As soon as the sun starts to shine, I'm itching for some bits of color around the yard. I have plenty of plants in my front and backyards that bloom on their own as the time comes, but my front porch always needs a facelift each year. Sure, you can buy a preassembled pot from your local nursery or even Home Depot, but putting together your own custom mix makes walking up to your door to find beautiful blossoms that much more meaningful. In case your thumbs don't quite have the greenest of hues to them (which I'm still working on myself!) here are a few tips to get you started.
Step 1: Scout out your sun.
Before heading to the nursery, observe the area you plan to use for your flower pots. How often does the sun shine in that spot? You'll need identify one of three categories:
Full Sun - This area has sun shining at least 6 full hours of the day
Partial Sun - The sun shines here around 4-5 hours per day
Full Shade - This area gets less than 2 hours of sun per day.
Step 2: Pick your plants.
Plants should be marked according to their desired sun exposure. Now that you know what works in your planned area, stick to plants that have the appropriate level of sun. Depending on the size of your pot, I like to be sure to vary the height and color of plants I choose. For a standard medium-large pot I follow this formula:
1 small tree + 1 tall flower + 2 medium flower + 1 medium green + 1 small ground cover
The formula follows from tallest to shortest. This keeps the pot interesting with different levels and shades. You have a lot of flexibility in picking plants that appeal to you in their look and color. One more thing to keep in mind is whether your plants are annuals or perennials. Annuals have a single blooming period then need to be dug up as they won't return the next year. Perennials maintain year after year but will also generally have a blooming period. Double check once you've picked plants that look good to you that the sun exposure and blooming period work for what you need.
Step 3: Lay your foundation.
I generally go for annuals in my flower pots so each year I'm left with a large pot of old soil. It's important to use good soil each year that will give your new plants plenty of nutrients. I try to dig out about a third of my old soil and refill about 2-3 inches of new, fresh gardening soil. (I use MiracleGro organics garden soil but feel free to ask a garden specialist wherever you shop.)
Don't worry about refilling the pot to the top with soil since you'll go back and fill once your plants are in. See how much healthier and fresh that new soil looks? Fancy fancy.
Step 4: Perfect your placement.
While my plants are still in their containers, I like to arrange them in my pot to make sure I get everything just where I want it. It will give you an idea of how much space you have to realistically work with and make sure that no plants end up getting lost behind another. Because my ground covers are typically things that trail or droop, I make sure to place them on the very edge of my pot so that little vines will fall over.
Once you're happy with your arrangement, pull your plants out, one by one, from their containers and break apart their roots well. Especially when plants have been held in big box nurseries, they can become super root-bound and need to be broken up with a spade or clippers. Don't be afraid to really spread things out to make sure the roots can span out over time.
Step 5: Water and enjoy.
Your plants will need a good dose of water once they are finally planted. Likely, they haven't had a good drink in some time and will need the moisture, as well as the settling the soil will naturally undertake in their new home. I make sure to water really well for at least three consecutive nights once I plant a new pot. Afterwards, I taper off to every 2-3 days but be sure you give your plants as great of a start as you can. From there, the maintenance is minimal but the beauty is so rewarding.
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