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Seasonal Tips for Feb & Mar - Pots & Containers

Pots and containers are a great way to ring the changes in the garden each season. If you don’t do anything else that’s new in the garden this year, then make sure you plant a few new planters with seasonal colour. Spring containers are a great way to celebrate the arrival of the warmer weather and can be replanted with summer plants as the season progresses.




  • Check on overwintering patio plants such as geraniums and fuchsias. March is too early to put them outside but they may be sprouting new growth that is perfect for taking cuttings. Pot them up into fresh compost such as John Innes Mature Plant Compost No3. and start to water them gently, ensuring that they are not too wet and not allowed to dry out either.
  • Keep a look out for early signs of pests and disease that may affect these plants, especially in a greenhouse and use your favourite control method to deal with them. Likely problems are greenfly and botrytis. One or two early greenfly can be picked off manually. If there are lots of them then take control and treat them with the New Bug Attack.
  • Outdoor containers may still need watering, check the soil and compost first and add water if they feel dry.
  • Containerised trees and shrubs should be fed using a suitable plant food such as Feed-all Slow Release Plant Food, choose the granular option for flexible feeding.
  • When the container compost has been thoroughly moistened, mulch over the top with Decorative Mini Bark to conserve soil moisture and keep the containers looking neat and tidy. This ornamental mulch has finer pieces than other mulches and looks more to scale when used to mulch containers.
  • Plants that have outgrown their pots should be repotted now before they spring into growth. Use West+ Advanced Compost for all plants as it contains a special ingredient that improves drainage and enhances the water holding capacity of the compost so that it is easier to rewet and encourages healthy roots and stronger plants. It reduces the need for frequent watering and holds the moisture in the compost around the plant roots. Incorporate Feed-all Slow Release Granular Plant Food into the compost to provide your plants with a constant feed for the rest of the season. Alternatively just push the appropriate number of Feed-all Slow Release Tablets into the surrounding compost, which are designed for use in patio pots and containers.
  • For fantastic pots and containers this summer choose Dahlias. These flowers are very easy to grow and bloom from summer right through to the first frosts. Although they are frost tender they can be started into growth as early as February in a frost free greenhouse or well lit, unheated room indoors. Plant them in pots and containers using the new West+ Advanced Compost for all plants and keep them free from frost until it is safe to place the containers outdoors.

Other useful tips for this season:

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