Container gardening

I have a very large deck in the backyard on which I have many potted plants. Every spring, I spruce up the ones that survived the winter, and plant new ones. Most of my pots hold a single plant, but this year I wanted to change up the look by planting multiple plants in one large pot. For this I  chose a square, black, plastic pot. I thought the black would make the color of the flowers stand out or pop, as a designer would say. I chose plastic, because clay needs too much water in the summer, and ceramic is pricey.

I chose four plants for this pot. For the upright plant I chose a salvia, for the mounding a euphorbia, another mounding a geranium, and for the trailing a sweet potato vine. All are sun-loving plants. I use Miracle-Gro Potting Mix for all my potted plants. I don't like the Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix because it forms a crust if the soil dries out.

The pot had no drainage holes, so I drilled five. Never plant in a pot without drainage holes. You end up with a muddy mess if you tend to over water.

Place broken clay pot pieces over the holes so the soil stays in the pot. 

Add a small amount of potting soil and gently firm down. Place the plants, still in their pots, to decide on the best placement.

Gently remove the plants from their pots. If the plant is root bound (the roots are tightly packed in the pot), you need to rough up the roots a little. If especially tight, I will even use a knife to slice down through the roots. Place the plants in the new pot, and add potting soil, making sure to press firmly around each root ball. Continue to add soil to about one to two inches from the top.

Water well with a gentle spray. You don't want to wash the soil out of the pot.

Now, just a few days after planting. Looks like the deck needs to be pressure washed! Please excuse the dirt where there should be grass. My hubby just finished installing a sprinkler system in the backyard. Now I won't have to spend every day this summer moving around a sprinkler! I just have to push a button. He amazes me with everything he can do!

Now, I'll sit back, relax, and enjoy the results of our hard work. Why work so hard to make a beautiful yard, if you don't take time to enjoy it?  Relax!

Linked to Centsational Girl's Outdoor Ideas Party.

Pin It