either 3 or 5 together (odd numbers look best) and putting the ones at the back on a brick or two, thus adding height to the group.

Blue Onion · 28 January

I don't tend to move my pots once they are planted up for the summer (it's too cold where I live for year-round pots).. so have been gradually investing in the largest ceramic pots I can find on clearance. Fall is a great time to find some good deals as GCs look to reduce stocks for winter storage. Or even late spring as they change their merchandise focus. I also get a matching drip tray for under the pot. If it's filled with summer annuals, I will invert a plastic pot inside the bottom that matches the inside bottom circumference (cut down as necessary to an appropriate height for the root balls of whatever I am planting in there), and then fill with potting soil along the sides and across the top of the inverted plastic pot. The inverted plastic pot serves three purposes: reduces soil required, reduces weight, and the soil that reaches the bottom of the pot along the edges works as a wicking method/material to pull up any water from the drip tray without water logging the roots. Large pots in colorful glazes that complement the flower are great for the early season when you first plant and the flowers/plants haven’t got going yet.. and they don’t get blown over in high winds.. and your watering is very much reduced during the height of summer. (In the UK you will likely only need a drip tray in the height of summer, or not at all).

Latimer · 28 January

Thanks all, lots of great thoughts from everyone.

However, at what point does that pot become “big”? 2ft diameter?

ViewAhead · 29 January

I'd class anything over 14-16" as big. 🙂

Latimer · 29 January

ViewAhead said:

I'd class anything over 14-16" as big. 🙂

👍🏽👍🏽

Fairygirl · 29 January

The main thing to consider, once you've decided on what you like, is how to group them. You can have a mix of sizes, but they really need to be linked by colour. That avoids having a jumble which is less pleasing to look at as your eye just jumps from one pot to another instead of creating a more harmonius look. The planting should then do the same - keep the range of colours to around three, and mix plants in that range according to heights and widths, and use foliage to get some contrast as well. Groups of uneven numbers always looks best, just as it does in a border. The space you have will dictate that too

If you want a formal look, go for pots the same size, but that works best if you want a symmetrical 'line' all exactly the same. It suits the edge of a patio or similar as a physical division, or to line path edges. The plants all have to be the same too.

The size of pots has to suit the plant, so you'd certainly want something in that 15 to 18 inch diameter for any sizeable shrub, or if you want a full on display of annuals, depending on what they are of course. Some Petunias or Marigolds will manage in an 8 inch pot whereas Sweet peas or Dahlias won't.

Containers - what’s a minimum size?

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