Wow these pots sure did weigh a tonne when four of us put them into place this week. But they did come in sections which made it slightly easier as they were only around 100kg each rather than 200kg.

 

When positioning pots like this into the garden, you want to have a firm, level base so your pot won't sink to one side and topple over time due to rainfall affecting the soil and such. We just used some pavers levelled up underneath these and they were safe as houses, but you could also use compacted road base or a concrete slab.

 

Our pots are made from reconstituted sandstone and this is a good option if you have older buildings as a backdrop as over time this product will age well and blend into the surroundings a little more. They say you can spread a thin layer of yoghurt over the surface of pots like this to encourage algae or aging but that seems like a lot of yoghurt.

 

To compliment the sandstone, I chose a lovely lavender called Violet Lace which had plenty of flower for this time of year and a deep purple sedum with the unfortunate name of ‘Purple Blob’. Daggy name but great plant and both like good drainage and the same water and sun requirements which made them a good match for these urns and position.

 

 

Now I’d be the first to admit we need more green than concrete in our landscape but I came across these concrete spherical planters and just loved them. This is a very modern school landscape and the shape has been repeated throughout the site in the way of more flattened spheres used as kiddy-sized seats. They look great, are durable, and the smooth white of the concrete works well against the textured plants used throughout. In this ball Blue chalksticks or senecio serpens will gradually trail over the top of the ball and look fantastic with that bright blue/green foliage. Unfortunately these planters aren’t off the shelf as such, they’ve had moulds cast and the concrete formed up and poured especially, and drainage holes added in the bottom (which are really vital).

 

If you’re after a similar look but without the weight you could try some other planters I really love called U.V Ball planters which are a lightweight pot that comes in fabulous colours from a pot supplier called Pots Online, have a look at www.potsonline.com.au

 

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Wow, Last week was just like back in the Blitz days I must say. I’m head horticulturist for a landscape company called Green Options and a few of us tackled a major plant-out in an industrial estate (which are always good to green up). The problem was there were around 1200 plants to put in!! That’s a lot of plants and the pic below proves it. Now you may think a plant is easy to put into the ground but there are some important things to remember such as: