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Perfect Planters Made Easy

beige planter with pink. purple, and white flowers

flowers growing out of pair of jeans

Choosing a Planter –

First things first, find the perfect planter.  It can be a ceramic, concrete, or plastic pot, or something entirely different.  You can repurpose a dresser drawer or use an old boot.  These people used jeans!  I’m not sure how they did it, but isn’t it great!

Just make sure whatever you use as a planter has drainage holes.  If water can’t drain out, your plant’s roots will eventually rot.  If needed, you can probably make one with a drill. Use a good potting soil mix for the same reason.  Potting mixes are designed to retain just the right amount of moisture and let the excess drain through easily.  We also recommend mixing a slow release granular fertilizer such as Osmocote and a bit of Soil-Moist into the potting mix. 

 

Deciding on a Look –

red and white petunias

We’ve all heard of the “thriller, spiller, filler” formula for creating  planters.  Choose one show stopping, tall plant to be your thriller.  Add a trailing plant that spills over the edge of the planter, and finish by selecting a plant, or plants, to fill in the rest.  It is sound advice, and almost always works well.  But you can also create great planter with only type of plant.  Just look at these petunias.  A customer sent us this photo last year, and we love it. They’ve used a wagon as a planter.  It’s a bit hard to see because the petunias are overflowing, but it provides a great touch of nostalgia and whimsy.

 

Selecting the Right Plants –

Whether you decide to use the famous formula, or do something completely different (rules are made to be broken), it is important to know the conditions where it will be, and choose your plants accordingly.  How much sun does it get?  Is it windy?  A plant won’t grow well if it doesn’t have what it needs. This planter is made for part shade, featuring begonias, a fern and some trailing fuchsia.planter with begonias, fern, and fuchsia

Next, you’ll want to think about the types of plants you want, and the color scheme.  You can start with a favorite plant as your thriller, then find a filler and spiller that look good with it.  Or start with a color scheme, then find plants in the colors you want.  For instance, you could go with pastel pinks and purples, or a patriotic red, white, and blue color scheme.  For a more energetic look, try oranges, reds, and other bold, bright colors.  A monochromatic look, where you use varying shades of the same color, can also be great. Imagine a planter with varying shades of pink, from fuchsia to a soft, pale pink.  Or try a planter with entirely white flowers.  White can be stunning against a dark backdrop. 

 

Planting With Care –

Now it is time to get planting. 

  • Fill your planter up almost all the way, leaving a few inches of space from the top of the soil to the top of the planter.  planter with geraniums, nasturtium, and bidens
  • Arrange the plants in your planter, moving them around until you like the way they look.  Snap a photo for reference, then take all the plants out of the planter. 
  • Start planting at the center of the planter and work outwards to the edges.  One at a time, remove each plant from its original container and gently loosen the roots if they seem tightly packed together.  Be careful in doing this, though, as plants can be sensitive creatures and don’t like to be disturbed too much.  Push some soil aside to create a little hole for your plant, and set it into the hole so that top of its root ball is about an inch from the top of the planter.  Continue doing this until all plants are set where you want them using your photo for reference, then fill the planter with potting mix until everything is level, making sure not to bury the tops of the root balls.  
  • Very gently firm the soil so that the plants remain upright, but do not push down on the plants themselves or pack the dirt too tightly.  planter with geranium, canna, verbena, and evolvulusWhen you are done, the soil should come to about an inch from the top of the planter, and the root balls of each plant should sit level with the soil. 
  • Put your planter in the place you decided on, then water it well. 
  • If your soil level goes down significantly after watering, you can add a little more to top it off. 

Leaving It to Us –

Planting your own planters can be lots of fun, but if don’t feel confident, or prefer not to do it yourself, stop by the greenhouse.  We always have pre-planted planters ready to go.  Or you can ask us to make a custom planter just for you.  We are always here to help! Just stop by one of our greenhouse locations or call us at 608-882-0501.