Planting Your Pots

Planting pots can be a wonderful, RELAXING thing! I love it! I look forward to it every year and can't EVER HAVE ENOUGH flowers. This is a step two of the first post Helpful Guide to Getting Your Flowers.

In another life - before I found my niche and love of colors, garden, hard work, and dirt.... I used to get stressed, irritated and overwhelmed, bored with planting. And honestly, it takes a while to get them planted - even saying this now!

I thought I would show you how I plant my pots to help you maybe find an easier way to planting yours! I also happen to think it's much faster then how I used to plant.

Here WE GO!
GET YOUR....
- Pots
- Medium Bark - some people use peat moss. You can get the bark in bags ... that's what I do.
- Potting Soil. I LOVE Miracle Grow's Moisture Control. I also use stuff from the Nursery I go too.
- Flowers
- Water
- A comfy SHADY place to plant!

During the Helpful Guide to Getting Your Flowers we talked about how I just buy the flowers because I love them. When I get home I count my pots and look at size and set the flowers out in coordination of my pots. I planted 11 for the front porch so I had 11 piles of flowers. I could get crazy talking about how I stack my pots and not to make sure you have too many of one color or kind for that stack....but that's a different time...

FIRST THING YOU'LL DO...(Pic 1 -above) depending on the size of your pot, you will add an inch to a couple few inches of bark at the bottom. I like bark because it's cheap and doesn't take a whole ton. We use this to help take the space in the pot... saves a little soil and also to help with moisture.

NEXT (Pic 2 above), you'll add a little potting soil. I usually stir up the top layer of bark with the little potting soil we just added.

THEN fill the pot (Pic 3 above). I stop about half way to help lightly pack. By lightly I mean, don't stand in the pot to pack it down! Just take your fingers and poke down...mostly the edges. Leave an inch or two from the top of your pot.

FOR THE FLOWERS (Pic 4 above). I put one flower in at a time, I put dirt around it, grabbing from the pot itself. By the time you add your last flower or two you'll need to surround it with soil from the bag.

Be CAUTIOUS of how much dirt you're filling the pot with. Keep in mind that it's loose and will run over. It's best to leave a 1/2 an inch to an inch from the top. This way when you water for the first time you don't lose half your pot of soil! AND REMEMBER the surrounding that you're putting your flowers in.... Whether they're sun or shade and where they will be living.

HAPPY PLANTING. If you've already planting... then TRY it next time or GO GET MORE - like I always end up doing! :)