Bob Flowerdew
Bob is an organic gardener and has designed his garden to produce lots of veg, fruit and cut flowers.
Christine Walkden
Garden writer Christine appears on BBC1’s The One Show. She is also a lecturer and tour leader.
Matt Biggs
Matt trained at Kew and has been gardening professionally for more than 30 years.
Q What will grow in pots at our coastal holiday home?
Carole Lambourne, Staffs
A CHRISTINE SAYS Sea air and weeks without being tended to are quite a challenge for any plant in a pot, so you are going to need larger containers than you think, remembering that small ones dry out very quickly.
Use a soil-based compost. Place the containers on pot feet so they can drain over wet periods, and ensure they have drainage holes.
Erigeron glaucus grows up to 40cm tall, producing large, pale-purple, daisy-like flowers above grey foliage. Normally it is evergreen and should cope with this planting position. Griselinia littoralis ‘Variegata’ is an evergreen shrub with thick, waxy, variegated leaves and should cope planted in nothing smaller than a 45cm pot.
Also take a look at the wide range of escallonias now on offer. Their flowers can be white, red or pink, contrasting with dark evergreen foliage. They vary a lot in ultimate
