If you're after a container that'll be the envy of the neighbourhood, then listen up! On today's Five Minute Friday, we've got a horticultural match made in heaven: coleus and lantana. The coleus brings flamboyant foliage in reds, greens, and oranges, and to complement this, the lantana brings sultry hot oranges, reds, yellows, and whites. Your container will be a proper explosion of colour!
What You Need
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Choose your plants: First things first, choose your container. We're going to plant three lantana in the centre with three coleus around the outside. Have a look at our Coleus and Lantana collection to choose your winning combination. All of the varieties grow well together, so it's just a case of picking your favourites.
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A container: In the video, I've used a 20cm diameter container, which is ideal for the six plug plants I'm planting. The larger the container, the more plants you'll need. Make sure your container has drainage holes in the bottom – we don't want the plants sitting too wet.
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Some compost: A good quality multi-purpose compost is ideal. Pay special attention to the drainage, as both of these plants like well-drained soil to thrive. If you're concerned about drainage, you can add some grit or bark to help.
Putting Your Container Together
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Add some compost: First step is to fill your container with compost, almost all the way to the top. Leave about 1cm from the top to make watering easier.
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Make some plant holes: Now make some holes in the compost. The holes should be slightly larger than the rootball of the plants. In the video, you can see I've made three holes in a triangle shape around the centre of the container. Then I make another three holes closer to the edge of the container, these are parallel with the straight side of the previous triangle. When you've finished, you're left with six holes which would roughly represent the points on a star.
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Planting your plug plants: Now to plant the plug plants! Place them in the holes, the lantana in the centre three holes with the coleus in the outer triangle. The top of the compost on the plug plant should be the same level as the compost in the container. Once you've placed the plants in, tuck them in with some more compost to make sure there aren't any gaps around the root ball.
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Water your plants well: Now give the new container a good watering. A method that works well is a gentle water, then stop and wait for it to sink in. Repeat the process until water comes out of the bottom of the container.
Looking After Your Container to Keep it Thriving
Once you've planted your container, depending on the weather, it'll need protecting. Coleus and lantana don't like frost. Your plants will grow well in a conservatory, greenhouse, or light room until the risk of frost has passed. Once it has, the plants can go outside.
Watering Your Container
Coleus and lantana both like moist compost. Keep your container moist, especially in warm weather, but be careful not to overdo it – they don't like soggy compost. A good tip is to push your finger into the compost; if it's dry a few inches down, it's time to water.
Feeding Your Plants
Both of these plants will thank you for feeding them. Do this every two weeks. This will help produce stronger plants and more flowers.
It's as easy as that! So, if you love tropical, exotic colours, make sure you try planting this stunning combination of plants.
