Reach for the paintbrush and spray can, says Gardener's World's Paul Williams, and turn your summer containers into works of art. Photos by Torie Chugg

Reproduced from May 07 issue of Gardeners' World magazine. This month's issue on sale now. Subscribe now by direct debit and save 25 per cent.

Shape, form, habit, colour?
Of all the characteristics of plants, I think colour is the most exciting to design with. And if you coordinate your container with the flowers or foliage, you've got yourself an art installation. Those wonderful paint-mixing machines at DIY stores have opened up a whole rainbow of possibilities. Take along a few flower heads from the plant you want to match and off you go.

When it comes to interior design, most people are pretty sure about their colour choices, but that confidence often evaporates as soon as they step into the garden. If that's you, then tear out pages with plant combinations you love from this magazine, or browse paint charts for colours that work well together. Another tip is to make an arrangement of plants in your basket at the garden centre before you buy. You'll easily find all the plants I've used here - or a very close match - at garden centres.

I hope these container recipes will inspire you to experiment with colour. It's great fun and, if it doesn't work, you can always reach for another can of paint!

Orange squash

Painting For an intense burst of colour, I gave this pot two coats of orange emulsion.

Planting Gazanias capture the energy of my favourite hot, fiery tones. They're the mainstay of this display and guided my choice of container colour. The pot is rather dumpy, so to mask this I've added the diminutive creeping zinnia (Sanvitalia procumbens) to trail over the sides. The flowers of the lantana change colour as they mature, which in this variety, 'Kolibri', leads to a bubbly mix of oranges and yellows. As the planting matures, the lantanas will shoot above the gazanias, providing height to balance the pot.

Position Give this container a sunny spot on a warm, sheltered patio.

Aftercare Bring the tender lantanas under cover for the winter - a frost-free conservatory is ideal. If you don't have space, take cuttings. In spring, replace the creeping zinnias and gazanias with new plants.

We used

• Terracotta pot, 32cm tall/35cm diameter (from a selection at B&Q, 0845 609 6688, www.diy.com)
• Dulux emulsion in orange (Moroccan Sands 1), around £2 for 250ml
• 6 x orange gazanias
• 6 x creeping zinnias (Sanvitalia procumbens)
• 2 x Lantana camara 'Kolibri'

Know your colours

• Bright reds and oranges can ignite passion - watch out, as in strong sunlight their effect is magnified!
• Purple is arguably the most versatile colour. It can be used in sophisticated schemes with whites and silvers, or with deep, blue-tinted reds for a regal look. For a cool but lively fusion, marry purple with primrose yellow.
• Light blues are cheery, while darker, red-tinted blues can be quite sombre.
• Pale primrose yellow is a gentle foil for strong, dark colours, whereas a rich egg-yolk shade can be as feisty as orange.
• White is the ultimate cooler and adds airiness to pastel yellows and pinks. Use it as a highlight to lift darker combinations or to brighten gloomy corners of your garden.
• If you've overdosed on colour, reach for green - it's an essential calm filler between flowers.

Sunny side up

Painting A collection of pots creates a montage that is often more effective than a single pot. I used two coats of sunny yellow emulsion on all three.

Planting By mixing summer bedding plants (here, the creeping zinnia and bidens) with hardy plants (berberis, carex and euonymus), your display will look good from day one and only get better as the tender plants fill out. It's a big block of yellow, but I've balanced it with a good amount of green so that it's cheerful rather than gaudy. The reddening berberis also helps to mellow the yellow.

Position Choose a spot in sun or light shade.

Aftercare Leave the berberis, carex and euonymus in their pots over winter. For spring colour, tuck in a few 'Tete-a-tete' narcissus bulbs in autumn or buy a tray of yellow pansies. In spring, resow or buy new bidens and creeping zinnias.

We used

• Large octagonal terracotta pot, 33cm tall/35cm diameter (from a selection at B&Q, as before)
• Medium terracotta pot, 20cm tall/30cm diameter (from a selection at B&Q)
• Small terracotta pot, 15cm tall/25cm diameter (from a selection at B&Q)
• Dulux emulsion in yellow (Easter Morn 2), around £2 for 250ml

In the large octagonal pot

• 1 x Berberis thunbergii 'Pow-wow'
• 1 x Carex oshimensis 'Evergold'
• 2 x creeping zinnias (Sanvitalia procumbens)
• 1 x Bidens ferulifolia

• 1 x Carex oshimensis 'Evergold'

• 2 x pots Euonymus fortunei 'Emerald 'n' Gold'

Fabulous foliage

Painting I gave this old terracotta pot a distressed look with a light spray of metallicsilver car spray paint.

