Inspired by Gardeners' World, Fozia from Muslim Mummy shares with us her favourite potted blooms.
Gardening is one of those things you either love or hate. I had no interest in it as a child but once I owned my own home, I started being inspired by flowers, wanting to transform the garden into a mixture of colour in spring and summer.
The soil in our garden isn't the best so I often plant my flowers in containers. These are perfect for smaller gardens too and you can make some wonderful displays in them with a variety of blooms.
Over the years I have amassed a collection of pots and there are some flowers I love seeing in them:
1. Fuchsia These are my ultimate favourite, not just for containers but also planted directly into the soil. The best thing about these is that they’re very hardy and will survive the winter to flower again the following year.
2. Geranium One of the first flowers I learnt the name of and still buy every year. They don't survive the winter months so you will need to buy them each year but the pretty flowers and the different varieties you can get makes them worth purchasing.
3. Petunias These popular flowers are easy to maintain and can often be seen in gardens and displays.
4. Lily These are stunning flowers. My personal favourites are the Asiatic lilies. They have a wide range of colours.
5. Lavender I love the purple colour that lavender brings to my containers.
The best thing about container planting is that you can be so creative as to what you use – I have seen wellington boots and even old baths used as flower displays. I decided to be a bit quirky this year and have used old car tyres for a display at the back of the garden. The painted colourful tyres make it fun for the children – they wanted to get involved too, turning garden chores into a fun activity!
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