Propagate your pots

Create beautiful, planet-friendly containers that don't break the bank, using home-propagated plants and flowers. Money-saving gardening expert Anya Lautenbach shows how

- Anya Lautenbach

When I was growing up, we didn't have much, but we always had a stunning garden filled with beautiful flowers, and our pots were a real highlight.

Most plants were propagated by my mum, which later in life inspired me to create my garden and my pots in a sustainable and cost-effective way, by taking cuttings of plants that do well in our garden and growing them from seed. It's amazing what you can achieve with a few stems taken as cuttings and some packets of seeds.

We always treated ourselves to a few plants purchased from a small local nursery. A trip there was like a celebration for us. The gratification from buying a plant, mixed with a sense of accomplishment from our home-propagated plants, gave us so much joy.

Our pots were dotted around our garden, placed on our balcony and on our outside windowsills. The pots themselves were like little gardens full of colours, textures and shapes, each like a floral symphony bringing our beloved flowers closer to us and connecting outdoors with indoors.

The pots gave us endless joy and were often a topic of a conversation around the lunch table as they were flowering.

Now when I design and create my pot displays, I not only enjoy the process of creating them, but they take me back to my childhood. The early morning summer routine and seeing my mum watering the pots and sometimes snipping a few stems for the table bring such happy memories.

Tender stars

All the plants in this display are low maintenance and drought tolerant, making this a great solution for busy gardeners. Because all three plants are perennials, the container will keep on giving for years, without you spending any more money. The glossy, lime-green leaves of the aeoniums form perfectly shaped rosettes, making them a great contrast to the grey-green echeverias and the sedums, which are tinted red in summer.