Growing a gorgeous garden in Pots

Our members were treated to a very  interesting talk by Dan Cooper  on ‘Growing a gorgeous garden in pots ‘.  It turns out that Dan ,who lives in Broadstairs , had no choice but to garden only in pots as his back yard was concrete over a void below. His great photos showed how he has created a magnificent space with good growth all year round. There, the many semi-exotic plants can survive the winter as the location has sea on three sides.  He gave us a good number of useful tips – using large a pot as it practical to cut down on watering requirement , grouping pots together to reduce water loss ;  using some smaller pots to swop in and out as their plant comes into flower ; creating a changing seasonal display which can be stunning ( as exemplified by the student gardeners in the porch at Great Dixter);  not using crocks in the bottom of pots – instead using wool or moss collected from lawn or roof.  Using a compost mix with a good ration of John Innes and sand included to provide more nutrient holding, more water and for taller plants, a more heavy pot less likely to topple in the wind. Pre-planning colour combinations could pay dividends.   Dan’s garden should be open again for the NGS in 2026, so we need to look out for that!    He runs a business selling special gardening tools – this can be found at  www. dancoopergarden.com     There are some excellent Japanese weeders and cultivators that can be a useful investment.