4 essential steps to a statement patio

What’s your garden style? Whether you’re after a touch of rustic charm, like the ‘Kentucky’ whiskey barrel planter, or a clean coastal feel with a sand-toned ‘Maxim’ drum, Northcote Pottery has a look to love. You’ll also need to think about what you’ll be planting in it, as this will naturally influence your decision; Northcote Pottery’s Precinct Lite range comes in a range of sizes, including generously deep and wide pots, which can hold bigger plants or a selection of varieties, if you want to try a collage of ‘thrill, spill and fill’ foliage.

Will you need to move the pot from season to season, or for cleaning? The ‘Villa’ plastic trough offers modern good looks, with the flexibility of a lightweight material, so you can lift and move it easily.

Decide what you’ll be planting and pick an appropriate high quality potting mix. The Cyclone potting scoop, with its large stainless steel cup, makes the task of filling planters with soil quicker and cleaner. If you do make a mess of the patio in the process, a quick sweep will clear off any dirt in a jiffy. Tracked soil inside too? The Cyclone ProSeries multi-surface broom is the one you want to have on hand – tough enough to tackle outdoor mess, but soft enough to travel inside when needed.

Good tools not only make this part of the job cleaner and easier, they also give you more control, so you can avoid damaging new plants. The Cyclone hand trowel is a must-have gardener’s friend, used for potting up and dividing smaller plants, while the Cyclone bulb trowel is its trusty sidekick, ideal for not only planting bulbs, but also for transplanting small, delicate plants or seedlings.

You’ve planted up your pots and they’re looking amazing! Now keep them lovely with a Cyclone hand fork. Use the leather strap to hang this beauty within easy reach, because it’s about to become your new favourite tool, used for lightly cultivating between shallow-rooted plants, and for regularly attacking weeds. Whip it out for weeding your beautifully planted pots, or use it to make short work of pesky weeds sullying your perfect lawn.