Planting Flowers into Containers
In This Section
In this section, you’ll find complete discussions, explanations, and directions for planting container gardens with flowers, plus how to plant flowers and foliage plants for indoor and outdoor display, including:
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- A overview of the container-planting process, options for choosing containers, and four descriptions of the most commonly used methods for planting containers with flowers.
- Choosing the right soil mediums for planting annual, biennial, and perennial flowering plants into containers.
- Choosing the right soil mediums for planting bulbs in containers.
- How to plant or transplant flowering plants into containers in step-by-step demonstrations with directions and lists of the materials you need.
- How to plant flower and foliage bulbs into containers in step-by-step demonstrations with directions and lists of the materials you need.
- How to plant bulbs in containers for floral displays inside your home in step-by-step demonstrations with directions and lists of the materials you need.
- How to mix and layer flowering plants in containers in step-by-step demonstrations with directions and lists of the materials you need.
- Discussions of the early care container plantings require until plants become established.
On This Page
Here, you’ll find discussions of the following subjects on planting flowers and bulbs into containers beneath each of the following titles:
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- Flower Planting in Containers
- Four Container-Planting Techniques
Flower Planting in Containers
This is your starting point to see demonstrations, methods, and techniques for planting and transplanting flowering plants into containers for indoor houseplants and for outdoor container gardens.
With decorative containers, planting materials and simple hand tools, you’ll learn how to prepare and fill your pots and containers with spring, summer, and autumn-blooming flowering plants and bulbs.
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Flowers in containers depend entirely on you, the gardener, for their survival and health.
Always start with the highest quality seed and with healthy plants and bulbs [see: Preparing to Plant Flowers].
Next, choose beautiful and practical containers that are a good fit for the plants or bulbs you will grow. Carefully wash and prepare each container so that all are both clean and sterile, and they have good drainage [see: Choosing and Preparing Containers].
You’ll provide the soil medium or potting mix your plants and bulbs need for root development, nutrition uptake, and water. There’s lots of variation when it comes to potting soils. Read the bag’s label carefully and compare it to our plant guide advice [see: Annuals Guide and Perennials Guide. Each plant differs in its soil needs, so look at the guide’s Soil tab to find its moisture requirements and proper acid-alkaline balance, or pH.
You’ll find detailed information about the specific soil needs of container flowers and bulbs and how to prepare the right potting mix for your containers [see Soil for Flowers in Containers and Soil for Bulbs in Containers].
With these preparation basics out of the way, it’s time to plant.
Four Container-Planting Techniques
There are many reliable ways to plant containers with flower seed, transplants of young flowering plants, and bulbs.
We demonstrate the four broad categories of methods used by trained gardeners so you’ll have success every time.
In truth, you’ll find that we show you how to plant in more than a dozen different ways, all in just four, easy-to- understand, simple-to-follow pages.
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The two most common methods of planting flowers in containers are sowing seeds in decorative pots and planters, and transplanting young seedlings or older and larger plants into containers [see: Planting Flowers into Containers]. We demonstrate all three of these techniques with clear photographs and descriptive text.
Similarly, there are multiple ways to plant bulbs in containers [see: Planting Bulbs into Containers.] These include single-bulb and mixed-species bulb plantings, along with the technique of layering bulbs by depth.
Bulbs—along with bulbous plants with tuberous or rhizomatous roots—that will grow indoors as houseplants require special planting care [see: Planting Indoor Bulbs].
Lastly, there are several ways to plant larger containers with mixed flower species, combined annuals and perennials, flowers along with shrubs and small trees, and flowering plants with bulbs [see: Mixing Flowers in Containers].
Altogether, you’ll find more than a dozen unique and different ways you can use to plant your own flowers in containers to beautify your home, indoors and outdoors, and in your garden or landscape.
You’ll also find a special and very important page with tips for post-planting care of your container flowers [see: Early Care of Container Plants]
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