Planter Projects Maintaining a Container Garden
Container gardens are a convenient way to brighten your patio or entryway. And while they’re easy to create, they do require a minimal amount of maintenance to keep them looking their best. A wide variety of container colors and styles are available to suit your taste. Here are a few simple tips to help you keep your container gardens looking attractive and healthy throughout the year.
get startedHere’s What You’ll Need to Get Started
Choose from these planters or others to suit your taste and needs.
Private: HDR 11.5″ Westbourne Bowl, Saddle
11in | 12in
HDR 12″ Square Wicker-Look Planter
12in | 15in
Water Frequently
Containers require frequent watering, sometimes as often as once or twice a day for those in sunny or windy locations. When you water, be sure to saturate all the soil in the pot. Pots that dry out too quickly may have more plants than the amount of soil can handle. You can remove some plants or prune them back and see how the plants thrive afterwards.
Remove Dead Flowers
Keep plants looking healthy and full by pruning leggy stems back to buds or branches. Remove dead and damaged foliage. Many plants continue to produce new flowers if you remove the spent blossoms.
Fertilize Regularly
Frequent watering and the limited amount of soil in container gardens make the need for fertilizer critical. Mix slow-release fertilizer pellets into the potting soil, according to package instructions. Add additional nutrients throughout the growing season by dissolving a water-soluble fertilizer in the watering can once every week or two. Use a one-half to one-quarter strength dilution, or follow package instructions.
Change Plants Seasonally
When the plants begin to look tired and past their prime, replace them with fresh seasonal plants. Grow a succession of plants, such as bulbs in the spring, annuals and vegetables in the summer, and colorful pansies in fall.
