May is one of those months where gardens suddenly start asking for attention.
The grass is growing, borders are filling out, pots that looked fine a few weeks ago are starting to look a bit tired, and plenty of people start thinking the same thing: right, I need to get some colour in here now.
The only problem is knowing what to choose.
It is easy to walk into a garden centre, see rows of lovely plants, pick a few that look good on the trolley, get them home and then realise they do not quite work together. One might want full sun, another might sulk in dry compost, one might grow much taller than expected, and another might disappear behind everything else within a few weeks.
That is why plant combinations matter.
You do not need to be a professional gardener to put a good pot or border together. A lot of it comes down to choosing plants that enjoy similar conditions, give you a mix of colour and structure, and keep the display looking good for more than five minutes.
At Old Oak Farm Nurseries, we spend a lot of time helping customers choose plants that work together in real Lancashire gardens. Not show gardens. Not perfect magazine gardens. Normal gardens with sunny corners, shady patios, awkward gaps, old pots, windy spots, and borders that need a bit of life putting back into them.
So, if you are wondering what to plant in May, here are some easy plant combinations for pots, containers and borders.
Start with where the plants are going
Before choosing plants, it is worth asking one simple question:
Where are they going to live?
That sounds obvious, but it makes a massive difference.
A pot on a sunny patio near the house will behave very differently to a container in a shaded corner by a fence. A border that gets sun all afternoon will suit different plants to one that only gets morning light. Some plants will happily cope with a breezy, exposed spot, while others prefer a bit of shelter.
In May, the temptation is to buy whatever is flowering there and then, but the best displays usually come from matching the plant to the place first.
As a rough guide:
Sunny pots and borders are good for plants that like warmth, colour and regular watering.
Part-shade containers need plants that can cope without being baked all day.
Border gaps often need a mix of instant colour and longer-lasting structure.
Tired pots usually need fresh compost as much as they need new plants.
If you are not sure what you have, take a quick photo of the spot before you visit. It makes it much easier to suggest plants that will actually suit your garden rather than just guessing.
A simple sunny pot combination
For a sunny patio pot, you want a mix of height, colour and trailing growth. That usually gives you a container that looks full rather than flat.
A good May combination would be:
A centre plant for height, such as a geranium, salvia or upright bedding plant.
A few colourful fillers, such as petunias, begonias or calibrachoa.
Something trailing around the edge, such as lobelia, bacopa or trailing verbena.
This is the classic “thriller, filler and spiller” idea, although we do not need to make it sound more complicated than it is. You are basically choosing one plant to stand proud, a few plants to fill the middle, and something to soften the edge of the pot.
For a warm, cheerful look, you could go with reds, oranges and yellows. For something softer, try pinks, purples and whites. If you want it to look a bit calmer, keep the colours closer together rather than mixing everything.
The biggest mistake with sunny pots is not the plant choice. It is usually old compost and not enough watering.
Plants in containers rely on what is in that pot. If the compost is tired, compacted or dried out, they will struggle no matter how nice they looked when you bought them. May is a good time to empty old pots, refresh the compost, check the drainage and start again properly.
A part-shade container that still looks bright
Not every pot gets full sun, and that is fine. You can still have a lovely container in part shade, especially if you lean into foliage, softer colour and plants that do not need baking heat all day.
A simple part-shade combination could include:
Begonias for reliable colour.
Heuchera for strong foliage.
Ferns or grasses for texture.
Trailing plants to soften the edge of the pot.
This type of container works well near a front door, under light tree cover, beside a fence, or in a spot that gets morning sun but loses it later in the day.
The trick with part-shade pots is not to chase only flowers. Foliage does a lot of the work. A good leaf colour can hold the display together even when flowers come and go. Heucheras are useful for this because they give you colour without relying completely on blooms.
You can also use lighter colours in shadier areas. Whites, pale pinks, soft yellows and fresh greens can help brighten corners that might otherwise look a bit dull.
If a pot is in shade, it may not dry out as quickly as one in full sun, but that does not mean it can be forgotten. Keep checking the compost with your finger rather than guessing from the top. Sometimes the surface looks dry but the roots are still damp underneath.
Filling border gaps in May
By May, a lot of borders start to show their gaps.
Some spring plants have finished. Some perennials are still waking up. Some spaces just look bare and need a bit of colour before summer properly gets going.
For border gaps, it is usually best to think in layers.
You want something with a bit of height, something to fill the middle, and something lower at the front. That way the border looks planned rather than like a few plants have been dotted around randomly.
A simple May border combination might be:
Lavender or salvia for height and pollinator appeal.
Hardy geraniums or bedding plants for colour through the middle.
Alpines, low-growing perennials or trailing plants near the front edge.
This gives the border a more natural shape and stops everything sitting at the same level.
If the gap is near the front of the border, avoid putting anything too tall there unless you are happy for it to block what is behind. If the space is further back, choose plants that will not be hidden by everything else in a few weeks.
This is also where repetition helps.
