How to Care for Flowers in Pots, Planters, and Whiskey Barrels

Its time to add a pop of color to your outdoor space. Hanging baskets, pots, planters, and whiskey barrels of annual and perennial flowers are the perfect choice for adding color to your home and gardens for the entire growing season.

Are you struggling to keep your container flowers alive? Garden centers do not have a secret formula for keeping their flowers bright and beautiful. They follow a few simple steps that you can too. Let's dig in...

Choosing a Container for Your Flowers

There are thousands of different sizes and types of containers available from large whiskey barrel planters to clay and plastic pots. Choose one that will enhance your garden design weather it be formal urns in front of your house or wooden window boxes of geraniums for rustic charm. Regardless of what you choose, MAKE SURE THERE IS A DRAINAGE HOLE IN THE BOTTOM OF YOUR CONTAINER. It sounds a little bit counterintuitive right? Why would you put a hole in the bottom of the planter? Won't the water just drain out? Exactly! Proper drainage is a must in container plants even houseplants. Plants need evenly moist soil, not a lake in the bottom of their pot. It is hard to maintain moisture throughout the container without excess water filtering to the bottom. Excess water collecting in the bottom of a pot rarely gets used up by the plants roots. This eventually creates a toxic sludge that slowly poisons the plant. This can begin rather quickly after a heavy rain. Drainage holes can be easily added to any container with a drill and bit. If you don't own a drill or are not comfortable operating one, most local hardware stores will drill it for you.

Its always beneficial to move your container into a garage or barn during the winter. Planters made out of plastic or clay will crack if exposed to freezing and thawing. Wooden whiskey barrels will eventually rot. Removing the soil at the end of the season and storing the container in a dry location will help keep it looking new.

Choose the Right Plants

Choosing the right flowers for your location is important in growing beautiful container flowers. Think about where your planters are going to be located. Some flowers such as petunias will flower very little on a shady porch. If you're planting in a pool area or near a paved driveway, choose flowers that can handle heat. Leafy foliage such as coleus and ferns can burn in full sun.

Most garden centers are excellent at putting tags in their plant pots that outline care instructions and useful growing information. Be sure to read them before selecting the plant. Key information about how big the plant will grow, and its preferred growing conditions are often listed on the tag. Sometimes only a picture of a little sun, blackened out sun, or partially blackened sun is on the tag. These represent full sun, shade, and partial shade. ​ There are thousands of ideas for designing perfect container gardens for your outdoor space. Some people prefer simplicity with one single type of plant surrounding foliage spikes. Others like myself prefer overplanted containers with spilling sweet potato vine or creeping Jenny mixed in with interesting leaf textures and filler plants. Another great addition is adding an herb garden near your grill or outdoor kitchen for easy cooking access or for making mixed drinks. Whatever your design preference, choosing the right plants for your location is the best way to ensure a beautiful outdoor living space.

​Soil

Some planters are huge and require a lot of soil that your plant roots will never need. If I'm planting in a large container, I usually fill the bottom of the barrel or container with the plastic pots the flowers came in. This saves me from adding unnecessary potting soil to fill up the space.

Container flowers will chow down on nutrients and can deplete the soil in a planter rather quickly. It's important to add new potting soil every season. There are several kinds available at any garden center or hardware store. I exclusively use Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Soil for flowers. I've found this soil retains moisture better than most and buys the homeowner time between watering. Be sure to thoroughly water plants and potting mix when creating your arrangements. ​ If your containers are light in weight, I always advise adding a few stones to the bottom of the planter especially if you are planting tall plants. This helps anchor the pot so it isn't blown over on a windy day.

Fertilizing

Many potting soils contain a slow-release fertilizer leaving you to believe that no extra fertilizer is needed. This is a common misunderstanding. Container flowers need a lot of fertilizer to keep blooming consistently. In a nursery, water soluble fertilizers are often incorporated into the irrigation system giving the plants a continuous supply of nutrients to remain bright and beautiful so shoppers can't resist. It's important to continue fertilizing once you take them home. I use Miracle-Gro Water-Soluble All-Purpose Plant Food. I like this fertilizer because it's easy to use and gives consistently great results. I just add a scoop to my watering can about every 10 days. Easy-peasy.

