Planters 101

Planters 101

Planters For Beginners

Planters are one of the most common elements in the garden, and tall planters are one of the most elegant ways to display smaller plants throughout the home. In this article we wanted to write some advice and info for those new gardeners who haven’t yet made the foray into gardening and are just now beginning their journey with little to no knowledge. This blog post is simply a barebones look at where to place planters, how to plant in them, what plants to look for and why, and how to arrange planters.

Placing Your Planters

Placing your planter is one of the most important parts to starting your gardening journey. These planters can be the perfect ways to accentuate different parts of your home, bringing height and depth to new spaces. Let’s take a look at a few of the locations a planter can be placed to take the space you are filling to another level.

Placing your planter is one of the most important parts of starting your gardening journey

Doorways & Entryways

The first place that you might look to fill with a planter is any door or entryway. The entry to your home is the first presentation of the homeowner to visitors, so having something that really brings your artistic expression to the forefront is a must. A tall planter will give the doorway depth and an elegance when the planter is full of glorious plants.

Creating Vertical Space

The second place to look at would be any room that you want to add height to. One of the wonderful illusions of a planter is the height that they seemingly add to the room, any space that feels a little smaller than it should can be instantly remedied with these planters (Make sure that you have a drip tray or some other device to catch excess water if this space is indoors!).

In The Garden

The next place to add planters seems a little obvious, but they are definitely made for the garden. Throw a planter in the garden to elevate certain plants or to contain plants that might have a tendency to spread and choke out others. This is also the perfect way to separate things like vegetables, herbs, or fruits from flowers and shrubs.

Backyard & Patio

Finally consider adding these planters to your back porch or patio. This tactic adds more character to your backyard whether you plan on using this space to entertain or not. Finding the perfect combination of planters can add different tiers of plants and flowers bringing them to eye level or above.

How To Plant In Them

Filling your planter is the next step to completing your task once you have found the perfect location. Often a tall planter will seem like quite the challenge to fill with soil and move to the right spot, however the process is not quite as complicated as it may seem at first glance.

Stabilizing The Planter

One of the most important things to realize when filling a tall planter is that the entire planter will not be completely filled with soil. This technique is simply not practical as the amount of soil that would be needed is excessive, and the planter will often become top heavy and will be at risk of tipping. To protect your planter from tipping, it will be necessary for you to add several heavy items, such as heavy rocks, bricks, concrete blocks. These heavy objects will keep the planter anchored and protect all your hard work. After this, there will likely be some empty space that you can fill with something like straw or styrofoam, before either adding your planter insert or soil directly into the planter.

To protect your planter from tipping, it will be necessary for you to add several heavy items

Planting Inserts

Check if your planter comes with a planter insert or not. While H Potter provides planter inserts with each of its planters, other planters may not come with a planting insert that will decrease the amount of soil that you will have to dump into the planter. If you have the planter insert, you will simply be able to fill the insert with soil and add your plants to the insert. Slide the insert into the top of the planter and you are ready to enjoy your planter.

Finishing Planting

If your planter does not have an insert, go ahead and fill the rest of the space with soil and then add your plants directly into the filled planter. Make sure that the soil is settled so that your plants will not completely disappear under the edge of the planter after you have watered your plants and the soil has naturally settled.

What Plants To Look For

The final steps to finish preparing your planter for the spring season is to find the right plants that will take your planter to the next level. Look for a couple different types of plants or flowers to add to your planter to really get the most out of your planter space. This may involve a mixture of crawling plants and vines, with flowers, or another taller centerpiece.

Factoring In Sunlight

When choosing flowers or plants for the planter, consider first where you have located the planter. The amount of sunshine that the planter will receive throughout the day may impact the types of plants that you put in the planter. Some plants and flowers will thrive off of large amounts of sunlight and wither in the shade, while for others the opposite can be true. For this reason you will want to make sure that you don’t plant a sun-lover in the shade, or a shade-lover in the sun.

You will want to make sure that you don’t plant a sun-lover in the shade, or a shade-lover in the sun.

Choosing Colors

Next look for a color that particularly blends or contrasts well with your outdoor or indoor space. This facet of planting will only add to the dynamic setting of the space as the colors should make the planter pop as much as possible so look for something that will harmoniously add to the space you are decorating.

Arranging The Planter

Arranging your planter is the final thing to do now that you have completed the first three steps. Oftentimes when planting, gardeners will choose to have a centerpiece, a filler, and a spiller. The centerpiece is often a taller and larger plant that sets a strong background, the filler is often some smaller flowers that will fill the interior space of the planter around the centerpiece, and the spiller is often a vine that spills over the edges of the planter.

Your Own Artistic Freedom

Other options may include adding simply one type of plant that you really enjoy and want to have in your home space. It may also include adding different decorations to the interior of the planter to give it a taste of your own personality and gardening style. The main point here is to say that some professional gardeners have ways that they always decorate, but allow your creativity to have free reign over what goes in your own planter!

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