Pot displays - formal repetition

In this No Fuss video guide, Kevin Smith, Gardeners' World Magazine, looks at formal repetition in gardens. He demonstrates the design style using three identical pots planted with identical plants. Kevin explains why creating formal repetition works in gardens and how to get the best show garden look.

Pot displays - formal repetition: transcript

The great thing about containers is that you can be really creative in the way that you plant and use them. There's often a temptation to just get one pot and fill it with a jumble of plants to create a cottagey type of look. Now, while that's fine, you can be a lot more creative and a lot more adventurous with what you do.

I've chosen three identical pots and I've planted them with Yucca 'Golden sword'. I worked a bit of grit into the compost at the time of planting and I put a grit mulch on the top, just to smarten things up. Once you've got three identical containers like these, you can start to be clever with the way you position and place them. For a really formal look, put them in a line, perhaps along the top of a small wall and it gives a sense of repetition and unity. Or you could group them in a corner for something a little bit more informal. Essentially, though, by planting three containers in an identical way, you're creating something that's going to have a sense in rhythm and you'll create a designer look. All I need to do now is work out where I'm going to position them.