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.5-10cm pots, until late May, then placed them on my patio in a large terracotta pot, using a peat-free, multi-purpose compost.To support the climbing stems I used silver birch stems saved from winter pruning, pushing them down into the pot to create a

I'm always looking for plants that make an impact - things that will grab the attention and put on a good show. Seasonal bedding and bulbs are always popular, but many shrubs also grow well in patio pots.Over the years I've tried all sorts, from

A wide variety of pots have graced my patio all summer, hosting a wide and varied range of plants from agapanthus and phormium to miscanthus, eucomis, pelargoniums, and an assortment of colourful bedding - to name but a few.I love growing things

I can't be the only one looking for foolproof plants to brighten the patio during summer, but it's always nice to try something a little different too.Traditional summer bedding has its place, but it does demand regular attention.Daily watering

that produce one stem carrying one flower at the top, when you can grow varieties with many flowers per stem?I'm not sure why multi-headed tulips aren't more widely grown, as I've found their performance outstanding in patio pots. One of my favourites is a

into the top of the container on my patio, so as one fades another takes its place.By planting bulbs in baskets instead of directly in the pot, I avoid locking up a lovely container with a single display, and prolong the show of beautiful spring bulbs.The trick

gone and deciduous plants have lost their leaves.Some foliage plants form the centrepieces to displays, like the brilliant coleus in one of my patio pots (pictured, above). It's one of the 'Kong' series, I think, and, having started off as quite a small

will send the leaves tumbling to the ground.Slow-growing Japanese maples, particularly those with dissected leaves, make perfect small trees for patio pots. I've grown acers in pots on my patio for about six years now, using large, heavy terracotta pots

.So, what's left? Thankfully, I was tempted to buy a couple of hardy evergreen ferns from Fernatix while at Gardeners' World Live a few years ago and now, planted in tall terracotta pots, they take pride of place on my patio during winter.Ferns have rotten

I've just picked, and eaten, my first home-grown tomato of the year – and it was delicious. It's actually a brand new outdoor bush variety, and yet to be named, but on my sunny patio it has even beaten the greenhouse crops to produce the first ripe