Planting a summer pot - part 2

Planting a Summer Pot - Part 2

As Arthur is placing the dahlias in the middle, he is taking out the amount of compost that they are going to take up once they're in. You want to make sure that as everything goes in, it is level. He left pockets for the buddleia.

They have nice small root balls, so they can just be plugged in. Push your fingertips around the side of the pot, all the way around, to make sure everything has settled in properly.

Adding in the Other Spare Plants

Arthur has Hibiscus 'Mahogany', which is useful for planting in the pockets of the container. Remember, with terracotta pots, give them a nice big smack and keep going until you properly feel the plant leaving the pots.

Adding the silver birch to the edge of the pot gives it a wonderful shape as the other things bush up. Buddleia doesn't need staking and is pliable enough that it doesn't need staking.

The summer pot only needs watering about once a week and is great for a table, creating a lovely large centrepiece.

The Finished Pot

Dahlias and dwarf buddleias planted alone in a container will provide a feast for pollinators right up until frost, providing colour and beauty.

Deadheading Dahlias

When dahlias are in bud, it may be hard to distinguish between a flower bud that has flowered and one that is yet to bloom. Flowers that have flowered become almost like triangles, and the petal edges go backwards. In order to check if they are spent, you should squeeze them. The best way to determine if they are spent is to squeeze them. If they splodge, then you know that they are.

The bud that still has to come is very firm, there is no water coming out of it, and it isn't squidgy. If they are splodgy, then they are spent.