So You’ll Be The Envy Of The Neighborhood!
Here the Northeast, Spring has sprung and I am super excited about that! I’ll even take sneezing from the pollen that’s everywhere with a smile and a thank you! You see Buffalo gets pretty cold and dark for a lot of months. ( I jokingly call Buffalo the place that sun forgot.) And even though I’m an “indoor type” dude, I go a little nutty from the seemingly endless gray of winter. So, in the spirit of my favorite time of the year, I’m thrilled to tell you how to plant flowers in a big pot so you’ll be the envy of the neighborhood. Pretty bold, huh? Well I’m just that confident that you can rock this simple 5 step process! The best part is it doesn’t matter if you have a big yard or a small patio, you can still use this container gardening technique either way. Let’s get started!
Now to be fair, we literally just planted our pots over the weekend and they haven’t had a chance to really get their bloom on yet, but I promise that if you follow these simple tips, you will indeed have a gorgeous container garden! In the coming weeks, I’ll take pictures of the plants and around the 4th of July, I’ll post a follow up with the before and after shots so you can see the progress, deal? Good!
The First Step Of Planting Flowers In A Big Pot is: Get A Big Pot!
That's obvious, right?... lol! This can be a large planter that you get form the garden center or maybe you have another type of container you want to use? I’ve seen people use old cast iron bathtubs or wheel barrels to plant in. In my yard I have a mix of super streamlined white contemporary planters and some large cement urns that have a much more traditional feel. That’s just what I like – mixing styles. A good rule of thumb is the container should be big enough to make a statement but not so big that the plants would get lost in it.
Step 2 How To Plant Flowers In A Big Pot: Drainage
You’re going to have to place some stuff in the bottom of your pot or container so that you have adequate drainage for the plant roots. The flip side of this is by layering in drainage you won’t use all your dirt to fill your big pot. I like to use stuff that you might find around the house or yard. For example we had some old walk ways removed a few years ago so I put broken concrete from the walk ways in the bottom of my containers. It worked great! I had drainage and weight. In my case, the pots are 3 and a half feet tall and I filled them about half way with the broken concrete. If you don’t have an old walk way you can recycle, don’t worry, you can use just about anything you don’t mind burying in the dirt. Use the plastic containers that the plants came in from the store along with some rocks or scrap wood pieces from the workshop. The most important thing is give your plants some drainage, especially if your pot doesn’t have holes in it.
Step 3, How To Plant Flowers In A Big Pot: Potting Soil
Using good soil is important for the success of your container garden. I like to use Miracle-Gro mixed in with some soil from previous years. This is a great combo because the nutrients that the plants need are in the Miracle-Gro and the old soil from the previous years provides both fill and nutrients as well. Each Fall when we close up the yard, we cover our pots with tarps. My smaller planters go in my larger pots up-side-down under the tarps and on top of the soil. That’s right, I don’t dump my dirt at the end of the season. I save the soil and when Spring arrives we uncover the pots and till the dirt adding in the new potting mix. The whole process takes no time at all!
Step 4 How To Plant Flowers In A Big Pot: The Thrill, The Fill And The Spill
Okay, so this is where the process gets fun. Now that you’ve prepared the pot or container, it’s time to add your plants. This is a great opportunity to get creative with your arrangement. Don’t be afraid to experiment with plants and flowers or other items that will add some drama to your pot. Let's explore the thrill, the fill and the spill.
The thrill is the tall plant or object that typically goes in the center of your pot. It provides height and drama. If you prefer to place it off to the side of your container, then go for it. The important part of the design is the height. I used this 4” Dracaena spike plant. I’ve used it many times over the years and it always grows twice as tall and never disappoints as the thrill of my pot!
The fill is the lower plants that will fill up the pot. They will be smaller than the tall thrill and will typically cover the majority of the pot below your thrill piece. This year I went with these cute little happy hour mix flowers. They bloom in lots of different colors like pinks and yellows and oranges. I also picked up some purple salvia and bright red geraniums. The salvia and geraniums will stand taller than the little happy hours. This will add some extra dimension to the composition.
The spill trails down from the pot and provides a spilling out on to the ground effect. Vines or trailing flowers will do nicely for this. The spill will be planted in between the fill plants. I used this variegated vinca major for my spill. I like the variation in the leaves of this plant but a word to the wise - vincas are notorious for spreading far and wide. I try to keep them from getting too leggy out of my pot because they will take root and spread. They will even find a home in between the cracks in a sidewalk.
Step 5 How To Plant Flowers In A Big Pot: Care and Maintenance
After everything has had some time to grow, you’ll really start to see the drama of the composition take place. Make sure you read the care instructions for your plants so you know which plants like sun and which prefer shade and place your pot or container accordingly. Also make sure to water the plants daily, especially on super sunny and warm days. Don’t forget to feed them some plant food once a week too. I like to use Liqui-Feed from Miracle-Gro. It attaches to my hose and I can feed and water at the same time.
There you have it! A Thrill, a Fill and a Spill is how you plant flowers in a pot so you’ll be the envy of the neighborhood. Try it yourself and let me know how yours turns out? I’d love to hear what you used to create your own amazing Spring container garden!
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Michael is Principal designer and blogger at Michael Helwig Interiors in beautiful Buffalo, New York. Since 2011, he’s a space planning expert, offering online interior e-design services for folks living in small homes, or for those with awkward and tricky layouts. He’s a frequent expert contributor to many National media publications and news outlets on topics related to decorating, interior design, diy projects, and more. Michael happily shares his experience to help folks avoid expensive mistakes and decorating disappointments. You can follow him on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook @interiorsmh.
