LAST week I had a trip down memory lane recalling how I used to box up fuchsia for overwintering to use as stock plants for taking cuttings in the spring. So it’s not too surprising to be asked if other summer-flowering plants can also be saved for next year’s display.

To answer this question you will see my photograph is of one of my summer-flowering planters growing on top of my panel fence.

The photo really does not do the planter justice as the size of the growth is just less than two metres across and around 1.5 metres drop. Although my planters are beginning to show an autumnal look, they are nevertheless still quite stunning and showing plenty of colour.

The planters themselves are still being watered, but I’m cutting the frequency down as the weather cools and I have stopped feeding them. Regardless of this, I do hope to get a few more colourful weeks out of them, as it will not be the frost that brings them to an end, more the cold and blustery winds as we move into winter.

At the moment I’m in no hurry to take them down but when we do get to the end of the season I can either empty the complete planter onto the compost heap or look to save and reuse some of the plants.

So what’s worth saving and what’s for the compost heap? If we take a closer look at the plants in my planter, you will see I have two varieties of petunia surfina cascading. These petunias are propagated by cuttings so you can take a few cuttings now and overwinter in a frost-free location, and again the plants can be cut hard back and overwintered as for the fuchsia for taking cuttings in the spring. Seed-raised petunias are best disposed of on the compost heap.

I also have a couple of varieties of Begonia tuberous, one which grows upright while the other is of the cascading type.

The upright begonia can be carefully lifted and transplanted into a pot for growing as a houseplant, while the cascading begonia can be lifted to be stored and allowed to dry out under cover – this is to save the tuber which can be stored over winter for planting in the spring.

You will also notice I have the golden form of Helichrysum petiolare which certainly adds interest to a planter, again same treatment as for petunia surfina. Also growing is the perennial form of Nemesia: this variety is called Fleurie Bluebird and you’d treat it as you would Petunia surfina.

You might ask why not use the annual form of nemesia rather than the perennial form? Although the annual form of nemesia is very colourful, like most annuals it goes to seed fairly quickly and dies out leaving the planter looking rather tatty. The perennial form, however, is very slow to go to seed, so continues to provide a much longer period of flower. Again it needs to be treated the same way as Petunia surfina, taking cuttings now or overwintered for growing on as stock plants for taking cuttings in early spring.

In the centre of the planter is a large Argyranthemum Frutescens which is a daisy flowering type plant and one which attracts the bees. Again cut it back and overwinter as for the other plants above for taking cuttings in the spring.

Generally plants are cut back and planted into containers or boxes using a compost which is kept on the dry side, protected from frost, either in a greenhouse, garage or shed. Cover them using garden fleece to give that added protection and keep an eye on them for pest or disease.

As we move into spring, start to increase the watering and move the container or boxes into a warmer and lighter environment to produce new growth which is then used for taking cuttings.