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Gardeners World blog

Plants

Autumn pots

Posted by: Adam Pasco, 15 October 2007, 10.11AM

Dwarf cyclamen 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 in pots. It's the nearest you can get to instant gardening, buying or growing a range of plants then immediately making them feel at home in a pot. They're versatile, too, and can be moved around as the mood takes you. It's rather like rearranging the furniture in your home, as pots can be moved from one place to another to create a fresh display.

It helps to have a few hardy shrubs in pots, things that play their part in displays throughout the year. Then add in the seasonal performers, like bulbs and bedding that might only look great for a few weeks or a couple of months. Move these to centre stage when they're at their best, but as they fade just move them backstage to die down gracefully.

With autumn now upon us my displays were in need of a boost, so this year I've invested in a few dwarf cyclamen. These are really indoor pot plants, but are quite at home in a patio pot for a couple of months. Now these are not hardy outdoor varieties, so could be killed off by cold and damp winter weather, but I'll leave them on display for as long as possible.

I've combined mine with a compact gaultheria with pure white berries, snipping away its green shoots to neaten up the display. All these plants are quite cheap to buy, so could be discarded at the end of the year. However, I rather like the challenge of keeping things going, so will take out the cyclamen and bring into a frost-free greenhouse to try and get them through winter unscathed. If I can prevent their tubers rotting and start them back into growth next summer they should flower again for me next autumn.

Comments

  • popham

    15 October 2007, 11.30AM

    When should you bring cyclamens indoors?

  • Rachael

    15 October 2007, 12.56PM

    I too love planting up pots and containers, I find it to be a quick, cheap way to have a change when you get itchy feet. They give instant impact if you have visitors coming and can really brighten up the outside of the house on a grey day. I have bought lots of cyclamen this year, the labels on them say hardy... living in North Yorkshire I'm not sure how this will pan out, I might follow Adam's idea and lift them and try to keep them going for next year... the challenge would be worth the effort I think if it works!

  • Adam Pasco

    16 October 2007, 12.02PM

    The dwarf cyclamen in my pot (illustrated) are varieties of Cyclamen persicum, that are similar to the indoor pot plant varieties. These would probably be killed off by a wet winter outside, unlike many of the hardy outdoor species such as Cyclamen coum and Cyclamen hederifolium, which can be grown outside all-year-round. Remember that it's often wet and waterlogged conditions that cause cyclamen tubers to rot, and not simply the cold.

  • bulbs which do not flower

    16 October 2007, 04.37PM

    Can any one tell me why arum and canna bulbs grow leaves but do not flower and how to remedy this please. I also have problems with daffodils and narcissi which only flower one year. Any advice would be appreciated.

  • sue

    18 October 2007, 10.39PM

    When should I prune my climbing roses? The gardeners world front page says now is ok but others advise waiting till winter.

  • stuart

    19 October 2007, 12.04AM

    hi there,i dont think you are planting your bulbs deeper enough,they ave 2 be planted 3x the bulb size,hope you have a booming good christmas x

  • Adam Pasco

    19 October 2007, 05.49PM

    Yes Sue, climbing and rambling roses can be pruned now to prevent their long shoots been battered and broken by strong winds. Prune back side shoots and tie new growth in securely. Actually pulling stems down and training them at a more horizontal position encourages new shoots to develop right along their length. And you know what you get when you have more shoots .... more flowers! Also prune back growth of standard roses now too. However, floribunda and bush roses can be pruned later in winter - prune in January and use healthy shoots as hardwood cuttings.

  • mair

    19 October 2007, 06.37PM

    I planted up a perennial bed this year but got the spacing between some of the plants badly wrong. I'm itching to move(transplant) some of them before they die back and become unrecognisable - can I do it now in October, or should I wait for the spring?

  • maurice

    20 October 2007, 02.50PM

    Please can you tell me why my box leaves have suddenly turned orange?

  • Lorna

    25 October 2007, 09.22PM

    Im just a beginner gardener and have just potted up some lovely cyclamens in my pots outside of my front door. They are looking lovely. I also am trying to find some ideas for planting flowering shrubs in my small back garden that i can plant and that will be year round pleasure as i dont know what yet to plant i would love to hear of anyone who knows what are easy to plant and that grow fairly easily i have planted a Pampas grass that is doing well and an aucuba japonica but not sure what else at the moment any ideas?

  • Lynne

    04 November 2007, 09.16AM

    Hi Lorna, it all depends on the soil. You can't go wrong with a Pieris Flame, a shrub which has leaves and flowers which change colour. I've just recently moved to a clay soil area which roses do well in so I hear. I would like to know a variety of rose i could plant as a border, smaller than a bush rose?

  • Maggie

    05 November 2007, 05.08PM

    I know cyclamem are lime haters so when it comes to planting in pots then do you have to put them with plants that are also lime haters? I've recently found out that they prefer to be kept dry and since I've stopped watering so frequently they look superb. How long will I be able to keep them in the pots...I have no greenhouse.

  • Adam Pasco

    06 November 2007, 11.37AM

    Thanks for your tips Maggie. Yes, these indoor cyclamen varieties hate wet compost, so be careful to avoid over watering. Keeping them on the dry side is best. Their tubers will probably be killed by cold and wet winter weather, so you'll need to either bring cyclamen under cover or onto a windowsill, or dig up tubers and store in a frost-free place. Plant again from spring to early summer to bring dormant tubers back into growth.

  • John Wheeler

    23 November 2007, 09.44PM

    Re: cyclamen Indoors; Regarding the above issue, would like to say that these plants I bought as suitable for the garden. From the time they went into the ground they never started to grow. Now moved indoors to a house I am still waiting a result. Could it be that they were dead when purchased or maybe need some special type of environment or is it just me. Would be pleased of any comments.

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