How to have stunning summer patio pots

Patio pots are a great way of brightening up a dull patch and will flower for a lengthy time with very little attention. 

You containers can be filled with either bright, eye-catching bedding plants or longer term planting of dwarf shrubs and perennials. 

Terracotta containers should also be soaked in water before using them as their natural absorbency will otherwise draw water from the compost once planted. Being porous, terracotta does have an advantage in that the evaporating water keeps plants cool during hot weather.

Whatever type of patio pot you use, it does need to have drainage holes, which need to be loosely covered with broken slates or pots. 

The watering regime of any plants grown in containers is very important.  Feel the surface to determine moisture content and pick up small containers to feel their weight before watering them. 

Watering is best done in the early morning or late evening to avoid scorching the leaves of plants and to help conserve water than can be lost through evaporation on sunny days.  Feeding is very important to sustain growth and flowering throughout the season. 

A product especially designed for use with containerised plants is a controlled release fertiliser.  The granules then gradually release their nutrients to the soil. However, this release is related to both temperature and water availability. This means that should the soil become dry or the ambient temperature drop to a point below which plants are actively growing, the fertiliser will stop releasing and by doing so prevent root scorching or wastage.

Before flowering, when plants are still producing a framework of shoots and leaves, nitrogen is needed in large quantities. 

When the flowers start to appear switch to a high potash feed such as tomato feed, which you can include in your watering can when you water your pots.  Plants receiving adequate supplies of this nutrient will produce larger, brighter-coloured flowers in greater profusion than those which are not fed regularly.