Pots of colour

Red alert

Painting I picked the strong red for these pots to match the centre of the diascia flowers.

Planting There are two sorts of red: those with yellow tones that veer towards orange and those with blue tones that tend towards purple. Here, we have blue-red plants in purple-tinted red pots. The mix is colourful, but with the dark-leaved basil and almost-black heuchera, it has a sultry undertone.

Position Stand these containers in full sun, which will keep the pelargoniums very happy.

Aftercare Take cuttings from the diascias and pelargoniums to overwinter somewhere frost free. In mild winters, the ugni will be fine outside, while the heuchera is fully hardy

We used

• Three long toms (from a selection at B&Q, as before)
• Dulux emulsion in red (Salsa Melt 1), around £2 for 250ml

• 1 x Heuchera 'Obsidian'
• 2 x Diascia 'Hecstart'

In the pot, back right

• 1 x dark-leaved basil
• 3 x red pelargoniums

In the pot, back left

• 1 x Ugni molinae 'Flambeau'

One colourway, two effects

It's fascinating how colours affect each other. These two pots have been painted the same light blue (Dulux emulsion in Portuguese Blue 1), but when teamed with different flower and leaf colours, the overall effect is quite distinct.

Complementary
For a harmonious, spring-like composition, I planted up the pot with 3 x trailing Scaevola aemula 'Blue Fan', 2 x salvia 'Mystic Spires Blue' and a cool yellow argyranthemum.

Clashing
Try the same pot with the scaevola and a red fuchsia 'Thalia' and you get a jazzy combination with more visual energy.