How to Plant Up a Container and Basket

01/14/25

7-8 Minutes Read

When to Sow: April onwards

Written By Johnsons Team

Your flower beds may be full, but as long as there’s room in your garden for a container or basket, there’s room to expand your stunning floral displays. Containers and baskets offer limitless possibilities and allow keen gardeners to experiment with striking new arrangements across the entire garden. So, if you’re looking to spruce up your displays with some pot and container plants, you’ll first need to find out how to plant up a container. Keep reading our guide to hear our expert advice on planting up containers and best caring for your new blooms.

What Are the Best Growing Conditions for Container Plants?

When it comes to choosing your pot and its position, we understand that aesthetics are important - but practicality must be considered, too. Most of our flower plants prefer to be positioned in a sunny or lightly shaded spot, so it’s important to choose your plants wisely based on the growing conditions you can offer them.

We recommend investing in containers with drainage holes in order to prevent your plant’s chance of waterlogging. Always select an appropriate pot size for your chosen plant type and the look you want to achieve. For an instant impact with summer displays, you can pack plants in to give a fuller appearance. We’d suggest about 7-9 plants per 40cm diameter pot. For permanent displays, however, it’s important to consider the plant's growth rate and eventual size.

On arrival, our young plants should be potted up into 9cm pots and left to grow on for 3 weeks before being planted into their final positions. Our potted and garden ready plants are ready for planting into containers or beds straight away.

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How to Plant Up a Container

The first step of planting up a container or basket is filling it with multi-purpose compost. We tend to recommend mixing your compost with water-retaining gel granules and a slow-release fertiliser in order to create the best conditions for growing. Together, they will save you time with both feeding and watering, although additional liquid feeding may still be required later on in the season if your plants begin to lose vigour.

Once your container is all prepared, make a hole in the compost of a similar size to your plant’s root ball. Next, remove your flower plant from its original pot, gently tease the roots and plant it in your container. Give your plants a water and consider mulching to prevent weeds and keep your plants healthy and moist.

How to Plant Up a Hanging Basket

Hanging baskets are a fantastic way to maximise the space available for growing. They also offer the opportunity for colour lovers to have layers upon layers of vibrance across the entire garden.

There are a variety of plant types that look dazzling in hanging baskets, including lobelia plants, geranium plants, and more. Whether you prefer the draped look or prefer upright plants, you’ll find plenty at Johnsons. Why not take a look at our pre-planted hanging baskets today?

Before planting, line your basket with coir to support the compost and roots. Add compost to your basket so that around one-third is full. Like your containers, you can also add fertiliser and water-retaining gel granules to support your plants’ health. Add your plants and an extra layer of compost to fill. Finally, your plant is ready to be hung! Attach your basket to your chosen wall or a sturdy fence and water it well.

Shop Container Plants at Johnsons

Now that you have a better idea of how to plant up a container, it’s time to add a new layer of colour to your outside space. Johnsons is a trusted supplier of flower plants and even offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee - so if your container plants aren’t quite at your level, don’t hesitate to let us know.

Why not take a look at our garden essentials to help you out along the way and explore the many possibilities for your flower beds across our site?