Container planting ideas from RHS Malvern

The RHS Shows season kicks off with RHS Malvern Spring Festival, set in the stunning Malvern Hills. Wandering around the Show, you can’t help but be inspired, not only by the beautiful background, but by the show gardens, installations and exhibits.

Containers for any space

You can make the most of the space in any garden, no matter its size, by using containers. There are so many ideas at this year’s RHS Malvern for how to create special spaces, even if you don’t have a garden.

On The Sleep in Beauty Garden these colourful, repurposed containers have naturally aged to create an interesting patina on the surface of the metal. The designer has used them in various stacking formations to create height and a journey through the garden, filling them with interesting plants that suit the textural but calming theme of the space.

If you crave damp-loving bog plants in your garden, consider creating a sunken area that perfectly suits their needs. Plants such as these glowing Sarracenia love to have their feet wet, so the designer on The Hierarchy of Plants has dug down and added shallow tanks to hold water and keep them happy.

Galvanised containers on the Gardeners Delight Nursery display

Mixed materials used for container planting on The Kitchen Garden Theatre display

The Kitchen Garden Theatre display has a delicious array of fruit and vegetables growing in a variety of planters in wood and metal – fruit bushes underplanted with green crops, espaliered fruit trees alongside herbs for picking. On the Gardeners Delight Nursery display Nick Wade has used galvanised containers to create a route through a small space to a seating area – a simple but effective use of space. The planting is repeated across the space, creating a cohesive but vibrant look.

Children and teachers from The Downs Malvern Schoolhave used a firepit, drilled with holes for drainage, to make this colourful, joyous display and the planting could be changed to suit any mood or conditions. With shallow bowls such as this, it’s best to use plants that don’t need much watering as they will dry out quickly, or use plants that cope with dry shade conditions or are drought tolerant.