Kathy Brown delivered a fascinating and informative talk beautifully illustrated  by stunning slides on how to create attractive plant displays in pots, tubs, hanging baskets, shopping baskets, step ladders even old telephones and hens eggs!

Kathy first started her interest in container planting some 30 years ago when she lived in North London helping non gardening friends and neighbours brighten up their patios.

Described by the Daily Telegraph as ‘the Delia Smith of container gardening following her interest in growing edible flowers and incorporating them into a range of scrumptious cakes in a series of recent books.

During the last 23 years Kathy and her husband Simon have created the Manor House Gardens in Stevington where she has developed and experimented with the creation of masses of plant combinations in a series of containers to suit every taste.

She showed us what can be achieved using a series of plant combinations to maximum effect. Tulips with dark red leaved heuchera , daisies/violas, and for maximum colour and impact, fuchsias/begonias. Edible containers,thyme/sage/dianthus/lavender. Red bananas and cordylines create great height and can be underplanted with a whole range of smaller plants such as violas, petunias etc. Combinations of grasses can be used to great effect in all sorts of containers too.

Kathy tends to prefer whicker baskets to metal baskets as they absorb better than moss lined metal baskets and glazed terracotta pots give greater protection to frost and a longer life than the standard terracotta pots.

Hostas can look good in hanging baskets and the leaves are edible when steamed. Also useful to know that the wine weevil cannot fly to inflict any damage!

It is often said ‘what did the Romans ever do for us’……well they introduced to Great Britain the dreaded ground elder as a vegetable! The variegated ground elder can be most attractive in containers …..but only for the very brave!

For further information and opening times for Kathy’s garden visit her website: http://www.kathybrownsgarden.com