Our speaker this month was Richard Ford, a very experienced plantsman with many Chelsea golds to his credit! Tonight he gave an excellent, well-illustrated talk which demonstrated, in his own words, “Anything will grow in pots as long as they are looked after – nutrients and water are our responsibility”. He showed that plants are more effective when grouped together, with taller ones at the back. We were shown the huge variety of containers which can be used including hanging baskets, troughs, pots of all kinds – elegant, expensive, colourful,cheap-and-cheerful or ‘home-made’, in reactor, plastic, wood or stone, all according to personal preference. Good compost and nutrients should be used such as seaweed, and long-term fertilisers like ‘Miracle Grow’, ‘Osmocote’ or ‘Phostrogen’ are recommended, with enough water – especially ubn windy weather.
(Many thanks to to Jane Dring for providing this account of March talk.)
