Container moods

Containers are brilliantly versatile, and you can use them to create whatever mood you want in your garden – whether it's lushly tropical, or funky and stylish. Here's how:

Container colour: Paint raised garden boxes or wooden containers – to create quirky colour-themed container gardens. If you want your garden to look a bit different, Ronseal Garden Paint comes in a range of colours that'll look great and can be used on wood, brick, terracotta and metal. Be as bright and colourful as you want.

Plant style: For the jungly look, pick big plants with lush-looking leaves: Phormiums, Hostas and Bamboos all thrive in large containers. For container cottage gardens, plant small-flowered Geraniums at the feet of container-grown apple trees. Architectural Palms, Bamboos and Echeverias create a minimalist, clean look.

Mood management: Clashing colours on opposite sides of the colour wheel such as purple and yellow create vibrant, exciting moods, as do hot colours: red Salvias, yellow Chrysanthemums and orange Daylilies, for example. Harmonious colours – blues, purples, reds – are soothing and calming: pastel shades and white also turn the pressure right down.

Please ask the staff in our garden centre for more information and advice about creating containers for special effects in your garden.