Can anyone give me tips on gardening

Question

I've just got cream gravel put on my driveway and want to make it a bit more attractive with some flowers in pots around the edges; can anyone tell me what flowers would last through the autumn and winter and what kind of pots would I plant them in

Answer 1

ahhh! don't have gravel on your driveway! - why not have a bit of block paving instead? it won't look so messy then

and buy big pots - and plant trees in them (check out your local garden centre)

have you no spare ground at all? as all the water is just running off into drains then (no wonder we're all flooding!)

Answer 2

On gardening questions, you really need to let people know the climate, as it makes all the difference in the world.  I am guessing Southwest, since you are saying flowers through winter, that is, if you are in U.S.  Some that would do well year-round will not flower year-round.

As to type of pots, nothing that would fall over under normal weather or near walkways.

Answer 3

any pots or containers  if big enough   better type of plants would be evergreen e.g.  pieris or viburnam and eonymous  they would give you interest all year round  

Answer 4

shrubs and small conifers look good all year round

Answer 5

Get the biggest pots you can fit - maybe half-barrels and make sure they are frost-proof.  Skimmia Japonica (need males and female for winter berries); topiary box; dwarf conifers and phormiums all look nice all year round.  You could add some Winter Pansies and Primulas, or even plant some spring bulbs around the edge too to extend the colour.  Good luck :-)

Answer 6

It's not usual to find flowers that last through to the winter.  It would be better to choose evergreen plants or little trees instead to add life in the winter months.  Bayleaf trees and conifers (like Christmas trees) are good.  You could also try some evergreen shrubs like ivy that can look great in pots as they grow over and down the sides.  In terms of the type of pots to get I like the plastic ones that look like ceramic because they are light and easy to move around should you change your mind on where you would like to position them.  If you really like flowers you could buy some galanthus nivalis (snowdrop) bulbs in the early autumn and they flower in early January.  Daffodil and tulip bulbs can also be planted in pots and flower in April.  BTW I love gravel driveways, they look natural and better than those 'manmade' surface materials that are easy to look after.  As long as you keep the gravel tidy it should look fantastic.

Answer 7

It's a bit difficult to answer without knowing the scope of your driveway - but your pots and plants need to balance that scope. If your  area is big then you need big focused plants. Earthernware or cement lookalike Ali Barber type pots with standard trees and maybe something like pansies planted around the trunks look smart and are easy to maintain. The trees can be evergreens or maybe a little more adventurous and plant flowering cherries. Very eastern atmostphere. And very pretty. You may be able to get them direct from the wholesales at www.gardennooks.com

Answer 8

Winter Pansies are very pretty, you can plant them in anything.