How to Create a Patio Centrepiece
 (Read 50+ times)
By Ann Evans
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The middle of a patio can often look quite bare, so here’s a good way of making an all summer display of plants, to enhance this area.
The main plants I use are hostas because they have amazing foliage in a selection of blues, greens and creams, as well as variegated. I’m not too much bothered by their flowers in this instance. In addition, I also use the lovely golden Creeping Jenny moneywort as well as some dwarf yellow-apricot tulips (clusiana ‘Sheila’).
The best time to plant this centrepiece is either in the early autumn or late spring.
1) I position a large wooden barrel-type tub, right in the centre of the patio and fill it with good fertilized garden soil, one with plenty of organic matter. In this I plant a blue-green Fortunei, however this is my own personal choice; you may want to choose a different variety.
2) Around this hosta, I plant about a dozen and a half small yellow-apricot tulips bulbs; this way I can be sure of an early display of flowers and foliage for early spring.
3) I then fill six more plastic plant pots of the same size - not quite as tall as the wooden barrel-type tub - with a different variety of hosta in each one. It’s amazing how many varieties there are to choose from. I then arrange these six pots around the centre tub forming a circle. Already you can see what a difference this makes to the size of the centrepiece. When all the hostas are in full bloom, the leaves are just one majestic cluster of variegated greenery, you can see very little of the actual pots.
4) To enhance the display even further I place six smaller pots of Creeping Jenny around the six larger pots of hostas, positioning them just in front of where each of the hosta pots meet, thus enlarging the circle even more; the Creeping Jenny is a vigorous ground covering plant and planted in pots, it spills over and hangs to the ground. What you have now created is your own sort of miniature, ‘Hanging Garden of Babylon’, which will see you through the summer to early autumn.
The bell-like flowers of the hostas are quite pretty in shades of white and more often, bluish-purple; they are very tall and spiky but to me they spoil the symmetry of the display, so I cut them off.
When the hostas have finally died down in early autumn, I just take the six pots of brown dead foliage, to the top of the garden and store them behind the shed for next year Likewise with the Creeping Jenny pots. So all you are left with on the patio is just your wooden tub lying dormant until the spring when the yellow-apricot tulips will start peeping through. The new hosta shoots will make their appearance as the tulips start to wither.
Hostas aren’t adverse to be grown in pots and they are quite happy with not having to be divided all the time. The only thing you have to be careful of is the slugs, for they can smell a hosta a mile away. Just deal with any slugs as soon as you spot them, be vigilant. I use a non chemical product which doesn’t do harm to the wild life. To keep in the moisture, spread some course grit around the hostas.
What I like about this display is it is so economical, the plants come up year after year; there is very little labour involved and the results are just so rewarding. You have also created for yourself an interestingly stunning, conversational piece.
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Author Bio Box: Ann Evans
Conainer Hostas are never more stunning than when they are displayed en masse.
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