The planting period for aquatics is between mid- and late spring. Most people will prefer to plant water lilies and other aquatic plants in special plastic lattice aquatic baskets. Small baskets are adequate for the plants recommended here.

Heavy loam is the best soil to use for aquatics. Place some in the bottom of the basket, firm it well, then set a plant in the middle and fill in with more loam, again firming well. Finish off with a layer of pebbles to prevent the surface being washed away.

Then gently lower the baskets into the water. It is best not to lower newly planted water lilies to the full depth to start with. At first lower them so that only a little water covers their crowns. Then lower them gradually as they grow. This is most easily accomplished by standing the basket on bricks and then removing the bricks one at a time as the lilies get larger. Miniature water lilies can be grown in water as shallow as 30cm (12in). Read the rest of this entry »

If you want colour in the summer as well, choose one of the purple-leaved cultivars.

SILVER BERRY (Elaeagnus commutata) — This extremely hardy shrub has intensely silver foliage and, in late spring, fragrant white flowers.

For windy sites certainly all of those small hardy evergreens can be recommended, but some larger shrubs may be required to give height:

BAMBOO (Arundinaria japonica) — Although only moderately hardy, this bamboo takes wind in its stride. The wind easily passes through its clump of olive green canes, rustling the long, lance-shaped, dark evergreen leaves. Read the rest of this entry »

If you do not want to go to all the trouble of regularly changing planting designs, choose permanent designs instead. Alternatively, you may find some permanent arrangements that you planted in liners useful for filling in gaps between flowering periods. For instance, there may be a gap between spring and summer or autumn winter bedding.

For Sunny Positions

Miniature roses, which are becoming incredibly popular today, are very nice for summer-long colour in window boxes. Try planting small silver- or grey-foliage plants with them, such as the cotton lavender (Santolina chamaecyparisus ‘Nana’) or the lavenders Lavandula angustifolia `Munstead’ or L. lanata. Read the rest of this entry »