Oakland Gardens End Of Season Clearance

The Oakland Garden 30L Plant Pot with Handles have been designed and manufactured with a dual-tier base system and drainage holes to prevent waterlogging and promote excellent drainage and thus healthy root growth, plus it stiffens up the base of the pot. I guess its the ex R&D and Structural Engineer in me that notices these kind of things.

What I hadn't taken into account was just how useful that profile is when lifting and decanting of woodchips and soil out into the raised beds I have been building. 

The Oakland pots are so much easier to grab, and tip out as the dual-tier base system gives areas for your fingers to get a grip and make handling and emptying easy. 

They are so much easier to handle and tip out, than the flat bottomed pots I have from other suppliers. 

Oakland Gardens

 

Self-Watering Terracotta Stakes

 

Purchased off ebay 

Package Includes: 4 Pieces Self-Watering Terracotta Stakes

Name: Self-Watering Terracotta Stakes

Size: 17.8 x 6 cm (7.01 x 2.36 in)

Colour: As shown

Capacity: 120 ml (can add extended water bottle)

Material: terracotta

After nearly loosing the strawberries whilst being in hospital for four days recently, I decided to buy some Self-Watering Terracotta Stakes, I have these already in my home and down the allotment using with wine bottles. 

For the hanging baskets, I'm going with 500ml plastic bottles of diet and full sugar coke as they fit just right under the chains. 

A quick trim of the dead areas of the strawberries, and Terracotta Stake inserted in the middle of the hanging basket.  

Terracotta Stake filled with water then 500ml plastic bottle from diet or full fat coke inserted they fit just right under the chains. 

Traditional Hanging Baskets re-hung.

I really should have got the Oakland Gardens plastic hanging basket with the water reservoir built into the bottom. There again I didn't know that I was going to be taken into the hospital during our third heatwave. 

Oakland Gardens Save 20% On All Saucers & Watering Trays

 

It’s hot out there… and your plants are feeling it too!

With the warm weather sticking around, now’s the perfect time to make sure your plants are getting the water they need. This week only, you can save 20% on all saucers and watering trays, ideal for catching excess water, keeping roots happy, and helping your plants stay hydrated.

Use discount code OAK20 at checkout to get your discount.

Offer ends Sunday the 28th of June.

Link to Saucers & Watering Trays

Oakland Gardens 🌱 Growing with you every season

Oakland Gardens - Baskets And Liners

This is a view of my back garden in the summer of 2013 taken from in front of the patio door from the kitchen, when we had finally removed the two swings that my girls when younger had used and I had installed textured paving slabs for the BBQ unit to stand upon, in the shade of the apple trees. 

A view of looking back at my wife showing the opposite fence to my neighbours property. 

Looking into Hanging Baskets all came about as I was sent an email about cheap strawberries and I have no where in the back garden to put them. So I thought I have all those Hanging Brackets around the patio, so I went to Oakland Gardens site to look into getting some baskets and Liners. 

Oakland Gardens sell 5 products in the Basket And Liners category shown above 

Oakland Gardens sent me the six 12" traditional wire hanging baskets - Heavy-Duty Weather-Resistant Steel baskets with six Coco Hanging Baskets Liners - Thick Coir / Coconut Fibre Liners for Hanging Baskets.

Lee Ward of Oakland Gardens also included two of the 12" Easy Fill Hanging Baskets for me to look and play with, and I am so glad that he did, its been a real eye opener for me. 

The Default web page when clicking on Baskets and Liners was for a Quantity of 4 

I suggested to Lee that the product landing page should not be for a quantity of 4 as my brain just processed "They are bloody expensive" and discounted them as a option, because I didn't initially process the quantity and do the maths to work out the cost per unit. See Costs later in this article.   

When I started to look into the cost and how it altered with quantity, I noticed this typo. I let Lee know and he corrected it straight away, I love to see feedback in action. 

12" Easy Fill Hanging Basket 

The 12" Easy Fill Hanging Basket is designed for fuss-free planting and vibrant displays. The modular snap-in mesh panels allow front loading of plants, protecting roots from damage. An integrated water reservoir captures excess moisture, reducing watering frequency and promoting healthier growth. Perfect for patios, walls, balconies or gardens needing decorative vertical planting.

