5 Tips For Planting Flowers At Home

Ryan and I were at the farmer’s market this past weekend when I made a suggestion that he help me fill a planter for my deck. He laughed at me (in a most loving way) and assured me that it would probably be dead by week’s end under my supervision. Truth be told, he’s probably right. I have the blackest thumb. Naturally, this encouraged me to learn to become more of a gardener. With today being Earth Day, I couldn’t think of a more appropriate time to share a few lessons I’ve learned so far (all sources are cited below).

1. Pay Attention To Lighting. Before setting out on your planting adventure, it’s a good idea to observe for a few days what kind of sunlight your deck gets, and at what time of day. You’ll want to calculate how many hours of sunshine time it gets, as well as how much of the time it will be in the shade. This will be one of the biggest determining factors in what type of flowers you can purchase.

2. Choose The Right Ingredients. Planting a pretty pot is about more than just picking out the brightest colored flowers. It starts with creating a good home for them – which includes picking out the best soil and pot for your environment. Depending on weather conditions, climate, and location, the suggested types of pots and soils can vary. For an extremely helpful guide on which will work best for you, check out this website here.

3. Find The Perfect Balance. While we are sometimes temped to pick the boldest and loudest flowers we see (okay, maybe that’s just me), it’s usually better to shop with some kind of plan in mind. Start with a “statement” flower in the middle. This should be your tallest. Then working from the middle out, add “filler” flowers that are more low-key and take up space. On the outside, you’ll want to add flowers or greenery that drapes over the edge to finish off your planter.

4. Prep The Flowers. There are a couple of important steps to take before placing your new little babies into their soil. First, gently break up the bottom of the roots. Then, gently pinch off the dead flowers on top. You may hate to toss the blooms before they’ve even made it into the pot, but it will be much better for your plants in the long run.

5. A Secret Tip. Have a big flower pot to fill but don’t want to spend a fortune on soil? I love this trick for taking up space that I found here. Before filling your pot with soil, place a smaller pot upside down inside of the larger pot. Then dump in your soil. Your plant will still have plenty of room to be comfortable and grow, but you won’t have wasted tons of soil. Genius!

*All information can be found here, here, here, and here.