Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Gardening: potted beauty

By Ginny Clark
Bay of Plenty Times·
8 Mar, 2019 03:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

They can soften and beautify patios and outdoor living areas. Photo / Supplied

They can soften and beautify patios and outdoor living areas. Photo / Supplied

Containers and pots can grow a wide variety of plants, from flowers and shrubs to veges
Potted plants are very decorative, especially if grown in attractive containers.

They can soften and beautify patios and outdoor living areas or give structure, enhance entranceways or create a focal point in the garden and provide food for the family.

With the size of sections and gardens getting smaller more people are looking for alternatives for growing plants. Almost anything can be easily grown in a container.

Flowering plants, shrubs, roses, palms, grasses, ferns, succulents, bulbs, trees, citrus, dwarf fruit trees, berry fruit, herbs and of course veges.

Most veges such as lettuce, tomatoes, spinach, dwarf beans will grow faster and have a shorter time to harvest than those grown in the garden and a nice looking container full of herbs close to the kitchen is not only practical but looks great.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Containers come in all shapes, sizes, colours, glazes and finishes so choose a style you like and of course a size that is suitable for the plants being grown. One of my favourites are the really nice looking outdoor lightweight pots and troughs which look heavy but are actually a fibreglass mix so are light and easy to move around.

For veges, try one of our VegePods, available in three sizes and they have a cover to keep the bugs off. These can be put on a stand with wheels so you can move them to just the right spot for maximum sun.

Always use a premium potting mix which contains long term fertilisers and wetting agents for the best results (don't ever be tempted to use garden soil).

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Fragrant plants such as gardenia, lavender and daphne are easy to grow and are lovely to have close by to enjoy (very welcoming at the front door). Standards topiary plants are always eye-catching, like roses, mexican orange blossom or portuguese laurels.

Show your creative flair. A selection of three different plants in a container looks very effective. Choose a tall plant for the centre. A standard rose or fruit tree like citrus work well. Plant three low growing plants around it, then finish off the final layer with the likes of alyssum or lobelia which will trail over the sides.

Plants grown in containers dry out quickly so they will need to be watered daily in summer.

Saturaid is invaluable for container gardening as it reduces watering and helps moisture penetrate through to the root zone.

Feeding with a good soluble liquid fertiliser like Ican Fast Food during the plants growing period will really get them growing strongly and performing at their best.

• www.decorgardenworld.co.nz
• www.facebook.com/decorgardenworld

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Lifestyle

Bay of Plenty Times

The secret sauce of the bar named NZ's best

08 Jul 10:00 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

Robyn Malcolm, Toni Street, Kiri Nathan and Cassie Roma share defining moments

26 Jun 10:00 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

Tauranga couple's 'amazing journey' to parenthood

20 Jun 05:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

The secret sauce of the bar named NZ's best

The secret sauce of the bar named NZ's best

08 Jul 10:00 PM

'I’ve always wanted to be called an institution – that’s my goal.'

Robyn Malcolm, Toni Street, Kiri Nathan and Cassie Roma share defining moments

Robyn Malcolm, Toni Street, Kiri Nathan and Cassie Roma share defining moments

26 Jun 10:00 PM
Tauranga couple's 'amazing journey' to parenthood

Tauranga couple's 'amazing journey' to parenthood

20 Jun 05:00 PM
What the inaugural Jetstar flight from Hamilton to Sydney was really like

What the inaugural Jetstar flight from Hamilton to Sydney was really like

16 Jun 08:16 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP