How to Make your Potted Plants Spectacular
One of the best ways to dress the outside of your home is having beautiful potted plants. From your front patio to your back deck there are so many ways to create interest and beauty and I’m here to give you some tips to make them thrive.
When you put the time, effort and money into adding these outdoor accessories, you want to make sure you do it right and give them the best chance possible at staying beautiful all season, if not all year long. When time allows, I LOVE to have my hands in the dirt and plants/flowers bring me lots of joy so I’m passing along my wisdom along with the mistakes I’ve made so that you can have plants and flowers that flourish.
To get started, gather your supplies with the first decision being what container you’d like to use. Ceramic is my material of choice because there are so many amazing colors and textures as well as the fact that they have thick walls that hold in moisture. You can find them anywhere from a fancy pottery shop, to Homegoods, to Amazon. If you prefer a more light weight material, try a synthetic fiberglass container which is also a great option.
I don’t like to use terra cotta because of the water issue and I feel they are fragile – or maybe I’m clumsy but regardless, I’ve broken more then I care to admit and I read that their porous nature actually steals water from your plants, which is the last thing we want.
Make sure whichever container you decided on, has great drainage. Don’t rely on the hole that comes at the bottom of the pot. Make sure it is a good 5/8 inch so that water doesn’t sit at the bottom of your pot and cause root rot.
Having your pot raised off the ground with pot feet or risers also ensures good drainage and happy plants. You can get this pack of 20 for under $20 on Amazon.
Saucers on the other hand can hold excess water and give mosquitos a place to multiply - nobody wants that. If you need a saucer to prevent stains, make sure to empty that excess water.
Next, grab your dirt. Good dirt is essential for good plants so grab a nice potting soil. If you have a large container and don’t want the expense or weight of filling the whole thing with dirt, you can add some recycled material to the bottom of the container. This could be old milk cartons, plastic water bottles, broken up sticks, etc. These items help fill your container so it doesn’t weigh a million pounds and so you don’t need $40 worth of dirt for one pot. I’ve read conflicting information on whether this is good for your plants or not, but I’ve never had any issues.
If you do choose to fill up part of your container with recyclables make sure you pack your soil. What I mean by that is that after I add my recycled containers, I add about half my dirt - at which point I water it and then literally stand in the pot and compact the dirt. Then I do it a second time. This ensures the soil doesn’t sink after you put in your plants.
I also prepare my soil by adding fertilizing granules before I even start my planting. This means your plants will be well fed from the get go. I continue to feed my plants weekly to make sure they thrive.
Next up is shopping for plants! Make sure you know where you are placing your pots before purchasing your plants. You don’t want to go through all the work and expensive of creating a beautiful pot, only to have the wrong plants it in and they immediately die. So speak to someone at your local nursery if you need advice or check out the plant tags that will tell you if the plant likes sun, shade or can handle a combination. This is really important so don’t get lazy here - make sure you are choosing plants that will all like the same kind of light or else some will thrive and some will die.
The rule of thumb when planting pots is to choose thriller, filler and spiller plants and to plant them in odd numbers.
Your thriller is the tallest plant in the arrangement and is planted towards the back/center of the pot. You can use ornamental grasses or upright flowering plants.
Fillers come next and these guys tend to be more rounded and help the container look full. These are generally placed around the thriller but leave room at the edge of the pot for the the spiller. For sun, think of plants like Pentas, Verbena, Dahlias etc - for shade some of my favorites are New Guinea Impatiens, Begonias, Coleus, Ferns, and Dwarf Hostas.
Your final plant is the spiller and this is the guy who is going to bring the drama and spill over the top of your pot, down the sides. You can use ivy in the shade and potato plants in the sun. You can also use Petunias here and they will give you a pretty flower. If your spiller really starts to thrive, you may even have to give it a haircut so it doesn’t pile up at the bottom of your pot. Don’t be scared to do that - I cut these potato vines weekly!
Have fun when you are making your choices! Think of color and textures and mixing things up. Once you’ve made your purchases - place them in the pots before filling up the remaining dirt and play with how you will arrange them. Below, I’ve linked a TicTok that shows a great planting hack that can help ensure your plants are planted deep enough and have the right amount of soil around them. Makes it alot easier on you too.
Once you have the plants in your pots, give them a good drink three to four times a week depending on where they are and how much sun that get. Potted plants tend to dry out quickly so make sure you are watching them. Also don’t forget to fertilize! I like to feed them weekly with Miracle Grow but use whatever you like best. Then give yourself a pat on the back and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Just remember that this is not a plant em’ and leave em’ type situation. You’ll want to check on them often and make sure they are thriving. If they aren’t, see if the sun isn’t hitting them where you expected, ensure they are getting enough water (but you aren’t drowning them), and make sure animals aren’t trying to buying their treasures in the dirt.
Good luck and enjoy!
