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How to create a container garden for wildlife

Sut i greu gardd mewn potyn ar gyfer bywyd gwyllt

Cyflwynwch fwy o nodweddion bywyd gwyllt i leoedd cyfyng gan ddefnyddio potiau a chynwysyddion.

Pots and containers are a great way of introducing wildlife features into more formal areas of the garden like the patio, or outside the front door. They are also perfect for small gardens or spaces like window ledges or roofs. Herbs, in particular, make good container plants and attract lots of wildlife, as well as being useful in the kitchen.

There are many ingenious planting schemes that can be tried: sow your own mini wildflower meadow in a windowbox; line a pot with plastic to make a potted pond; or use walls to create vertical herb displays. 

Use a quirky container

You can use anything you like for planting. Try an old watering can, chimney pot, kettle or teapot, holey boots, metal pails and buckets, bird or other pet cage, paint tins, catering tins, pans and colanders, veg racks... the sky’s the limit! 

Upcycle something into a plant pot

Runner beans growing in a old tyre

Runner beans growing in a old tyre ©Eden Jackson

You can use anything you like for planting! How about...

  • Watering cans
  • Chimney pots
  • Old kettles
  • Holey boots
  • Metal pails and buckets
  • Paint tins
  • Pans and colanders
  • Old sinks - or even bathtubs!

How to make a hanging basket

vertical garden wildlife trust

Cath Hare

  1. Rest the basket or container on a bucket or large pot for stability.
  2. Line with an old woolly jumper (not a moss liner) cut to size, or choose a solid basket.
  3. Plant using peat-free compost. Put in a tall, central plant (such as scabious, lavender, sage), followed by smaller plants around it, and trailing plants through the sides.
  4. Continue building up plants and compost until about 5 cm from the top.
  5. Feed once a week and water frequently in summer.

 

What to plant in your hanging basket:

Cool blues: Aubrieta, Lobelia, Wild Pansy, Nepeta
Hot reds: Marigolds, Fuchsia
Neutral whites: Sweet Alyssum, Erigeron, Ox-eye Daisy
Tall central plant: Knapweed, Scabious, Lavender, Snapdragon, Pot Marigold
Herb smellies/eatables: Verbena, Patio Tomatoes, Chives, Thyme, Rosemary, Parsley, Sage, Patio Strawberry, Dwarf Lavender
Trailers: Ivy, Nasturtium, Honeysuckle, Sweet Pea, Lobelia ’Pendula’ 

How to make a cornfield meadow pot

Cornflower

Niall Benvie/2020VISION

  1. Make drainage holes – if necessary, drill 5-10 mm diameter holes into the bottom of the pot about 15 cm apart.
  2. Cover with crocks.
  3. Half fill with peat-free compost.
  4. Start planting! Continue building up plants and compost until about 5 cm from the top.
  5. Feed once a week and water frequently in summer.
  6. Sow each year.

 

What to plant in your cornfield meadow pot:

Cool blues: Cornflower, Wild Pansy
Hot reds: Poppy, Corncockle, Pheasant’s Eye
Soft yellows: Corn Marigold, Corn Buttercup