Graceful clumps of bamboos and grasses, carefully placed pebbles, and wooden railings combine to give your garden an Oriental look. Add dwarf bamboos in attractive pots, and bring a hint of Asia to your patio.

When to plant: Autumn or spring.

At their best: All year round.

Time to complete: 3 hours.

You will need: Matching containers, soil-based potting mix, slow-release fertilizer granules, broken clay pot pieces.

Selection of plants to use: Phyllostachys bambusoides ‘Holochrysa’, Pleioblastus variegatus, Indocalamus tessellatus, Pleioblastus variegatus ‘Tsuboii’, Fargesia murielae.

Select your plants

Low-growing bamboos are the best choice for pots, and there is a wide variety with colored stakes and brightly striped leaves. Arrange several close together to create a small, dense jungle.

Plant the bamboos

Place broken clay pot pieces in the base of a pot and add a layer of soil. Water the bamboo, remove it from its pot, and set in the center of the container. Fill in around it with soil and some fertilizer. Firm in and water. Bamboos are thirsty, so water often. Since they grow strongly, lift, divide, and repot them in new soil every three or four years.