By Camille Brooks
THE JOY OF FLOWERS
I love flowers! Did I mentioned how I wanted to live in a German chalet? Instead I grow flowers in pots, window boxes and hanging baskets in order to create my own delusion. I have had family and friends ask me to share my tips for success. So I thought I would share them in a post so that you might find the joy that comes from growing beautiful flowers.
1. Make sure your pot has drain holes in the bottom. If not, drill some.
2. Put A 2-3 inch layer of gravel or rocks in the bottom of your pot to cover the holes. This will prevent dirt from clogging the holes and will create great drainage. You can buy bags of gravel or just collect them from around your house or the side of the road. T
Window boxes I use iron rakes. I like coconut liners on my patio because they do not leak dirt when I water. I like moss in my from yard because you can lift the moss and insert flowers in to the dirt all around the middle and sides and make it a lot fuller. If you do this with wave petunias they grow down to the ground by the end of the summer.
3. Place the pot where you want it. Make sure your pot can drain properly. If it has bark or gravel underneath it, or if it is an urn with an open pedestal, you are fine.
Important: If the pot is completely flat on the bottom and you put it on a completely flat surface like cement, the pot will not drain. If your pot does not drain your flowers will not grow.
To solve this problem place three small pieces of wood underneath to lift the pot off the ground. I used my children blocks. One year I found some rings to put under my pots at
Walmart. They were made for this purpose and were in the garden center put I have never seen them since. If you find some leave a comment below to help others.
4. Fill the pot and window boxes with potting soil (e.g. Miracle-Grow). Do not use normal dirt. The following year, dig the old dirt out of the pots and window boxes and replace it with new potting soil. It is important to use new potting soil each year. If it is a really big and deep pot, I leave the bottom half with old dirt that has been fluffed up and replace only the upper half with new potting soil.
5. Stir in a capful of a rose and flower care 3 in 1 systemic bug killer and fertilizer. This will help prevent bugs and keep your plants looking great. Put on your calendar to reapply every six weeks. When reapplying, sprinkle around plants and use a long screw driver or stick to stir systemic into the dirt around the plants, then water thoroughly.
6. Fill with the plants you love. Place one in the middle and 3-6 around it, depending on the size of your pot A… window box takes six on top and six around the middle if using moss.
7. Water daily and let pots dry out between waterings. Not too dry. Soil should remain a little moist. Window boxes must be watered every 24 hours and so do most pots. Pick the same time every day, like every night at dinner or every morning after breakfast. If you go longer than 24 hours they will wilt and die .… link When I had children at home, my children watered my window boxes and pots as an after-dinner chore.
8. Fertilize a little bit every day instead of once a week. I use a product called Bloom Boost. I like the liquid kind that attaches to a sprayer. Turn the nozzle to water and soak the flowers, then switch the nozzle to feed. Go across the top with four sweeps. This keeps the plants continually producing new blooms. A little bloom boost daily is necessary to keep wave petunias looking nice.
I hope this is helpful and that you will enjoy beautiful flowers this summer. Share any tips you might have for growing flowers in the comments below. I would love to learn from you! Please share this with anyone who loves flowers.