Planting You don't always need to say it with flowers. Subtle variations in foliage colour and texture can create classy results on their own. Here, two varieties of begonia and a few dark-leaved plectranthus provide soft shades of purple, hints of matt pink and dusky grey and some leaves with just a touch of sparkle.

Position These plants need to be kept out of the hot midday sun.

Aftercare This container is strictly a summer pleasure, as the begonias and plectranthus are both tender. Bring the plants into a frost-free place over winter.

We used

• Terracotta pot, 35cm tall/35cm diameter
• Spray can of metallic-silver car spray paint (or you could use Plasti-kote Fast Dry
• Enamel, £3.50 for 100ml, 01223 836 400, www.plastikote.co.uk)
• 1 x mixed tray Begonia rex, including small- and large-leaved varieties
• 2 x plectranthus 'Mona Lavender' (any dark-leaved plectranthus would do)

Chill-out zone

Painting Cream is as refreshing as brilliant white, but kinder on the eyes. I gave he pots two coats of emulsion for good coverage.

Planting An almost monochrome combination of contrasting shapes and textures is very restful. The cream-edged mother-in-law's tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata), the frizzy ivy and asparagus fern and the large-leaved eucomis differ hugely in shape, but they all work well together.

Position Perfect for a shady corner.

Aftercare Overwinter the mother-in-law's tongue and asparagus fern somewhere frost free. The ivy and eucomis will be fine outside.

We used

• Large terracotta pot, 45cm tall/38cm diameter (from a selection at B&Q, as before)
• Small terracotta pot, 30cm tall/30cm diameter (from a selection at B&Q)
• Dulux emulsion in cream (Salisbury Stones 3), around £2 for 250ml

In the large pot

• 3 x Eucomis bicolor
• 3 x Asparagus densiflorus

In the small pot

• 1 x mother-in-law's tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata var. laurentii)
• 1 x ivy (Hedera helix 'Anita')

Go bananas

Painting To pick up the warm flush on the leaves of the banana (Musa), I left this terracotta-effect pot unpainted.

Planting This container is deceptively simple, but the contrasting foliage and the colour theming make a huge impact. I love the tangled filigree foliage of the lotus and cascading red begonia flowers against the paddle-shaped leaves of the banana. The grey of the lotus is the same shade as the jagged leaves of the melianthus, which adds cohesion to the display.

Position For maximum impact, stand this pot in full sun or light shade against a subdued background.

Aftercare Overwinter the banana, melianthus and lotus somewhere frost free. Store the begonia tubers in a cool, dry shed.

We used

• Polyethylene resin pot, 43cm tall/65cm diameter (£52, Prestige Plants, 01449 711 144, www.prestigeplants.co.uk
• 3 x banana Musa 'Tandarra Red' (or look for Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii')
• 1 x Melianthus major
• 4 x red trailing begonias
• 4 x Lotus berthelotii

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.

First paint your pot
Porous terracotta is a great surface to paint, so long as it's clean and dry and any rough bits have been rubbed down until smooth with medium-grade sandpaper. You won't need an undercoat, but with light colours you may require two coats to get good coverage. Allow the first coat to dry thoroughly before applying the next

For most of the containers here, I used a 250ml pot of emulsion - you'll find a little goes a long way. A coat or two of emulsion on terracotta should last for several years and you can easily paint over any scrapes and scuffs. If you want to change the colour at some point, just give the container a good scrub with warm soapy water, leave it to dry, then rub it down lightly with sandpaper before repainting.

For the container on this page, I used Dulux emulsion in Portuguese Blue 1. Car spray paints work well, too, and, of course, there are plenty of specialist products, such as Plasti-kote paints.

Now plant up your pot
You can use multi-purpose compost for all of these container recipes, apart from 'Sunny side up' - this longer-term planting would be happier in a loam-based compost, such as John Innes No3.

1. Container-grown plants need good drainage, otherwise their roots will be left sitting in water and start to rot. Cover the holes in the bottom of the pot with broken terracotta pots or a 10cm layer of coarse gravel so they won't become blocked with compost.




2. Fill the pot with compost to within 7cm of the rim. Sprinkle over a measured amount of slow-release fertilizer and water-retaining gel and mix with your fingers. Gently firm the compost, taking care not to squash all the air spaces.





3. Position the tallest plant in the centre of the pot and firm compost around the rootball. Keep the top of the rootball about 2.5cm below the rim of the pot.



4. Position the smaller plants around the central plant, filling any gaps with compost as you go. Make sure the tops of their rootballs are also 2.5cm below the rim of the pot.