Tom Stimpson: How to curate low-maintenance, long-lasting perennial pots - Episode 287 Artwork

grow, cook, eat, arrange with Sarah Raven & friends

Welcome to grow, cook, eat, arrange, the weekly podcast from gardener, writer, teacher,and cook, Sarah Raven. Over the last two decades, Sarah has led the way by introducing a new kind of productive gardening which places emphasis on intense colour, sophistication, and achievability. Recorded at the beautiful Perch Hill Farm in Sussex, Sarah talks with special guests from across garden design, floristry, food, ecology, conservation, and more. Brimming with top tips and helpful hints, listen and learn how to create your most productive garden ever. You can find out more about the products discussed in each episode or get in touch by visiting the website: https://www.sarahraven.com/

All Episodes

grow, cook, eat, arrange with Sarah Raven & friends

Tom Stimpson: How to curate low-maintenance, long-lasting perennial pots - Episode 287

August 13, 2026 • Sarah Raven • Episode 287

0:00 | 23:30

If you love the idea of beautiful pots that don’t need replanting every five minutes, perennials in a container can be the perfect solution, and just as stunning as a bed or a border.

Tom Stimpson returns to discuss trusted “banker” perennials for containers – from long-flowering hellebores and acers underplanted with geraniums, to hydrangeas, heucheras and beloved agapanthus.

You’ll hear exactly which combinations have stood the test of time in Tom’s garden as well as at Perch Hill, and how to get colour from winter through to late autumn.

In this episode, discover:

How to design perennial pots that give you colour and structure from winter through to late autumn, without constant replanting
Which plants Sarah and Tom rely on most strongly for containers
Practical planting combinations for small gardens, such as Pittosporum with hellebores and scabious, or an acer underplanted with Geranium ‘Rozanne’
A realistic regime for watering, feeding and deadheading perennial pots so they stay sturdy rather than sappy

Products mentioned:

Helleborus niger: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/helleborus-niger

Helleborus orientalis: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/helleborus-orientalis-pretty-ellen-spotted

Helleborus ‘Ice n’ Roses Red’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/helleborus-x-glandorfensis-ice-n-roses-red

Pittosporum ‘Bannow Bay’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/pittosporum-tenuifolium-bannow-bay

Scabiosa atropurpurea ‘Black Cat’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/scabiosa-atropurpurea-black-cat

Scabiosa ‘Kudo Pink’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/scabiosa-incisa-kudo-pink

Geranium ‘Rozanne’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/geranium-rozanne

Geranium ‘Dreamland’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/geranium-dreamland

Hydrangea ‘Madame Emile Mouillère’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/hydrangea-macrophylla-madame-emile-mouillere

Hydrangea ‘Little Lime’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/hydrangea-paniculata-little-lime

Hydrangea ‘Limelight’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/hydrangea-paniculata-limelight