In Part 1 of the “Nomadic Patio Pot Plants”, I described how the pot plants came to be and how the display grew ever larger, yet often changing, only to be whittled away at the start of winter. In the spring of 2016, the patio was cleared of all its pots and paraphernalia in order to be cleaned and sealed. This time, the cleaning was much, much quicker – with only the thinnest layer of grime to be lifted – it quickly came away and two coats of sealer went down. The rope fence ropes were also pressure-washed for good measure, revealing their original white colour.

The patio: pre-wash, of course

The moment the sealer was dry, the pots returned to the patio and coalesced into some sort of a display. The result was a rather dull and sparse collection. Granted it was very early in the season and a large portion of the pot plants were now settled and established in the garden’s new borders the year before; it didn’t leave much for the patio to show off.

This display was as miserable as the weather

It didn’t stay this was for long as there were three main things that caused the Nomadic Patio Pot Collection to unexpectedly balloon to its largest size yet and those were:

1. A spectacular haul of plants from the parents
2. A stupendous over-estimation of bedding annuals needed for the hanging baskets
3. A bounteous harvest from dividing a large number of herbaceous perennials

With the patio sparkling again, the pot collection filled out, the irrigation system re-instated, it was one sunny afternoon where it all came together beautifully.

I could probably charge people to enjoy this

This is the patio as a holiday destination and it looks absolutely stunning, even if I say so myself. The sun is out, the patio gleams, the plants are lush. This was the point when I stopped apologising for the state of the patio and started celebrating it. As it is early in the season the pots have been put rather close together, as they grow they will need to spread further apart and the size of the display may nearly double, it may also completely change too.

We made another tweak and moved a wooden bench to a new position that overlooks the patio display and out towards the garden. You’ll also see a birthday present to myself behind the palm. In addition to the watering system we placed most of the pots in shallow trays to help keep them from drying out. You might just be able to spot the head of the Buddha that has been a part of the Nomadic patio pot collection ever since it was created in the old garden.

The view from the patio “borrows” the flowering plants in the garden borders beyond and makes a rather lovely view.

This gathering of pots on the patio was first referred to as simply, “the patio pots” when we were in our first garden. It was when we moved and brought the pots with us to the new garden that they became “Nomadic”. The name has stuck and now the “Nomadic Patio Pots” collection is on par with any of the garden borders and out of all the things in the garden, it is the most changeable. It changes in size, position, layout and contents not just from year to year, but within the same season. It is dynamic, shifting, fluidic and it feels like a “floating” garden or a “hanging” garden right there on the patio. I know that by late summer, it will have completely changed again; the only thing I can be certain of is that the patio pot display is just as important and contributes just as much as any other border in the garden.