Getting started with growing in pots

lovestomoneysave

Hi all,
Have recently moved into a house and we have a small garden out the back. It is currently small stones and we want to get some pots out to make it look a bit more exciting.

Can you give me any ideas of what i could grow and how i would start. We are nurturing a tomato plant at present but it looks a bit sad on its own.

Also any flowers that would be ok in pots...

Thank you for your help!

elsien

Where to start..........?
I have pots in my front and back yard. Some are perennials/shrubs that live there permanently.
Most of them are bedding which I change over summer and winter, with bulbs in the winter ones that I plant up late autumn. Depends if you want permanent things or not.
For instant results now while you think about what you want to do longer term, you could try geraniums, fuschias, with some of the bedding such as bizzie lizzies, begonias, trailing plants such as verbena or lobelia, that should still be around at the moment - look on markets etc. It'll be too late to start bedding from seed for this summer.
If you want pretty and useful try some herbs - rosemary and lavender, thyme, or bay for permanent pots, basil, coriander, oregano etc for annuals.
If you want a bit more on the edible front, things like cut and come again salad leaves come up really quickly and are still ok to plant out now, and are perfectly happy in pots. Spinach does well, and you might get away with starting off some peas or beans if you do it straight away.
Edit - if you do get fuschias or geraniums, you can overwinter them if you can keep them somewhere frost free for the winter, to plant up again next year.

EmptyPockets

I'd definitely recommend herbs. A little kitchen garden looks so pretty, and you have the added pleasure of being able to nip out and pick whatever herbs you fancy cooking with that particular day/night. If not used, and left to flower, herbs are a very attractive addition to any garden.