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How to plant a simple and beautiful container garden

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When I was a little girl I enjoyed spending summer afternoons gardening with my dad. We would plant flowers in the front and back yards and create container gardens to brighten up the front porch and back deck.

Shortly after E and I purchased our house, I started gardening. I find that flowers brighten our home and enhance the curb appeal. Seeing the beautiful blooms when I walk up to the house instantly brings a smile to my face.

Learn how to plant a simple and beautiful container garden. Take a look at this step by step guide from The Professional Mom Project.

Personally, I find the potted flower combinations available at garden centers or Home Depot to be rather expensive. Rather than purchasing them, I choose to plant my own because I like the idea of being able to pick my own flowers and colors.

Creating a simple and elegant container garden just takes a few easy steps and you’ll have beautiful flowers all summer long (just remember to water them).

Supplies Needed to Create your Container Garden:

Please note, this post contains affiliate links. If you purchase one of the items I will receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. For more information please see the Disclosure page. 

getting ready to plant a container garden

Soil – choose a potting mix
Plant food – choose one specifically for flowers
Small shovel
Gardening gloves
Watering can
Containers to put the plants in (make sure they have at least one hole in the bottom for drainage)
Flowers

Step One:

Decide where you’ll be placing your container garden when it’s finished. This step is important so that you can choose the proper pot size and the right types of flowers. Different flowers thrive in different conditions and you’ll need to consider these conditions.

If your location is sunny for most of the day, choose plants that require “full sun”. Some “full sun” loving flowers include petunias, calibrachoas, begonias and geraniums.

If your location is very shady, look for plants that grow in the shade such as impatiens, lantanas and ferns.

Our front porch is very hot and sunny in the afternoon but cool and shady in the morning. After a fair bit of trial and error in previous years, this year I decided to focus my search on “full sun” plants.

It’s also a good idea to choose plants of varying heights with different propensity to spread. I usually choose one taller flower and one plant that will spread across the pot and hang down (such as ivy). I find this adds interest. You can also decide whether to plant flowers that are all the same colour or a variety of colours. This year I chose to go with a bright and fun mix of pink, yellow, light green and purple.

Ready to plant an easy container garden

For my container garden I chose zinnias, hibiscus, sweet potato vine and lobelia (I think those are the little purple ones). The zinnias are tall and the sweet potato vine and lobelia will spread nicely as the plants grow. I also decided on a square black pot since it matches the style of our home and porch railing.

Step Two:

Create a mock up of your planter to see where to place the different flowers. In my mock up you can see that all of the plants are still in their containers so I can change them around to see how different options will look.

container garden mock up

Step 3:

When you’ve decided where to place your flowers in the pot, fill up around half of the pot with potting soil. Then spread the plant food on top of the potting soil.

potting soil prepared for the container garden and with plant food sprinkled on top

Step 4:

Once the new container is prepared, take the flowers out of their small containers carefully. I find the best way to do this is by turning the flower upside down, holding the stem of the flower between your fingers and then gently squeezing the plastic and taking the plant out of the pot.

When the plant is out of the pot, gently separate the roots a bit at the bottom. Then place the plants in the container where you ultimately want them to be.

Gently separate the plant roots before placing the plant in the planter

place the plants in the container garden pot

Once you’ve placed your plants in the pot fill the rest of the pot with the remaining soil. Make sure to check all of the different corners to see if they’re full. Once you’ve filled up the pot with soil, give the plants a good watering so they can settle into their new home.

Keep a close eye on your container garden. Depending on how hot and dry your location is you may need to water your flowers once a day to keep them healthy and happy.

Planting your first container garden? Check out this step by step guide #gardening #homedecor Click To Tweet

Do you enjoy planting? What are your favourite flowers to use?

PMP

 

How to plant a beautiful and simple container garden to add colour and life to your porch this summer! Perfect DIY container garden for beginners to start with.

Comments

  2. I think this is a pretty smart idea to maintain container garden at your home. Those who have not much space can do this easily, I do not have much space in my apartment but I can grow plants this way.

    Reply

  6. Beautiful job! You are so right – the containers they sell at the big box stores are outrageously expensive, and it’s so easy to make your own. Beautiful job, I love how you used the zinnias, they add such color!

    Reply

  10. Nicole, I saw this post on the #overthemoon link up. I’d like to include a link to in in the blog post I’m sending out this weekend. I’m trying to encourage my non-blogger readers to look over all the links in the link party by showing them up front some of the great links from the week before. Will you please send me a .jpg of one of these pictures to include in this weekend’s post? If you don’t mind, you can send it to cathy@mysideof50.com. Thanks!

    Reply

  11. This is lovely, Nicole! It’s just so perfect if for those who don’t have a lot of space, but want to garden either way. Thanks for sharing this with us on #shinebloghop this week 🙂

    Reply

  17. This is a great guide for the clueless 🙂 I also find the pre-potted ones SO overpriced….this year I made allllll my own containers. We started our plants from seeds we saved last year, and so I couldn’t tell what colors I was putting it which baskets this year… it’s very eclectic on my deck LOL. But I saved like 300$… totally worth it and they’re still pretty.

    Reply

  19. This really makes me wish I had a garden or even somewhere for potted plants. Nicole these are some really useful and helpful tips for people like me who have no idea what we are doing. Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next Sunday.xx

    Reply

    • Hi Melissa – glad you found the post helpful. In the fall we’ll be raking all of our leaves up here in Canada 🙂 not as much fun as planting a container garden that’s for sure!

      Reply

  21. Very pretty. I have yet to garden at all this year. I think I will pass. Our summers are so short, but these are pretty. I wanted to thank you for putting a click to tweet in your post. So much easier to share 🙂 Which I love to do. #KCACOLS.

    Reply

  22. I love this post! I’m so glad that I got the opportunity to visit with you today because I’ll definitely be following your helpful instructions. Thanks so much for sharing! GOD bless you, beautiful friend! 🙂

    Reply

  23. Great tips! I’m terrible for just lobbing a plant into a container with very little thought. I’m excited about sprucing up our new house with beautiful container displays. I would have just bought them but think I’ll try your way instead. #KCACOLS

    Reply

  24. I’ve pinned to read in a bit more detail over the week – I really want to sort out garden out (well, gardens, including the front), and I don’t have a clue where to start out. As a kid the only plant I ever managed not to kill was my cactus… 🙂 #KCACOLS

    Reply

  27. Oh pretty!I’m not really in to gardening but this looks pretty easy and like a great way to brighten up your garden xx #KCACOLS

    Reply

  28. We have just started doing our own planters for our garden after just purchasing our house. We have never had a garden to plant in before. You are right shop bought planters can be expensive and not very inspiring. I have been buying pink and orange dahlias and gerberas they are so beautiful and bright #KCACOLS

    Reply

  32. Your pot looks lovely. I have a balcony and loads of pots on it – so many pots in fact that there is barely room for my chairs. Pen x #KCACOLS

    Reply

  34. Love your step by step instructions. I’ve been gardening and planting for years, but it’s nice to see other suggestions. Thanks so much for sharing at Your Inspired Design Link Party.

    Reply

  36. This is useful for me as I’m rubbish at gardening and need this kind of step-by-step guide! We don’t have a garden as such, just some pot plants at the front of the house. I’d really like to grow herbs, perhaps in a vertical garden maybe. Thanks foe sharing! #weekendblogshare

    Reply

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