Let's Plant a Pot....tips for container gardening

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I love to garden, and have always had luck with flowers....except in pots.  I love the look of lots of pots on front steps, porches and patios, but have just never had much luck with them myself!

And it's not like I don't have gardening books on the shelf, (one in particular on container gardening), but just never got around to reading them.

Yesterday, we were treated to a great speaker from a local garden center (Thanks to Scott from Snows!) and I learned a lot from him, including all the things I've been doing wrong! (and my apologies if I get anything wrong!)

So my next gardening plans are to have a few beautiful pots on my front steps with some great tips and fun ideas:

• Start with a non-porous container. Clay containers look great, but will pull out all the moisture from the plant.  If you want to use clay, prime the inside with a sealer.
• Air! Plants need air to survive, so line the bottom of the pot with anything to allow air to move through the container.  I've always used rocks, which makes the pot heavy.  Scott suggested anything from shredded newspapers to crushed soda cans to packing peanuts.  These are all light, and even better, free!
• Then add your layer of ..... well, not soil!  Do NOT use indoor potting soil or heavy topsoil.  This compacts too much and doesn't allow air to get to the roots of the plant.  Instead, use an organic mix plant medium that is light and doesn't compact. 
• Place your plants in the pot, then lightly add a layer of plant medium.  Don't make the mistake of filling your pot, then digging the holes and sticking the plants in.  All this does is compact the soil, which defeats your goal of allowing air in there!  Just lightly add plants and soil and pat it all down nice and lightly.
• Top your pot with a layer of mulch or sphagnum to keep moisture in the pot.
• Don't over water!  You don't want your pot to be sitting in a saucer of water.  Water until it's wet, then don't water again until the plant dries out.  Roots that sit in over saturated soil can't breathe. 

million bells

In picking out your plants, don't get stuck in a rut of annuals with blooms at the time of planting.  There are many great options out there for color and interest in plants that provide the color in their leaves, such as coleus.  Add a spiky grass for height, and a colorful annual like million bells to spill over the edge, and you will have a beautiful pot.

Don't forget the fertilizer!  Soil in pots needs an additive of fertilizer to thrive throughout the growing season.  Another thing I learned? Never reuse your soil in a pot from year to year! 

I can't wait to get my pots started this year....I have high hopes for my container flowers.

One more suggestion: Scott said don't be hesitant to add a tomato plant, carrots or other veggie in there along with your flowers....they all love containers!

So get planting!