Spring clean!

So after every long interminable winter you finally start getting the hints of warmth that signal it’s time to plant! Today I’m doing a quick refresh of one of my large pots and will cover the simple steps to bring your pots back to their full glory. I’m gardener coo here with Microwave, I mean, Nacho and let's get started. 

So the basic idea for designing any large pot with multiple plants is you want Thrillers, Fillers, and spillers. THis means you want a tall gorgeous plant, a mid height plant to fill up the space, and a cascading plant to soften the edges.

For my thriller today I have this rare Impatien niamniamensis. Say that three times fast! It’s from Uganda and the Congo area in general. It has the most out of this world flowers and everblooming in full shade. See how it’s grown a bit off center last year so I’m just going to rotate the pot to center it again. This is also a good time to prune any errant branches. One of the great things about this plant is the flowers are edible so they make a statement piece on a salad or a superb cocktail garnish. (eat a flower) chew

Chew

Chew

Still chewing?

 For other options for thrillers think Dahlias, Cannas, Snapdragons, even some colored grasses. –Now onto the filler. Today I’m using the bicolored Coleus. I’d tell you the name but I honestly don’t remember it. I bought it so many years ago and have been saving cuttings from year to year. If you have struggled with Coleus in the past just keep experimenting. Different varieties behave differently. I think I tried 10 or 15 varieties before I found one that could grow without heat. Now you want to plant these around the base of your thriller in odd numbers, usually three. Remember, these plants need space to grow in so don’t overcrowd the pot. You do odd numbers because that is always more pleasing to the eye. Good tip for any kind of decorating in your life. Some other options for fillers would be impatiens, nemesias, Pansies, even some colored lettuces would look fab. If you’ve been liking this video please hit like and subscribe.

On to the spillers! Here I have Lysimachia also known as creeping Jenny. For spring I just want to cut off all of last year’s growth, you can already see some new vigorous growth coming from the base. For other options think calibricoas, lobelias, wave petunias, or the beautifully purple Tradscantia.

The last step is nutrition! All these plants used up a ton of nutrients last year so if you want good growth this year you need to supplement them. I’d recommend compost, slow release fertilizer like osmocote, or twice a month liquid fertilization. Avoid any slow release organic fertilizers, these require a whole set of specific bacterias to break down into plant food which just aren’t present in a pot. These are best used in ground only.

Well there you have it, a pot refreshed for spring and ready to start growing for you. I’m gardener coo here with Nacho, now go and plant something!