Planters and Hanging Baskets

Planting spectacular container gardens is simply a matter of combining three elements: great plant material, quality soil and amendments – our beautiful Northwest summer will take care of the rest.

Start with a good organic potting soil. Soil from your yard will be too heavy; it won’t allow air and water to flow in the container correctly. Add an organic starter fertilizer and a time-released fertilizer such as Osmocote. These will be a steady slow diet for your plants all summer however you will still want to use a good water soluble fertilizer throughout the growing season, especially if the temperatures are cool.

When choosing plant material, look for a combination of different plant shapes, color, leaf texture and size that will compliment each other. Start with 1 larger vertical plant for the center of attention. Fill in around it with plants that grow upright in a compact area like geraniums or heliotrope. Tuck in some trailing foliage, like sweet potato vine or vinca to create visual interest with your flowering varieties. You’ll need enough plants to fill the entire surface of the container. This is an instance when more is better.

The more you feed your annual container garden, the more it will reward your efforts with bountiful beauty. All soils and fertilizers are not created equal, so ask our nursery professionals for their recommendations. Remember, your nurseryman/woman is a gardener just like you. Years of successful container planting yields experienced and professional advice.