This easy how to plant flowers  in pots tutorial will give you that boost of confidence you need. We are going to start with the very basic of basics. No fancy plants, no fancy pairing, just simple plantings of 1 variety per pot.  Pack them in, give them a bit of love and watch them grow.

Low maintenance flower pots

Almost all flower pots need some sort of maintenance. Even a pot full of succulents needs a drop of water every now and then. Remember plants are living things and need water and nutrients to survive. Plants planted in pots need more care than if you planted them in the ground. In pots the soil will dry out a lot quicker, so the plants require more water.  If you decide to plant flowers in pots, be prepared to give them a little attention. These ones here will not require a lot of your time, just a small amount.

Easy flower for full sun

What is full sun? This would be the spot outside your house that gets 6 or more hours of sunlight. The south or west side. This is where the sun would be the most intense during the day. Some flowers or plants that would work well in this area would be

• marigolds
• sedums
• dusty miller
• zinnia

Easy flowers for partial sun

coleus

What is partial sun. This would be the spot outside your house that gets partial sun. Approximately 3-6 hours. Maybe this spot get the morning and noon sun. Varieties of plants and flowers that would work well for this spot would be

• petunia
• coleus
• sweet potatoe vine
• begonia

Easy flowers for shade

What is shade? Shade would be a spot outside your house that does not get very much sunlight at all.  There is not as many things to choose from like the flowers that like the sun but there are a few easy to grow plants.

• impatiens
• begonia
• ferns
• coleus
• lobelia
• polka dot plant

Why you should fertilize your flower pots

There is some potting soil/mix that you can buy that has fertilizer added to it. I would still suggest that you fertilize every so often anyway. Potting soil is not actually soil. Some common ingredients used in potting soil are peat, composted bark, per-lite and sand. Using soil from your garden would result in really heavy pots and the soil would get compacted from the watering. Watering your pots washes the fertilizer over time, out of the potting mix, so this is why fertilizer is needed to feed the plants. If you choose to go an organic route you could use a fish emulsion for your fertilizer. Otherwise Miracle-gro or a similar product would work. Follow mixing instructions from the bottle label.

Average frost free date

What do they mean by frost free date? This is the average date that your growing zone has frost. This is important. For example, if you live in zone 4b like I do and we have a warm spring like we have had so far, you might be tempted to by your annuals for pots and plant them. All of a sudden we get a night that has frost and it kills your plants.  Here is a zone hardiness map for the United States and Canada. Find your zone. You can look up your last frost free date online, by entering ” average frost free date for ( your city and state.)

How many plants do I buy.

That will depend on the size of planter your have. I am going to have you plant your plants 3″ inches apart. So you will have to do a little math. Measure your diameter of the pot and divide by 3. This will be the number you need going across. Then fill in the empty spots every 3 inches.

Supplies

flower pot with drainage holes

potting soil for outdoors

fertilizer

small hand size garden shovel

watering can

garden gloves (optional)

Easy flowers to grow in pots

1. Gather all your supplies
2. Fill the flower pot with potting soil. If you have chosen a large pot, you can put an empty plastic container or two in the bottom, than add the potting soil/mix. This will make it so your pot is not so heavy.
3. Place your plants on top of the soil to get a sense of where they are going to be planted.
4. Start with the center plant. With your hands. Gently squeeze the bottom of the plant container. This helps loosen the plants root. Tip the container on its side and with your free hand gently pull out the plant while squeezing the bottom of the container.
5. Dig a hole approximately the same depth and the root clump and place the plant into the hole. Try and keep the top of the root clump even with the top of the soil. Gently pat the soil around the plant. Continue doing this until all your plants are planted.
6. Using a pair of sharp scissors or snips, cut most of the blooms off of the plants. This step is really hard, however you will have a bushier healthier plant doing this.
7. Thoroughly water the plants.
8. Water your pot everyday. This is a good habit into. It is okay to miss a day here and there, however in the high heat of summer, you will want to water everyday.
9. Follow the directions on you fertilizer for proper mixing and fertilize your pot every week or two.
10. You are going to want to deadhead the spent flowers. Simply use a sharp clean scissors or your fingers and snip off the dead flower. Obviously this would only apply to plants that have blooms.

There are so many easy flowers to grow in pots. Now that you know how to plant flowers in pots, hop to it.

This cut garden plan may be helpful for you, if you are interested in planting a cutting garden.

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