I like the way the slots to fix the bar at the end of each chain (a bit like the bar on a fob watch chain are exactly at 120 degrees around the rim of the basket and one knows the basket has to hang level. 

The Snap-in mesh panels are easy to get in place, even for me with my arthritic  hands.

There are four little feet or bearing pads to raise the pot up just enough to let any excess water drain away from under, if you decide to use it as a pot, on a level surface. 

I like the strengthening webs in between the outer rim of the turn down and the main pot and the additional stiffener along the chain slots. To me as an ex R&D Designer and Structural Engineer, informs me this has been developed by someone that knows his stuff.  

Features & Benefits:

• Snap-in mesh panels for easy front planting without disrupting roots

• Internal reservoir retains water, extending watering intervals

• Durable, weather-resistant construction built to last multiple seasons

• Modular design allows panels to be removed or replaced for maintenance

• Supplied with hanging hardware for immediate setup

Specifications:

• Basket diameter: 30.5 cm (12")

• Depth / height: approximately 23 cm

• Water reservoir section: built-in base chamber

• Made from 100% recycled plastic and are UV protected.

Why This Basket Works:

This 12" Easy Fill Hanging Basket combines convenience and performance. It's easy-access panels simplify planting, while the reservoir helps maintain consistent moisture. With rugged construction and built-in mounting hardware, it’s an elegant, durable solution for decorative hanging displays.

It can however equally be used as a floor/ surface mounted pot as the bottom is flat and there are even four little feet/ bearers to raise to pot enough to let any excess water drain away from under the pot. 

Costs from Oakland Gardens 

The cost per unit alters against the number you are going to purchase, on the basis that the more you buy the cheaper they get. Don't worry I have done the maths for you. 

 1 number £8.85 each 
 2 number £6.48 each 

 3 number £6.32 each 

 4 number £5.49 each 

 5 number £5.49 each 

 6 number £5.49 each

 8 number £4.99 each

10 number £4.90 each

Prices as the date of this review 

Water reservoir section: built-in base chamber

The raised dimple in the middle of the pot with a drainage hole provides the ability for the pot to store water and that equates to approximately 500ml. However what one will actually be filling is the void air space in the material you fill the pot or basket with. 

There is no guidance, On the Oakland Gardens web site, but to me this screams to be filled with pea shingle of some kind to increase the air void area of the built in chamber with perhaps the used of some capillary matting wicks from the chamber up the pot between the planting windows, I would also cut the matting to separate the filling compost from the water reservoir chamber, to make it easy to clean out and refresh the compost annually. 

 

UPDATE 20/06/2026 

Having now since spoke to Christopher Haley of Plantopia on the phone and communicated via email the sage has said "There is no need to complicate things.. The water reservoir filled with the same compost when saturated provides a similar volume of water.  The compost itself becomes the perfect wick."

Typical me over complicating things, the KISS approach is often best Keep It Simple Stupid   

I could not find anything about how much material is required to fill the hanging basket and asked Lee of Oakland Gardens and he estimated It's approx. 10 Litre capacity and Plantopia don't tell you to put shingle in the reservoir chamber but he thinks, it would be a very good idea 

(It turns out both he and I were wrong and we both stand to be corrected, see update).

Fitting The Chains 

Could not be simpler, fundamentally it's bast on the T-Bar: The defining feature of an Albert chain. This metal crossbar slips horizontally through a waistcoat or vest buttonhole (typically the third or fourth button up) to securely anchor the chain. 

In this case it slips on the slot created for it on the top of the rim to the basket, Classic Victorian design principal that has been working for at least 125 to 189 years.

Hanging The Basket 

With the holes for the chains spaced where they should be the hanging basket has no option but to be level when hung. 

When filled with flowers, you don't get to see the clever engineering bit underneath, just like so much of my work as a structural engineer back in the day. 

