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Hi Sue, apologies for the delay, for some reason I didn't get notified this was posted. Blame technology, I do !
However, going back to the old industrial times, that chimney pot would have been part of the engine room of your or someones home. You could plant it up to reflect it's previous life, with firey reds and oranges or with smokey greys and whites.
The best way to utilise such a container is as a pot holder. Chimney pots are basically just a very pretty pipe so using it to plant directly into is a non-starter. The benefits of using it as an attractive pot holder are multiple. You can plant up pots for the different seasons, changing them as the plants pass their prime. Measure the rim size ofthe chimney, the top most end, so that the planted up pots will sit snugly inside. If you find it is of an unusual size and you can't find the perfect fit,stack a few empty pots inside so the pot sits on top.
Use a peat based compost if you sit the pot in the rim as the weight will be a consideration. If you intend to si it on a stack, use a soil based compost as it will cope with the weather better and will also handle irregular watering a little more succesfully.I would advise adding some water retaining gel crsytals to either mix and to remember to feed after the first month.
Plant the inner pots just as you would for any other situation but pay attention to the type of plants you use. The shape of the chimney pot leaves scope for trailing plants as well as tall plants and small shrubs. Conifers, dwarf species only, suit pots like this and give good colour throughout the winter when planted up with winter flowering pansies and primroses. A pot prepared with spring bulbs and moss can follow, with a pot full of early spring colour such as early irises and ericas/heathers to take you into early summer, with bedding plants ablaze with colour.
Don't forget, you can grow fruit and vegetables too.
Strawberries, as we know, will do very well in a container, trailing down the sides to provide colour as well as a crop.
Carrots will enjoy a deep root run if you use an old rose pot. They have a much deeper profile. Radish and other salad crops will give you a nice early crop if you start them under glass and then plat out when the weather improves.
You have a great wealth of opportunity with such a desirable container, so enjoy it and send some pictures!
The Green Knight
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