Here are 5 simple imperative questions you need to ask yourself before heading to your local garden center!

Have you ever been one of those people that is determined to create their own planters? As soon as you get to a garden center, you don’t even know where to start. The hundreds of choices are overwhelming! Well, I can help you stay focused and stay on track, with answering only 5 questions before you even get in your car and drive to a garden center. This year you will be organized and decisive!

1. Will this planter be seen from all sides, or will it just be seen from the front?
This is determined by where you are placing your planter. If its up against your house, it will only be seen from the front. If it’s sitting on a corner of a patio, it will be seen from all sides.

If your planter is only seen from the front, then you will want your tallest plants in back. Then you will want medium height plants in front of the tallest plants. Your low growing or trailing plants will then be placed in front. I sometimes describe this as the ‘waterfall effect’.

If your planters are seen from all sides, then you will want the tallest plants in the middle. You will then want to place your medium height plants in the shape of a triangle, around the tall plants in the middle. The low growing or trailing plants will be planted in a triangle around the medium plants. You are pretty much filling in the gaps between the medium height plants with the low growing trailing plants.

2. Am I willing to spend a lot of time taking care of my planters all summer?

This is something you need to ask yourself. This question will help you determine the kind of plants you want to add to your planter. If you are willing to take time with your planters all summer, then you would be a great candidate for adding more flowering plants to your planters. Flowering plants are more work. You have to ‘dead head’ (pick off dead flowers), fertilize more often(Here is a link to the only fertilizer I use and highly recommend-Osmocote Plus Outdoor and Indoor Smart-Release Plant Food, 8-Pound (Plant Fertilizer). Also ‘pinch’ more often for a full bushy planter. (I go more into detail on pinching in my video and article, ‘How to Create a Monster Basket’ .)

If you aren’t looking to spend a lot of time taking care of your planter all summer, then you are not a good candidate for having a lot of flowering plants in your planter. You would be better off with things that are low maintenance, but still have beautiful color and texture. Such as, Coleus, an assortment of grasses, flowering succulents, cannas, elephant ears, ferns, caladiums, geraniums, etc.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t go with anything flowering, it just means you don’t want to choose flowering plants that need consistent ‘dead heading’. If you don’t ‘dead head’ most flowering plants, they look dead/messy. Luckily, for you, there are a lot of flowering plants that you can use, that don’t need consistent ‘dead heading’. You can always ask someone at your garden center to point you in the direction of flowering plants that don’t need a lot of ‘dead heading’.

3. Will my planter be in full sun, part sun or shade?

When you are shopping for the right plants for your planter, the most important thing to know is if your planter will be in full sun, part sun or shade. This means a great deal to keeping your plants alive.

Full Sun 8+ hours of sunlight
Part Sun 4-6 hours of sunlight
Shade 1-4 hours sunlight

When you know the answer to this question, your plant selection may be split in half. Resulting in an easier decision, because of a smaller selection. You will then be able to focus on just those full sun, part sun or shade plant selections for your planter.

4.What is my color palette this year?

Most people tend to like sticking with just the same 2-3 colors throughout all of their planters and gardens. If this is you, then know those colors before going to your garden center. If you are not a traditionalist, then this is something you do not need to figure out. You should still go knowing what colors look best with your house and landscaping. That is always extremely helpful.

5. How Big is my planter?

Always know the size of your planters when you go pick out flowers. If you can’t remember, then write it down. In fact, you should be writing all of your answers to these questions down on paper. It’s the only way this article will be beneficial for you this spring shopping season.

I always write down my planter sizes. In fact, I even size them up with my arms. When I pick out flowers, I put them all in one bundle and wrap my arms around them. That’s how I know they are all going to fit. Or take white kitchen string and wrap it around your planter, and mark it with a marker. Then, take that with you to the garden center, and wrap it around your flower selections. You will be able to tell right then and there, if you picked out too many or not enough flowers for your planter. These simple techniques will save you time/money.
Lastly, don’t forget to pick up fresh potting soil for your planter! Using top soil is not a good idea in your planter. Top soil retains too much water, which results in your plants retaining too much water. For you, this means, your plants will die from over watering and root rot. (I go more into detail on over watering in my article, ‘The Wilt’) Also, don’t forget to pick up fertilizer. This is key to a successful growing season. Fertilizer to plants, is like vitamins to us. Good luck this planting season!

This what I personally use and recommend for you!