Potted plants can look very effective around the home, but it's often difficult to buy pots that work well with the colours of the house and garden. Don demonstrated an easy solution to this problem. He purchased some standard terracotta pots (which are not as fashionable as they once were and therefore can be purchased at bargain prices), and painted them to match and complement the colours of the house. The pots were then planted with architecturally interesting, low maintenance plants with coloured foliage, to tie in with the pot colours and the style of the building.

How it was done

Don painted both the inside and the outside of the pots with two coats of Haymes 'Inner Depth' exterior acrylic low-sheen paint (but you could use any good quality exterior paint), allowing several hours to dry between coats. The pots had only one drainage hole each. To improve the drainage, Don drilled four extra holes in each pot using a 6.5mm and then a 16mm masonry drill bit. To improve drainage, stop plant roots growing through the drainage holes and minimise staining to the balcony tiles, the pots were raised slightly above the ground. They were chocked up on pieces of 5mm fibrocement offcuts. Pot feet or bricks could also be used. The plants were watered using spaghetti tubing and drippers connected to a micro-irrigation system. The tubing was fed through the base of each pot via one of the drainage holes so it would be concealed. (Tip: to prevent the spaghetti tube blocking up while the potting mix and plants are added, cover the end with some tape.)

Plastic flywire was placed in the bottom of the pots to prevent the potting mix washing out, then the pots were filled with a good quality potting mix. (Tip: the Australian Standard 'ticks' are displayed on the packaging of quality potting mixes.) The larger pot was planted with a handsome fan palm (Bismarckia nobilis). The Bismarck palm has a heavy crown of silvery bronze leaves and a single trunk. It likes a sunny position with well-drained soil, and grows best in the tropics (see climate map). If you live in colder or inland areas you could substitute Chinese windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei). The two smaller pots were planted with agaves (Agave attenuata). This spineless succulent has a compact rosette of pale green leaves on a thick stem. It looks particularly attractive when planted near anything with silver tones. Spray heads were attached to the spaghetti tubes and the plants were watered in.

Further information

The large terracotta pot used in our segment cost $99. The two smaller ones cost $59 each. We painted the pots with Haymes exterior acrylic low sheen 'Inner Depth'. It is priced at about $22 per litre. Agave attenuata costs $30-50 depending on size. These plants are available at most nurseries. You may have difficulty finding Bismarckia nobilis, but it is available from nurseries in the warmer zones of Australia, where it grows best. Expect to pay around $72 for a 250mm (10") pot. We purchased our Bismarck palm from:

Impact Plants
Poole Close
Empire Bay NSW 2257
Phone: (02) 4369 1422

Copyright CTC Productions 2001