If you have just found an old galvanized bucket, a stone sink or milk pail or another exciting container and want to use it in your English Garden - here are some planting combinations that will help you create an English Garden feel.

Just make sure your container has good drainage holes – (there are very few plants that enjoy having permanent soggy roots) and put in some good compost.
Adding a handful of slow release fertilizer is a good idea as this will feed your plants throughout the season.

Planting combinations.

• In spring
  You can use yellow pansies, yellow primulas, purple crocus and purple primulas. These look lovely planted in a shallow willow basket on your doorstep.

• Another combination that goes well in a shallow container is miniature daffodils, yellow or white pansies with blue grape hyacinths.

• Try Cowslips with their delicate flowers planted with purple violas.

• In a stone urn plant Christmas roses and primulas for a wonderful early show.
• A traditional combination is Pink tulips and Forget-me-nots
  For the late spring and summer
  
• In a wide container try Alchemilla mollis or Lady's mantle with its delightful frothy yellow flowers and marvelous leaves, Sweet Williams, blue and pink Cornflowers and Canterbury bells or miniature foxgloves.

• Another idea would be to plant Nemesia with Alchemilla mollis and pinks and dot a few violas at the front.

• For a glorious mass of green white and gold plant just poached egg plants in several pots.

• If you want added height then use a rustic wigwam or tall bamboo canes and grow sweet peas(annuals) or a rose up them and add Nemesia around the bottom
  .
• The dwarf varieties of cosmos look lovely with lobelia or floss flower (ageratum houstonianum).

• Feverfew looks good grown in smaller pots but grouped together for massed effect.

• The Swan River daisies (Brachyscome) come in mainly purples and blues and look good with pot marigolds

• White Chrysanthemums with dwarf blue delphiniums

Containers look good grouped together and try to get different sizes of containers for maximum interest.
When placing a group of pots put the bigger ones at the back and make sure you can get to them for watering and deadheading.

Enjoy your plants