P-L-A-N-T for Flower Power!

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Dr. Mark Miller & Donna Moramarco

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Photo Credit: Mary Ann Patterson

With good planning and care, you can enjoy a gardening season that’s bloomin’ beautiful!

You’ve dreamed about a colorful, bloom-filled garden, and you’ve spent good money on the plants that are supposed to make that dream a reality – of course you want to get the most out of your investment! No matter if you’ve got annuals for one season, perennials or woody plants for many seasons, or container plants on your patio, to keep your blooming beauties performing their best, all you have to do is remember “P-L-A-N-T!”

Planting

Lighting

Agua (Water)

Nutrients

Trimming

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Planting: After digging and amending your planting hole, place your plant inside it, making certain that the crown is level with the sides of the hole. Backfill around the sides of the root ball and press the soil firmly – but not compactly – against it.

Planting properly is the first step toward enjoying a happy, healthy, blooming garden. To plant, dig a hole twice as wide as the plant’s root ball and the same depth as the root ball. You want to make sure that the crown of the plant (where the stem meets the soil) is not planted any deeper than ground level. If you’re planting a larger species, be sure to rough up the edges of the hole to allow the plant to more easily send out its roots into the unaltered ground.

Incorporate compost or composted manure into the hole at planting time – just add the compost and/or manure to the pile of soil dug up from the hole (the “backfill”) and then mix it all together (like tossing a salad). Set the plant in the hole, again making certain that the crown is level with the sides of the planting hole – not deeper! Fill in the hole with your backfill.

Place around 2-3 inches of mulch around your plant, leaving a little space around the stem or trunk. (Some people like to also create a raised ring of soil approximately where the hole’s edge was. This allows water/rain to sit in the ring, watering your plant slowly without running off. If you do this, mulch over the soil ring, too.) Water deeply after planting.

Facts

Containers and hanging baskets dry out much quicker than if your plants are in the ground. They may need almost daily watering if in full sun or there hasn’t been any rain.
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Tips

When planting in poorly drained or occasionally flooded soil, try digging a little deeper than the plant’s root ball requires and create a small mound in the middle of the hole. Place the plant on the mound, then put in the backfill. That way when there’s extra water, it’ll sit around the plant like in a moat rather than having the plant sit in a pool of water.
Home gardeners are often told to “water thoroughly,” but what does that really mean? If you’re watering a container garden, a thorough watering means the water should start to come out of the drainage hole in the bottom of the pot. If you’re watering in the garden, thorough and deep watering encourages plant roots to grow deeper rather than on the surface, and helps the plant cope with drought.

Come to The Garden Party and share your planting accomplishments with the rest of our Learn2Grow community! Post some pictures of your blooming garden, create a blog, or ask our experts or other home gardeners for more great tips and ideas on flower gardening.

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