How to Arrange Flowers in a Planter

A beautiful planter will add interest and beauty to your landscape. Create a bright spot on your porch with a large pot full of colorful, blooming flowers. Position a container filled with blossoming plants in a corner of the patio or on the garden deck. Fortunately it is not necessary to hire a garden designer or spend a lot of money to have a brightly colored arrangement of growing flowers in your yard.

Things You'll Need

• Planter Potting soil Nursery flowers Garden gloves Trowel Watering can

Instructions

1. 

   Select small potted nursery flowers at a garden center. Read the tag on each plant and choose flowers that have the same requirements for sun, shade or semi-shade. Pick a combination of tall flowers, medium-height flowers and flowering plants that will trail over the edge of the planter.

2. Place the planter in the position in which you will be viewing it most often. This will determine the face side of the flower arrangement. The view from the front face side determines where you place the tall, medium and trailing plants.

3. Fill the planter with loose potting soil up to 2 inches from the top.

4. 

   Pick up the individual flower plants that will grow tallest. Set these nursery flowerpots directly on the potting soil in the center of the container. Set the pots containing flowers that grow to a lower height next to the tall flower plants. Place the edges of the small nursery pots so that they are in direct contact with each other.

5. Slip the nursery pots of trailing flowers into the remaining open areas around the edges of the planter. Ensure that the small nursery pots are in contact with each other.

6. Remove the nursery pots from the potting soil and place next to the planter in the same configuration as they were positioned in the container.

7. 

   Plant the taller flowers in the center of the configuration first. Use a trowel to make small indentions in the potting soil at the middle of the planter. Wear garden gloves to remove the flower plant from the nursery pot and gently spread the roots. Place the flowers into indentions.

8. Make indentions in the planter potting soil around the taller flowers. Take medium height flowers out of their nursery pots and set into these indentions. Place indentions in remaining open areas of soil around the edges of the planter. Set trailing flowers into indentions.

9. 

   Fill a watering can with cool water. Trickle over the entire planter. Allow settling for one hour.

10. Carefully hold the stem of each flower in position. Sprinkle potting soil around the flower plant completely covering the roots and about ¼ inch of the lower stem. Water the entire planted container lightly with the watering can.

Resources

• National Gardening Association's Plant Finder