Ready, Steady, Grow! 5 Super Easy Spring Planting Ideas

March is officially the start of spring and we couldn’t be more excited!

As well as symbolising hope and renewal, spring often brings warming sunshine and always invites a burst of activity into our gardens.  So now is the ideal time to start planting your seasonal favourites outdoors.

Garden centres and nurseries are already blooming with beautiful flowering bedding plants.  Team an array of your favourite plants, herbs or shrubs with stylish garden planters, containers and troughs to inject some much-needed colour and interest to your garden or outdoor space.

To offer a little inspiration, we’ve shared some of our five favourite springtime planting ideas using a few of Haddonstone’s timeless garden planters.  These easy garden container ideas couldn’t be simpler.  So why not try them yourself and please remember to share photos of your finished planters with us?

  • spring planting

Why is spring a great time of year for container planting?

Whilst the trailing frosts of winter may not be too far behind us, early spring is an optimum time to start planting.  Ground soil may still be too cold to grow much of anything else but potting up young plants in above-ground pots means their compost will absorb plenty of sun and allow them to establish over the next few months.

As well as bedding plants and herbs, early spring is also a great time to plant permanent specimens as they will establish rapidly in their new potted homes.  Just remember to leave enough room for new root growth.

After the long, grey stint if winter, many of us are longing for brighter days – and none more so than this year in particular.  So, now is the perfect time to treat yourself to some stylish new containers and plants and bring your garden to life with a much-needed burst of colour.

Five Super Easy Spring Planting Ideas:

Easy Small Herb Garden

Creating a fragrant herb collection in a garden container couldn’t be easier and is ideal for even the smallest of outside spaces.  Keep in a sunny spot near your house for ease of picking and to help liven up any dish.

Growing herbs in your garden will perfume the air on a warm day, as well as attracting bees, butterflies and other pollinators.

We love planting a few herb varieties in our simple and elegant Small Heritage Planter.  Here, we’ve chosen a selection of robust, evergreen herbs including oregano, thyme, sage and rosemary.  Each of these herbs are low maintenance and great choice for keeping pot-bound until autumn. The rosemary and thyme will produce pretty flowers during the spring and both can be kept in the frost-proof planter over winter.

Use a gritty, well-drained compost as herbs hate to be waterlogged, and remember to water regularly during the warmer months.

Simple Shades of Spring 

For a really simple burst of colour this spring, you can’t go wrong with a choice of primula.  These cheerful bedding plants are available in a range of colours and will flower from early to late spring.

Add height to your garden planter with some early-flowering daffodils, which will complement almost any bedding plants and add an uplifting, sunshine hue to a patio, entranceway or terrace.

For our Small Tudor Jardiniere spring container garden, we’ve chosen Narcissus Tete a Tete, which will last for a good weeks at this time of year.

With the daffodils, very gently separate the bulbs and plant individually or in groups nestled amongst the primroses.

 

 

Contemporary Cluster

This contemporary take on springtime planting creates quite a statement, and would work equally well in a traditional setting.

Here, we’ve grouped three of our Crucible Range planters, in varying heights and filled them with easy to maintain, yet impactful plants.

We’ve planted a stunning Acer palmatum ‘Atropurpureum’ in our the Large Crucible Planter.  The roots have plenty of room to grow in this tall container and there is enough space to underplant for added colour, texture and interest.  In this case, we chose pink Dianthus Capitan Marco.

The Small Crucible Planter has been planted with Agapanthus, which can be planted after the last frosts of early spring and will provide endless colour from mid-summer to early autumn.  Its mauve-blue flowers contrast beautifully and add structure and height to any planter.

Finally, two varieties of margarita plant – the Marguerite ‘Giga White’ and Marguerite Madeira Pink Daisy were planted in the Medium Crucible Planter.  The cascading flowers will provide plenty of coverage throughout the spring and summer, and provide a constant supply of flowers for displays, or to simply admire in your garden.

Textural Trough

Colourful, hardy heather is a staple winter bedding plant.  But you can still invite heathers’ burst of blush tones into your garden during the spring.  Choose Erica carnea, Erica x darleyensis and Erica erigena varieties.  They will flower throughout winter and spring, and are ideal for container gardening.

We think the contrasting textures of Erica x darleyensis ‘Mediterranean Pink’, athyrium fern and juncas pencil grass work wonderfully well with our Victorian Trough and Support.