A lot of people buy one of everything, but repeating two or three plants through a border often looks better. It gives the garden a bit of rhythm and makes it look more put together. You do not need a formal design. Even using the same colour in a few places can help tie everything together.
Pollinator-friendly combinations
May is a good time to think about bees and other pollinators, especially as more plants start coming into flower.
A pollinator-friendly combination does not have to look wild or messy. You can still have a neat pot or border while choosing plants that offer nectar and colour.
Good options often include:
Lavender
Salvia
Verbena
Hardy geraniums
Nepeta
Single-flowered bedding plants
The key is to avoid relying only on flowers that look impressive to us but offer very little to insects. Single, open flowers are often easier for bees to access than big, heavily doubled blooms.
For a sunny border, lavender, salvia and hardy geraniums can work nicely together. They give you colour, scent, movement and pollinator value without needing the garden to be overly formal.
For a pot, you could use a compact lavender or salvia as the main plant, then add trailing verbena or other summer bedding around it. Keep it in a sunny spot and make sure the compost drains well.
This type of planting is a good option if you want colour but also want the garden to feel alive. A few pollinator-friendly plants can make a big difference, especially in small gardens and patios where every pot counts.
A calm, green foliage combination
Not every garden needs to be full of bright colour.
Sometimes a pot or border looks better with more foliage, especially if the area already has a lot going on. Green planting can make a patio feel calmer and more established, and it is useful for people who prefer a softer look.
A simple foliage combination could include:
Heuchera
Ferns
Grasses
Hostas
Trailing ivy or similar edging plants
This works well in part shade and can be very effective near seating areas, doorways or corners that need softening.
Foliage planting is also useful because it tends to last. Flowers are lovely, but they naturally come and go. A good mix of leaves, shapes and textures can keep a container or border looking good for longer.
The main thing with foliage combinations is contrast. Try not to put three plants together that all have the same leaf shape and shade of green. Mix rounded leaves with fine leaves, upright growth with softer growth, and darker foliage with lighter tones.
It is a quieter style of planting, but done well it can look really smart.
Choosing colours that actually work together
Colour is where people often get stuck.
There is no strict rule, and it is your garden, so you are allowed to like what you like. But if you want pots and borders to look more balanced, it helps to choose a direction before you start filling the trolley.
You could go for:
Warm colours like red, orange and yellow for a bright, cheerful look.
Cool colours like blue, purple and white for a calmer feel.
Soft colours like pale pink, cream and lavender for a cottage garden feel.
Bold contrast if you want something that really stands out.
The easiest way to avoid a messy-looking pot is to stick to two or three main colours. You can still have variety, but the display will feel more deliberate.
If you already have plants flowering in the border, use those as your starting point. There is no point buying colours that fight with what is already there unless you actually want that bolder look.
For containers, it can help to choose the main colour first, then build around it. If you start with a strong red geranium, for example, you might pair it with white and deep green rather than adding every other colour nearby.
Do not forget compost, feed and watering
This is the bit people do not always want to hear, but it matters.
Good plants still need good growing conditions.
If you are planting containers in May, use fresh compost where possible. Old compost can lose structure and nutrients, especially if it has been sitting through winter. If the pot has been used before, clear out old roots, check the drainage holes and make sure water can move through properly.
For borders, it is worth improving the soil before planting, especially if it is dry, compacted or low in organic matter. A bit of preparation at the start gives plants a much better chance.
Watering is also important, particularly once the weather warms up. Small pots dry out quickly. Hanging baskets dry out even quicker. Newly planted borders need regular watering while the roots settle in.
And if you want summer containers to keep flowering, feeding helps. Plants in pots use up nutrients, and regular feeding can keep them performing for longer.
Bring a photo and ask for advice
One of the easiest ways to get better plant combinations is to ask before you buy.
Bring a photo of your pot, border or awkward gap. Tell us whether it gets sun or shade. Let us know if you want something low-maintenance, colourful, pollinator-friendly, cottage-style, neat and tidy, or just something that will make the front of the house look better.
That is what we are here for.
At Old Oak Farm Nurseries, we are not just here to sell you a few plants and send you on your way. We can help you choose plants that suit where they are going, work well together, and give you a display you are actually happy with when you get home.
May is a brilliant month for getting pots, borders and containers sorted, especially before the busiest planting weeks of late spring and early summer. Whether you need a full container refresh, a few plants to fill gaps, fresh compost, or just a bit of help choosing colours, call in and have a look around.
You do not need to know all the plant names.
You just need to know the sort of look you want, where the plants are going, and whether the spot gets sun or shade. We can help with the rest.
Visit Old Oak Farm Nurseries for May plants and advice
If your pots are looking tired, your borders have gaps, or you are ready to add more colour for late spring and summer, visit Old Oak Farm Nurseries in Hoghton, near Preston.
You will find a wide choice of plants, compost, pots and garden essentials, along with friendly advice from people who work with plants every day.
Bring a photo, ask us what will work, and we will help you put together something that suits your garden.
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