April Flower Favourites for Planters

March 28, 2022

April Flower Favourites for Planters

Hello All, can you believe that this is my first blog since 2018?

How time flies! My head has been so caught up in my Garden Centre Business that I seem to have lost complete track of time (and lack of!)

This year I am very much back in the driving seat of blogging, v-logging and more to give you all plenty of beautiful inspiration for your gardens and I can't wait to share all my ideas with you.

Where best to start? The very midst of spring as we head into April and all that it brings with flowers bursting into bloom, birds singing loudly and bees buzzing their merry way around the garden again.

Here are a few of my April 2022 garden flower favourites for pots and planters, this year I'm opting for FULL ON vibrant colour in my spring containers, both at home and to sell!

Why not make a garden planter for yourself or even for an Easter gift with a mix of the below? Pop to your local charity shop and find an unusual item to plant-up, or your local garden centre and pick out a pretty container... the sky's the limit when it comes to making up seasonal planting displays and as far as I am concerned, anything goes. However sometimes a little inspiration to get you started is just the ticket.

The flower that adds such romance to the April garden, Ranunculus. Its frilly yet elegant, it could be called the rose of the spring, it is the wonderful super double, ruffled blooms of the Ranunculus that give it that wonderful, romantic cottage garden vibe.

This gorgeous annual is a joy and adds a little luxe to any planting display. Yes they are more expensive than a primrose, but my, are they worth it. I use Ranunculus as a centre piece or focal point in the spring planters I make up, after all they really are the star of the show in April as far as annuals/spring bedding is concerned.

Ranunculus come in a myriad of beautiful, romantic colours, deep pink, pale pink and green tipped petals (one of my favs) creamy white blooms, deep lusty reds, sunshine yellow and glowing orange. You can create super vibrant displays or play with a colour theme.

When picking your Ranunculus plant, always go for one that has a lovely flower in bloom along with another bud or two emerging. This way you'll ensure their display lasts longer, some places sell Ranunculus a little cheaper and normally it's because they only have one flower stem (not always) but something to be aware of when choosing your plant.

Next on my list of 2022 April garden flowers for planters is Aubretia. Dull, a safe choice you may say? Well maybe BUT I am going for joyful colour in the garden this year so mixing the deep violet-blue carpets of blooms of Aubretia with a popping pink Prim and a fiery orange Ranunculus really make a jewel of a spring display, offsetting and making each other's colourful blooms sparkle.

Aubretia is perfect for adding colour towards the front of your planter, with its slight creeping nature plant near the edge so it softens the container, creeping over it. Planting Narcissus Tete-a-Tete around and behind the Aubretia is another good way to get colours popping, the underplanting of purple Aubretia blooms highlight the sunny yellow Narcissus flowers.

Once your container has finished flowering, Aubretia can be kept in the container for next year or could be planted out into a border to come back year on year. Although we are treating Aubretia as a bedding plant here, actually it's a good value option as you are able to get many more springs out of this beauty- and it spreads over time too!

Primula, the good old Garden Centre favourite that can often be seen sold on mass at this time of the year and usually a good, cheaper way to fill your pots with colour. Nowadays there are so many different types of Prim, from the bold bright blooms to the more 'Cottage Style' series in their pretty pastel shades. There are double bloomed varieties, bicolour types, lace series that stand tall and pop with their crisp golden or silver edged petals... Primula hunting around your local Garden Centres or Nurseries can be a bit of fun.

This year I've gone for bold mixed with the true primrose colour of creamy lemon yellow, to keep with my vibrant theme whilst adding a little back light.

Prims' are seen as Spring bedding, however if you have quite a protected garden you may find that they will re-appear for a couple of years if planted in a nice warm, sunny border that's slightly protected from early frosts.

My Favourite Primula this year- Primula 'Woodland Walk' Series with its dappled purple-pink shades

Hellebores are in full swing at the moment, some may be close to finishing while others are just beginning. Adding an interesting flowered Hellebore, like a Double Ellen type, or a speckled orientalis type to your seasonal container can add a subtle, very beautiful focal piece whilst also providing gentle movement as their big, dangly heads dance in a early spring breeze.

My Favourite Hellebore this year- Helleborus 'Double Ellen Picotee'

I mixed Hellebores with more of the pastel- shaded Prims' and lovely bright Narcissus Tete-a-Tete for a bit of middle height and a pop of sunshine colour.

I also added in a few extras like birch twigs with their tight catkins, giving my spring planters a little structure and a point of difference.

Hardy evergreen ferns are a lovely addition to spring plantings, especially if you're trying to achieve a woodland inspired display. Their wonderful foliage adds textural intrigue and their deep green leaves are the perfect backdrop for flowering plants. Ferns also add another dimension from the movement they provide in the breeze.

Using different kinds of vessels for your containers can make for really interesting planters, especially when making small displays that give bursts of colour whilst waiting for the rest of the garden to wake up.

Here I've used a couple of old enamel and metal, scruffy looking bowls. I don't add holes for drainage as these are only for seasonal display, but I do add Horticultural grit to create a little air and space for moisture to flow.

I also love using rustic woods in the garden, I think the natural tones offset bright spring colours like from the blooms of the Ranunculus I talked about earlier and colour-pop Primula. Here I've lined old crates and added a mix of re-cycled broken up polystyrene and grit to add light-weight drainage and air space before filling with multi-purpose compost and planted them with this more woodland-inspired style of planting.

If you like to cover your compost, why not use some moss rather than gravel? This helps retain moisture and nutrients and keeps the container light weight to help when moving around the garden.

Zinc planters are another favourite of mine to plant up, which moves us on to my last April flower favourite Saxifrage. From deep pink/red to pastel pink and whites, the tiny but plentiful blooms of Saxifrage look dainty and elegant. In the the photo above I've planted a lovely white flowered variety, White Pixie, with bright pink Primula, a little trailing Ivy topped with a layer of moss as explained above and a few decorative pine cones to add a little more decoration and depth to the planting design.

I hope these few plant and container suggestions help get you on your journey to making a pretty spring planter for April.

Check out the rest of my blog for lots of other seasonal garden and plant ideas <3

Happy Gardening

Lottie x

Find me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter : @lottienewitt

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April Flower Favourites for Planters

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