Cooler Days Ahead? Give your patio pots the perfect seasonal refresh!

Rejuvenate your patio, balcony and garden pots with a choice of the best plants on offer in May and June!

Potted grass 

It is no secret that most ornamental grasses are at their best in the cooler months – they love low temperatures, intensifying their foliage colours! It is also no secret that grassy gardens have become one of the most popular planting schemes, where swathes of plumes sway rhythmically in the breeze. But have you ever considered planting graceful grass as a single specimen in a pot? 

Try Carex oshimensis ‘Feather Falls’, which forms a super-sized clump of arching and cascading white and green variegated leaves. The foliage of this robust and strappy plant will not burn in full sun and the feathery and dainty plumes it produces stay around for ages. It is evergreen, cold-, and frost hardy, and should the strappy leaves lose their vigour, it can be cut back quite hard in spring with a fast rebound of new leaves.

Growth facts

• Full sun to light shade.
• Compost enriched soil.
• Regular watering and feeding for those in pots.
• Mature size about 50 x 50 cm.

Potted pelargoniums

In South Africa, we are well-known for our fabulous pelargoniums that would satisfy even the most discerning collector, but if you just want a lovely ‘malva’ or ‘geranium’ to add colour to your patio, go for the best and the best is Pelargonium ‘Calliope’ which is a cross between two indigenous species – the ivy geranium and zonal pelargonium. The registered name ‘Calliope’ stands for “intense colour that lasts”. You will find illuminating shades of red, orange, pink and rose in this range of hybrids with their semi-double flowers atop a mounding and semi-trailing growth habit. 

Hallo aloe!

The compact and free-flowering aloes that we can plant in pots nowadays are mostly hybrids bred by ardent local breeders. These result in the best quality plants possible, with better disease resistance and fantastic flower power. Their foliage is healthy, some with interesting thorns and hues of green and grey, and their flowers are profuse in a magnificent range of bright colours from early winter into spring, some even flowering repeatedly. 

‘Porcupine’

This gorgeous dwarf and repeat bloomer with its bi-colour red and creamy white flowers took our breath away when released a few years ago. Flowering peaks in May, but blooms are expected at other times during the year. Size 25 x 25 cm.

‘Peri Peri’

Greyish, thorny leaves are arranged in neat, compact rosettes, and thin racemes of sizzling orange to red flowers bloom from April to June. Size 20 x 40 cm.

‘Orange Delight’

Medium-sized clump-forming aloe with narrow thorny-edged leaves and attractive deep orange flower racemes on tall stems from June to August. Size 80 x 70 cm.

‘Sunrise’

Compact clumps of broad, dull-green leaves with very vivid red and yellow bicolour flower racemes on sturdy stems. Size 40 x 40 cm.

Growth facts

Aloes love full sun to light shade, well-drained soil, and only need water when dry. For potted aloes, use specially formulated succulent soil or ordinary potting soil to which some sharp grit or river sand is added. And yes, you can feed them now and again with a slow-release fertiliser to enhance their performance. Aloes are cold-hardy but should be protected against frost.