I have been mugged by my sister who suggested that a nice kind brother would donate the two 12" Easy Fill Hanging Basket to his loving and caring sister, as they would look so nice on the two empty hanging brackets at the back if her house!

Once I have the new fencing panels fitted, hopefully in the next couple of months, and as there are hanging brackets in 3 posts either side of the garden, I will buy an additional 6 number 12" Easy Fill Hanging Baskets, and may well replace the 6 around the patio area so they all match for next year. The wire and coco liners will make their way to my remaining Mill Green Allotment plot.  

Finally Oakland Gardens always well pack and wrap their products for shipping, I have ended up with some nice large bubble wraps to use in the potting shed over winter and early spring to protect plants. The tape on the cardboard box will be stripped and the cardboard used to line one of the next six raised beds I have yet to construct in the Back Garden Allotment. 

So Who Are Plantopia ?

 

According to the bottom of the 12" Easy Fill Hanging Basket they are the designers and manufacturers. So I googled them and read their web site.  

Plantopia is a family company, founded by Chris Haley, a third generation nurseryman and his wife Kim Haley. 

In this photo from their web site they look like the Gardening equivalent to David Gilmour and Polly Samson. You might have to be of a certain age to get the reference. 

Chris combining his knowledge of horticulture and engineering has designed a range of innovative products for the horticultural industry which are dedicated to improving plant growth quality and increasing efficiency for the professional grower.

All I have to say is well done Chris a well designed product there, I'm impressed. Their web site is well worth a visit and a surf, there is lots to see. 

Oakland Gardens Deals Of The Week

 

This week’s deals are live at Oakland Gardens! We’ve added some great new offers this week, including our 2m x 20m garden fleece, strong woven bird netting, 50 x 3 litre deep plant pots and 4 x 45cm black saucers. The 45cm saucers are a perfect fit for our 50 litre pots, making them a handy add-on if you’re stocking up on larger pots for the garden, greenhouse or allotment. We’re also still running a few of our most popular offers, including the 15 x 30 litre plant pots, 35cm saucers to go with them, and the 300 x 30-inch split canes. Discounts are applied automatically at checkout, so there’s no code needed. Just add your items from the weekly deals page and the savings will be taken off for you.

 

Stock up on our 50 x 3 litre deep plant pots, a great choice for roses, shrubs, climbers, young plants and general potting-on jobs around the garden. Their deeper shape gives roots more room to establish, while the sturdy plastic design and drainage base make them a reliable option for regular use through the season.

 

4 x 50 Litre Heavy-Duty Plant Pots — now only £30! These large 50 litre heavy-duty plant pots are perfect for growing bigger plants, shrubs, small trees, vegetables and patio displays. Strong, practical and built for regular garden use, they’re ideal for giving roots plenty of room to grow. This week’s offer brings the pack down from £38.95 to just £30, with the discount automatically applied at checkout. Plus, you’ll get free UK delivery. Offer ends Sunday 24th May

 

 

4 x 45cm Black Saucers These 45cm black saucers are a great match for our 50 litre plant pots, fitting perfectly underneath to help catch excess water and keep patios, greenhouse benches, decking and growing areas cleaner. They’re made from sturdy plastic and work well as a simple water reservoir, helping plants draw moisture back up when needed while reducing mess from watering.

 

2m x 20m Garden Fleece Protect your plants with our 2m x 20m 18gsm garden fleece, ideal for covering rows, beds, shrubs, young plants and delicate crops through changing weather. It helps shield plants from frost, wind and hail while still allowing light, air and moisture through, so your plants stay protected without being smothered. A handy choice for gardeners wanting quick, lightweight coverage across larger areas.

 

 

 

15 x 35cm Black Saucers Our 15 x 35cm black saucers are ideal for pairing with 30 litre plant pots, fitting neatly underneath to help catch excess water and keep patios, greenhouse benches, decking and growing areas cleaner. They’re a simple but handy addition when watering, helping create a small reservoir so plants can draw moisture back up when needed. A great choice if you’re potting up in bulk or refreshing larger containers for the season.

 

Oakland Gardens 🌱 Growing with you every season