Decorating Outdoor Planters
Defining outdoor planters with bright plants and flowers creates a vibrant, colorful design that is visually inviting. Choose tall flowers for the back of the planter and shorter flowers for the front areas for a showy display. In April and May, perennial flowers like spring bulbs begin to emerge to light up the planter with color and texture. Many flowers bloom into fall, especially in warmer climates. Each year, watch as the flowers pop up to transform the outdoor planters into a dramatic and attractive landscape. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Sketch a rough draft of the planter design and make a complete list of everything you need to buy to complete the project, including flowers that thrive within your USDA zone. Set the plants and flowers inside the planter to visualize the design before you actually bury them in the soil. Try different arrangements before you settle.
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Mix three or more of the same plants within the planter to unify the space. Repeating clumps of flowers like daylilies and coreopsis within the outdoor planter helps tie the planter together.
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Place flowers within the same color scheme side by side. For example, mix tall pink peonies in the back of the planter for height, coupled with deep pink Japanese anemone and Bath's Pink dianthus in the front of the planter.
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Plant flowers that have similar characteristics and needs. Choose summer-blooming, drought-tolerant perennials like coneflowers and Russian sage to create an unthirsty, low-maintenance planter. Add drought-tolerant, trailing summer bloomers like verbena along the front and sides of the planter.
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Sprinkle a 1-inch layer of compost at the bottom of each planter and use the shovel or your gloved hands to mix up the compost.
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Remove the plants from their pots and gently shake each plant to remove excess mulch or soil. Space out the flowers according to their maximum width; typically, 5 to 10 inches apart is adequate. Repeat until the planter is filled.
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Take potting soil and fill up the trench until the soil is evenly dispersed around the flowers. Press down gently around each plant to ensure they are secure in the trench.
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Water the planter thoroughly, about 30 seconds per flower. Water daily and until the flowers have become established, which takes at least one week.
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Spread a 2-inch layer of mulch over the soil, keeping a 2-inch ring around the base of each plant free of mulch to ensure water absorption and adequate oxygen.
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Tips & Warnings
Research what plants work best in your specific soil and climate and keep in mind how tall and wide each plant will grow to ensure adequate room in the planter.
Plant drought-tolerant perennials for a low-maintenance border that requires little watering.
References
- Photo Credit Greenery planter image by Charlene Bayerle from Fotolia.com
