When deciding what containers to use in your garden or outdoor space consider what type of plants you want to use and the decorative effect that the container(s) of choice has on the surroundings as well as the size and type of space you have available. Below is a description of a variety of containers each with different qualities and requirements. Hopefully there is enough information included here to help you to utilize garden containers to maximize effect.

It is also a good idea to scour the internet for photos of different containers and be bedazzled by the vast assortment of them before choosing and buying your favourite containers.

Ceramic plant pots

These come in a variety of colours and are finished with a high gloss exterior. They can be quite large & heavy when filled with soil (as with some other containers). So plan first where to place them. You can of course buy a pot mover (which is a board on wheels) to move them around the garden when looking for a shady spot for your plant on a hot summer's day.

Fibre-glass/poly resin pots

Fibre-glass/poly resin pots are made to look like traditional stone urns or lead cisterns. When you buy fibre-glass/poly resin pots it is a good idea to get top of the range items so as to keep that quality look. The ageing process will eventually make lower-priced fibre-glass/poly resin pots look cheap & tatty. This also applies to other artificial containers that you use in your garden.

Half-Whisky barrels

When buying a half-barrel at a garden centre or online, hopefully, it will have been prepared for planting. This means that holes have been drilled in the bottom of the barrel and the wood treated with preservative. If this has not been done, remember to do this yourself first before using it in your garden.

If you have bought or acquired a genuine half-whisky barrel, the inside of the barrel will have been charred and so will not need to be treated further (other than holes being drilled in the bottom).

Half-barrels are heavy once full, so planting in them is usually permanent. Make sure you take time to prepare the barrel as well as choosing a suitable location for it.

Large ornamental plants, shrubs and trees can be grown in half-barrels due to their size.

Plastic pots

Plastic pots are good for starting off young plants indoors, in the green house or the conservatory but they do not make the best decorative outdoor containers that are available due to weathering but keep their appearance indoors which means house plants look fine in them. Please remember that plant pots stood outside on a hot summer's day can cause the roots to boil thus impeding the plant's health or killing it. Make sure they are placed in a shady position as long as the plant tolerates such conditions.

Stone urns

Stone urns conjure up the garden scenes from the days of colonialism and are suitable for decorating mature city gardens and country gardens alike.

Brand new stone urns can be painted with plain yoghurt which encourages moss and lichen to establish more rapidly to give the surface of the container an aged look.

Terracotta pots

The reddish colour of unglazed terracotta pots make them very appealing and contrasts with the green of the foliage (red is the opposite of green on the colour wheel). It is this contrast that provides the harmony that terracotta brings to the garden.

Terracotta will dry out quicker in the summer (as opposed to plastic pots which retain moisture better) so will need watering once a day, morning or evening (remember that watering in the middle a hot day can fry the plants foliage). They do remain cooler than there plastic counterparts though. Remember terracotta pots need watering every day in dry weather and plastic pots need to be kept out of the hot sun. Choose plants accordingly.

During the cold, damp conditions of the winter months, algae & moss grow on terracotta and need to be scrubbed clean when the damp weather has passed.

Versailles tubs

Versailles tubs provide an atmosphere of formality to the outdoor area they are placed in, due to their cubed shape. They are suitable for placing clipped bay or box, fruit trees or a standard rose inside.

They are often seen in pairs either side of a grand entrance to an exclusive club or hotel.

Also, consider that these types of tubs are often made of wood today which means that a potted plant should be placed inside them instead of putting soil directly into them. This means that plants can be changed regarding the changing of the seasons or due to disease or pestilence, a point worth considering when using any kind of decorative pot or tub.

Daniel R Sykes BTh (Hons) is a garden designer, allotment holder and p/t gardener for the elderly & infirm. He has several years experience in hard landscaping (laying of patios, paths, driveways etc) and is owner & author of a new garden design website http://asplashofheaven.com/default.aspx

He also has an interest in homemade organic produce using traditional recipes to make jams & chutneys, pies & cakes (using ingredients handpicked himself from the garden/allotment) from experience gained working as a baker's assistant many years ago. For more information on container gardening please visit http://asplashofheaven.com/container_gardening.aspx

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