Container Gardening Made Easy!!
Three EASY words: THRILLER, FILLER AND SPILLER. If you can remember these three funny words, you can master container gardening!!
This is going to be another beautiful Spring weekend. In Nashville, there are pop- up annual shops everywhere, and great selections at Home Depot and Lowe’s. Don’t forget your neighborhood nurseries, too!
Here is an easy guide to planting gorgeous containers for your front porch, back patios and pool decks.
Step 1: FIND THE RIGHT CONTAINER. Planters or containers will cost anywhere from $19.95 to hundreds of dollars. Make sure that it drains well and choose one according to your budget.
Step 2: Place some SMALL PEBBLES in the bottom of the container.
Step 3: TIP: ALWAYS USE FRESH POTTING SOIL. Don’t recycle potting soil for best results. Always use fresh potting soil because fresh soil retains moisture better and has better nutrients.
Step 4: TIP: SOME ORGANIC GARDENERS PUT AN EGG IN THEIR SOIL. When the egg breaks down, it adds more nutrients to the soil.
STEP 5: THE THRILLER! Think of your “thrillers” as exclamation points! These are your tall, linear plants that add height to your arrangement. Salvia, Lavender and Ornamental grasses make great THRILLERS. These are planted in the middle of your planter.
STEP 6: THE FILLER! I love, love, love geraniums. Nothing says home to me more than a pot of sunny, happy red geraniums!
STEP 7: THE SPILLER! Ivy, creeping Jenny make excellent “spilling” plants from the side of a container.
A good rule of thumb is (2) Thriller plants planted in the center, (2) larger potted Fillers, planted on each side of the Thrillers, and (3) to (4) smaller Spillers planted at the corner of the containers. SEE HOW EASY THAT IS???
Happy home gardening!!
