Using Tall and Deep Containers for Gardening

Tall or deep pots provide color and shape at a good height above the ground. A tall container, or a smaller one raised on a pedestal, offers the ideal fall for trailing foliage plants such as periwinkles, particularly Vinca minor 'Variegata' and 'Gertrude Jekyll', which has double white flowers. Other pretty foliage trailers include the softly textured lime-green leaves of Helichrysum petiolare 'Limelight', the gray-green form of Helichrysum petiolare or Plectranthus verticillatus.

Trailing flowers such as lobelia, geraniums, Cascade and Surfinia petunias and creeping Jenny also look great flowing down tall pots. And nasturtiums, particularly Tropaeolum majus 'Alaska' with its creamy variegated foliage and orange-yellow flowers, tumble beautifully over the warm terracotta of a Cretan jar.

Chimney pots are often used as tall plant containers. It is neither necessary nor practical to fill them with compost: this only increases the chance of frost damage and encourages pests such as ants to nest. Instead, fit a strong wire support into the neck of the chimney to clip around a pot, or choose a flowerpot with a rim that will sit snugly in the top.

A strawberry or herb pot can add welcome height to a kitchen garden. The holes in the side will accommodate trailing herbs, such as thyme and some varieties of mint and rosemary, while the top supports bushier species, such as coriander and parsley.

Deep Pots for Cool Roots

Large plants, such as conifers, some ferns, and cacti with deep taproots will thrive in deep containers. Lilies also need a deep run for their massed fibrous roots. Tall terracotta pots, known as 'long toms which are specially designed for growing lilies, are now widely available.

A deep, wide pot is the best container in which to plant a formally shaped tree such as a standard bay or spiral box. The extra width and depth of the pot makes it possible to underplant the tree, and to add a softening edge. Variegated trailing foliage plants or a single color of trailing petunias work particularly well. Choose plants with shallow roots, which will not rob the main tree of essential nutrients.

Deep pots are also ideal for growing fruit trees. Apples, cherries, figs, peaches and large fruit shrubs such as blueberries and gooseberries will all thrive for many years in large deep containers. Although growing any tree in a container will have a dwarfing effect, in the case of apples, cherries and pears it is also important to check that the cultivar is on a dwarfing rootstock to start with.