planter what to put in now

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Looking at buying 2 of these 50cm for a friend and planting them up.
Smithy Patio Tub - Stewart Garden (stewart-garden.co.uk)

And wondering what plants to put in it ?  Garden centre has polyanthus in flower now  also selling bulbs. and lavenders 

MysteryMe

I have several of the 50cm smithy planters and TBH they are very big, need a lot of compost and not the most attractive looking IMO. I use mine for bamboo and put smaller containers in front. Depends what you want to do. If you are looking at using them for bedding TBH I'd either buy the 35cm version of the smithy or similar, lots of garden centres / DIY stores have planters on sale at the moment for £10-£15   If you want more permanent plants then the 50cm is suitable for shrubs and perennials. I have cordyline, hibiscus, patio roses, acer, agapanthus, patio peony in containers. There are plenty of others you can chose. I think a cordyline planted in the centre with bedding around the edges would look nice but depends how much you would like to spend. I do have some lavender in containers but they tend to get a bit leggy after a while, I think they thrive better in the ground. Bulbs are a good idea, they would work in the 50cm or a smaller planter and they will grow through whatever you plant on top.

twopenny

I agree with not getting a huge size. The weight of the pot with damp compost in is going to be huge.

Be sure there are drainage holes and put stones in the bottom to allow water to drain through then the compost.

Start with something evergreen and tallish and surround with pansies or primulas. That would be the simplist.

But that size container is overkill for such small plants.

Why not look round a garden centre and see what they have planted up in containers? They are doing this a lot ready for Christmas presents.

You may want to cost the process too. It may be cheaper to buy them ready done.

Other plants you could use are Christmas roses. The garden centres have forced plants to flower early so there is a lot of choice but primulas and pansies are the cheapest.

Some bulbs as well for the early spring would be lovely. Some ivy to drape over the sides.

The cost of this is going to be a fair amount. Do you have a supermarket near you where they sell the small flowering plants cheaply and in bulk?

p00

If you are going to do smallish pots too I would consider using buckets instead of pots. Not only are they extremely cheap but moveable. This year I grew tomatoes, strawberries and beans in buckets. I'm now going to plant up spring bulbs in them. Buckets are a very useful ignored commodity.
Also I never put holes in the bottom of a pot but about 2 inches up the sides. That way water does not simply drain away but only drains when there may be too much in it. Just a thought.

maxsteam

I often have daffodils for early colour then non-stop begonias for colour after the daffs have finished. It need not be expensive with a little planning. My begonias started with a 99p pack of 10 seeds from eBay then I grew more from cuttings and seed collection over the years. I have far too many now.

Personally I don't buy plants that are in flower at the garden centre. I want the flowering to happen at my house. To be honest, I don't buy much. My latest planter used to be a wooden tool chest and it was being thrown out. It won't last forever but I will find something else in due course.

You could also consider fruit trees in large containers like that. There are usually cheap fruit trees in the supermarkets in February but those are usually larger ones, not suitable for containers. If putting a fruit tree into a pot you should make sure that it has a rootstock that will keep the tree at a manageable size. If you wanted, you could move a container away from the patio during the winter when fruit trees don't look so good. It's an odd sort of entertainment to watch a fruit tree go through its processes and then to eat the fruit in Autumn. It doesn't appeal to everyone though.