With embellished with ribbon-tied roses and acanthus leaves, and gadrooning to the rim, this simple springtime planting idea proves that even the most decorative planter can cope with a riot of contrasting textures and colours.

 

Easter Basket

For our final springtime planting idea, we’ve used our Large Gothic Basket.  In pristine Portland colour, this tall and decorative garden planter really lifts an outdoor space.  Tall shrubs and grasses would work well in this container, but here we’ve taken inspiration from the traditional shades of Easter by planting small bedding plants, daffodils and a small Lemon Scented Monterey Cypress Goldcrest shrub.

Pale white and yellow English Primroses contrast against their sun yellow cousins (Primula vulgaris).  Cream spring-flowering heather has been used to pack out the container and add texture, whilst cheery daffodils encircle the Cypress.  Relatively hardy, primroses are well adapted and will do well in a shaded spot, or in full sun – just remember to provide them with well-drained soil for a longer-lasting display.

Top tips for successful springtime planting…

Keeping plants safe in cold weather

Early spring can still bring the odd cold snap, especially in the northern regions of the UK.

Many spring bedding plants and bulbs will tolerate and even thrive during the odd frost or cold snap, but we recommend the following steps to ensure your potted plants stay safe this spring:

  • Wait for night time temperatures to remain consistently above freezing before planting spring containers
  • Harden off plants by keeping them outside in a shaded, protected area for a few days before planting them – this will gradually expose them to the changes in day/night temperatures
  • Throw a protective cover over young plants when harsh frosts or snow are due – an old sheet will do the trick
  • Severe frosts can kill off young, tender plants overnight so move them to a sheltered location, if possible.

Which container size is best?

It’s best to decide what you would like to plant before you select your containers, as this will determine the right size and growing space.  Think about the size and shape of your plants’ root systems and opt for containers that offer generous planting room.

Remember that rootbound plants can dry out quickly and need plenty of space to thrive.  This is especially true if you’re planning to combine a number of plant varieties in one container.

Haddonstone’s extensive range of stylish contemporary and traditional stone planters offer generous planting room and are available in a range of colours.

Drainage

Waterlogged plants will quickly fade and overwatering is one of the main causes that may plants die.  Prevent soggy soil by ensuring your planters, pots and troughs have a drainage hole in the base to allow excess water to drain away.

All Haddonstone garden planters feature a good-sized drainage hole and are suitable for all plant varieties.

 

Materials

Choosing containers in the right, robust material is important in ensuring your containers can withstand any weather conditions and stand the test of time.

Clay and terracotta pots are popular but as they can easily break during cold snaps, are unsuitable for year-round hardy perennials and shrubs.

Wood is a good material for containers, offering a natural aesthetic and able to protect roots from the changing temperatures.  Avoid wood that has been treated with certain chemicals or creosote which can be harmful to your plants.

Metal looks great in the garden, but choose carefully as containers made in this material will conduct heat and so can expose sensitive roots to severe heat and cold.

Cast stone planters are robust, frost-proof and can easily withstand all fluctuating weather conditions.  Available in a broad range of styles and shapes, they are a great investment, offering style, generous planting room and longevity.  As cast stone does not conduct heat, planters and troughs in this material offer great protection for your plants.

It’s also worth noting that darker coloured planters and plant pot will conduct heat, whereas light-coloured alternatives will keep the soil cooler than dark containers.

Which composts should I use in my Haddonstone planters?

Our extensive range of garden planters features many different styles, sizes and colours, offering you a wide choice, whatever garden you may own.  We are often asked which composts are best to use in our planters to prevent staining which can be difficult to clean.

Here are our tips for choosing the right compost for your Haddonstone garden planters:

  • Avoid all composts with added fertilisers or those containing peat, this can lead to rust stains developing which can be unsightly and are difficult to clean
  • Use a polythene planter liner if using compost containing fertilisers or peat
  • Choose a multi-purpose organic or ericaceous compost – we use Durston’s compost in our Show Garden planters.

We can help you choose the perfect garden planters

Whether you’re growing them indoors or outdoors, it’s important that your plants are kept safe and can be easily cared for.

Planters, troughs and urns are great containers for your plants, whether you have a large garden or a small outdoor patch.

We have a wide range that are perfect for your winter blooms, so contact our friendly team today to discuss the options and find the ideal container for your plants.

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