A pot for every season

Refresh and plant anew to fill the 'colour gap.

- Ruth Hayes

I'm potting up a mid-season container to fill the 'colour gap' on the patio between now and summer

I AM itching to start planting up summer baskets and containers, but - and it is a big but - we are not out of the frosty woods yet. Night temperatures can still dip below zero anywhere in the country, so I'm erring on the side of caution and delaying planting out tender annual bedding for a few more weeks.

However, a container of spring bedding that I put together in the autumn is starting to look a bit threadbare and is ripe for refurbishment.

Giving the existing plants a new lease of life with a little fresh compost and fertiliser, then adding a couple of new hardy plants where gaps have developed, is a good compromise.

It's also worth buying perennials that can be planted in the garden later in the year if you decide to use your pot or basket for a summer bedding display.

Fill gaps with new plants to prolong pot life

Container refurbishment is easy to do and helps bridge the gap between the pansies and bellis of spring and the blazing glory of summer bedding. Spring plants suitable as 'in-between' bedding, to replace those that have succumbed to winter, include primulas, dianthus, hardy fuchsias, herbs and alpines.

Stand them in water for a good 30 minutes beforehand, slide plants from their pots and gently squeeze the rootballs to free any congested roots, then plant at the same depth as they were growing in their pots.

Feed and deadhead to keep flowers coming

Gap-filling also gives you the chance to look for pests and deal with any you find. Vine weevils in compost are a common problem, as are sap-sucking greenfly and scale insects on foliage. You may also find slugs and snails lurking around the rims of containers and under leaves.