“I Want That For My Patio or Porch!”

Container planting is the new hot trend for landscaping! Landscaping can be laborious, but with this guide you can take ordinary pottery, add a combination of lovely annuals, perennials, tropicals and find the best location for your beautiful container. Watch your patio, porch, or outdoor living area turn into a kaleidoscope of splendid color! Well look no further, Northeast Nursery supplies everything you need to make your next container into the best in the neighborhood. For great results follow our step by step instruction guide for planting your container:

Step 1:  Selecting Pottery

There is a large selection of pottery available, and we can help you find just the right piece for your container planting.

Containers available:

Pottery can be as large or small as you want because it is all about your vision.

Step 2: Choosing Your Location

Choosing your location in your yard is important because you need the right plants for the right locations. The following are the criteria to help you create your masterpiece:

Full Sun, Part Sun, or Shade?

• Full Sun is considered 6 or more hours of sunlight
• Part Sun is considered 4 to 6 hours of sunlight
• Shade is considered less than 4 hours of sunlight

Dry or Moist?

• Locations that are beaten on by the sun often dry out quicker than moist locations
• Moist areas often hold water longer and the soil will often seem damp to touch
• What plants like dry or moist soils?
  • Plants like Sedum or Lantana like hot areas with drier soil
  • Plants like Hosta or Begonias like moist areas and soil
• Is your Pottery made of clay?
  • Clay absorbs moisture more than any other pottery type
  • Plastic pottery can heat up during the summer months

Step 3: Selecting Your Flowers

When selecting your plants to add that spectacular color to your container. Create with the best selection of attractive annuals, perennials, and tropicals by understanding each group of plants:

Annuals – Lives for one growing season

• A wide variety of colors:
  • Red, purple, white, peach, yellow, blue, and more
• Leaf color like Dusty Miller or Licorice
• There are many combinations of mixed colors:
  • You can use white, green, and silver
  • You can use yellow and red
  • You can use red, white, and blue
  • And Much MORE, be creative
• Remember to use colors within their own hues.

Perennials – Comes back every year

• A wide variety of colors:
  • Flower Color; similar to annuals
• Leaf color like Hostas or Heuchera
• There is a large variety of color combinations
• Remember to be creative with your color selections

Tropicals

• Excitement in hot temperatures
• Canna Lily, Banana Plant, Jasmine, Bougainvillea, Tropical Hibiscus, Elephant Ears, Mandevilla, Dracaena, etc.
• Use for Focal Points

Mix Annuals, Perennials, and Tropicals for the best container displays.

Other criteria to remember when selecting color such as leaf texture, plant structure, and layering.

Leaf Texture:

• Large or small
• Large like Geraniums or Hosta or Canna Lily
• Small like Bacopa or Groundcover Sedum
• Many plants offer different textures so study the plant to determine what it offers

Plant Structure:

• Spike-like as Dracaena
• Conical as Dwarf Alberta Spruce
• Drooping as Licorice
• Sprawling as Lantana. Mounding as Begonias
• Shrub form as Boxwood
• Spiral as Spiral Juniper

Layering is an important criteria to consider:

• Layering is the arrangement of plants from the edge to the center in the container while planting
• There are three layers:
  • Outer layer is often for drooping plants
  • Middle layer is often for plants that are not as big as the focal point
  • The center point is often the focal point
• The focal point is made for larger plant than the rest of the container
• Use Perennials for middle and outer layers

Exposure:

• Exposure is how much light a plant receives from the sun. Here are some examples of what to use: 
• Shady Locations:
  • Perennials: Astilbe, Hosta, Heuchera, etc.
  • Annuals:  Begonia, Coleus, Impatiens, etc.
• Sunny Locations:
  • Perennials: Coreopsis, Echinacea, Rudbeckia, etc.
  • Annuals: Dahlia, Dusty Miller, Zinnias, etc

Step 4: Installation

Installation is a very simple task, but you must consider the following: 

• Select your soil-less mix:
  • Fafard Container Mix, Fafard Organic Mix
  • Soil Moist or Shultz +
  • Add to help with water retention
• Organize your selected plant material by layers
• Fill container with soil-less mix
• Use broken pottery or crushed stone to use as weight and aeration for the bottom of the container
• Go Green: Use recycled, crushed empty soda cans as a light weight aerator
• Plant green goods into the soil-less mix only to the base of the plant
• Do not cover the base of the plant to prevent anaerobic conditions
• Use Pot Toes to help with air circulation
• Pot Toes come in all sizes, shapes, and colors
• Match the Pot Toes to your container or what looks best

Step 5: Enjoy your creation!

• Your creative art is complete and now you can enjoy your container for months to come.
• There are endless possibilities with your containers so let’s work together to create a beautiful world of color!

Other Important Notes

Fertilizing:  

• Remember to fertilize regularly to help promote healthy plant growth
• Use Ozmocote, Neptune’s Harvest, Miracle Gro, Liquid Shultz
• Fertilize every few months for proper nutrition

Flower Maintenance:

• Dead-head flowers at the end of each flower cycle as the flowers fade away to promote abundant flowers throughout the growing season
• Simply pinch the flowers off
• Pinch just at the base of the flower
• Dispose of the flowers in a container or barrel

Containers can be used for Winter Decorations as well!

• Winter decorations can be added to your containers after the growing season is over. You can simply use ribbon, lights, ornaments, and other Holiday decorations to make the holiday season even better!
• Spiral Junipers can be used as outdoor decorations by adding lights, and ribbon to accent your holiday spirit!
• Boxwoods and other evergreens can also be used
• Add cut green goods like pine and balsam and other garlands
• Add attractive berries and branches:
  • Red-twig Dogwood branches
  • Holly or Winterberry adds great berry interest

Weathering Pots For Winter

Protect against the winter temperatures by:

• You can wrap the pottery in burlap or plastic
• You can mulch or use straw to insulate or even bagged goods
• Use Large Containers to protect plants from freezing/thawing
• Keep water/snow away from concrete or like pottery to prevent cracking
• You can overwinter containers in garages, by the foundation of your house, or in a covered location

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