Water-soluble fertilizers in container flower gardens are recommended over granular fertilizers because they are absorbed immediately by the plants.

Red geraniums

Watering

Container flowers require a lot of water especially in full sun. Many flowers especially hanging baskets will need to be watered almost daily. In my hometown in upstate NY, we have monster hanging baskets of petunias dangling from the lampposts. A man from the water department waters them every morning with a long wand attached to a tank. I'm assuming they give him a day off occasionally because by the end of a long holiday weekend, the flowers are visibly drought stressed. Some flowers will recover nicely after being rehydrated but many will not. Keep this in mind if you go away on vacation.

Overwatering kills just as many flowers as underwatering. Having a drainage hole at the bottom of your container reduces the risk of overwatering. However, shade-loving plants such as new guinea impatiens can still be at risk of overwatering even with proper drainage. Shaded areas are often the last last place to dry out leaving your plants in a constant state of moisture. Too much can initiate disease and decay. Signs of overwatering are yellowing or mushy leaves that drop or rot.

Tips for Keeping Your Flower Containers Watered When You Travel

Maintaining beautiful flower containers is difficult if you travel. Its sad to come home from a relaxing vacation and find all your plants dead. If you don't have someone watering for you while you are away, these tips will help keep your plants alive until you're back to care for them.

Moving your Plants to a Protected Location

Direct sunlight with a light breeze will quickly dry out your containers. If you're going to be away for a few days and you have no other options, sometimes moving your flower containers to a shadier location were they are shielded from wind and direct sunlight can save your plants from drying out too much while you're gone.

Add a Saucer or Plate of Water Underneath Your Planter

If your plants are established and your container isn't too large, a plate or saucer of water underneath your container can create a self watering system that your plants can freely use as needed.

Mulch

Mulch is excellent at retaining moisture even in container gardens. A few handfuls of mulch spread evenly over exposed soil is a great way to help retain moisture in your planter.

Do It Yourself Irrigation Bottle

A simple plastic bottle can easily be made into a self watering irrigation system. Remove the cap from the bottle and punch a hole in the cap with a nail or drill bit. Fill the bottle with water and place the cap back on. Water your planters thoroughly then place the bottle upside down with the cap inside the soil. As the soil dries out, water from the bottle will slowly drip into the soil. If your container is large, you may need several water bottles.

Self-Watering Pots

I recently became aware of self-watering pots. I never tried them myself, but I know people who have, and they swear by them for both indoor and outdoor plants. There are hundreds of styles and sizes available.

One thing to keep in mind if you do use these self-watering pots; newly planted flowers have small root systems. The roots may not reach the water well in the planter for the first month. You may need to water regularly until the plants become established. And don't forget to PULL the drain plug on the bottom so your plants aren't floating after a heavy rain.

Water Storing Crystals

Water storing crystals can be purchased at most garden centers. I use these in plantings when I know my customer is going to be unable to water regularly. Follow the directions carefully when adding these to your pots because adding too many of these can launch your plants out of their containers which I find both terrifying and intriguing.

Deadheading

Deadheading is the process of removing old flowers to make room for new ones. Plants put a lot of energy into flower production even when the flowers are past their prime. By removing spent flowers, the plant can better channel its energy into producing new blooms.

Some flowers benefit from regular deadheading while others shed the spent flowers on their own. Geraniums, marigolds, zinnias, and Gerber daisy are examples of flowers that benefit from regular deadheading. Simply cut or pinch off the stem of the spent flower and discard. Be sure to not cut into a new flower bud.

Petunias, a spike, and trailing dusty miller

Let's Recap

You can grow spectacular container flowers just like the garden centers. Follow these simple steps...

-Choose the correct plants for your location

-Make sure your container has a drainage hole in the bottom

-Add new potting soil every season and water it thoroughly when adding it to your containers.

-Fertilize every 10 days

-Don't let your plants dry out. Water regularly

-Deadhead spent flowers