Leafing through a few gardening magazines recently I’ve noticed articles about planting up containers now – for autumn! I’ve been wondering why on earth anyone would need or want to do this. I suppose that if you don’t have any existing planted containers, you might like to start now but they will have a very ‘plonked in’ look and they might only give you a month or two.
In our garden, we plant up all our pots in the springtime and within a few weeks have a display that increases in volume, colour and impact as the seasons progress: they go right through to the first frosts of autumn, usually at the end of October or into November if we’re lucky. I am always struck by how mature and established these plantings look, just at the point when you need to get them under cover.
There is an endless list of plants suitable for container planting: for a shady or part shady position I rely heavily upon several different plectranthus species and also begonias. Among my favourites for a sunny spot are salvias, pelargoniums, aeonium and abutilon, and this year A. ‘Gerdemann’s Red (recently introduced from the US) has impressed me hugely. A profusion of tomato red flowers are produced on densely branched stems over a long period, and it is a good choice for a container as it doesn’t grow much taller than a metre. Hardiness is always a moot point – with the shelter of a wall and well drained soil it might get through a mild winter, but I’m not taking any risks with ours!
We purchased our ‘Gerdemann’s Red’ from the amazing Pan Global Plants in the Severn Valley not far from Gloucester. I didn’t have a plant shopping list when we visited and would defy any keen gardener to leave the place empty handed!
NB Louise has published a beautifully produced book of her plant profiles – A Plant for Each Week of the Year. It costs £9.99 and is for sale in our online shop here.
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6 replies on “Abutilon ‘Gerdemann’s Red’”
Gardening for wellbeing?Well I was given a cancer diagnosis and was determined to see another Spring so I gardened during my treatment by sitting on a cushion and micro-tending a square foot at a time and that was now 28 years ago!It kept me going and happy because I forgot about everything else for that period I was doing it!It WORKS!For me..
That’s a very heart-warming message David and I’m sure that being outdoors with an absorbing hobby helped you deal with your treatment. Judging from the Princess of Wales’s recent video many people with a cancer diagnosis turn to nature and the outdoors to help cope with the consequences and that’s where we are all already so lucky to have our gardens to turn to in difficult times. With very best wishes for your continued good health, Laura
Wonderful. 50% of us are likely to get cancer so your message is So Heartening for So Many
My thoughts too Janet, I think we all know friends or family who have had to cope with a frightening diagnosis and we need to hear stories like David’s to give us hope that things can turn out ok. With best wishes Laura
You girls nailed it…happy to be part of your team
Kim that’s so nice of you to say – thank you to much!