Grow Beautiful Plants in Pots and Containers
30 guides published
A reliable way to water pots without a calendar: what makes a container dry faster or slower, three quick checks that tell you when it needs water, and how to water so the whole root ball gets wet.
Why soil from the yard packs down and drains poorly in a pot, what the ingredients in a bag of potting mix do, how to read the label and how a good mix should feel in your hand.
A step-by-step way to pick a pot: check for drainage holes, compare materials by how fast they dry and how much they weigh, then weigh up size, color and whether it ever has to move.
New to growing plants in pots? Learn why containers behave differently from garden beds, the five decisions that shape most results, and a small first project that is easy to manage.
An end-of-season guide by task: fall color, clearing spent annuals, storing pots that can crack in freezing weather, and protecting the perennials, shrubs and herbs that stay in containers over winter.
Why pots suffer in hot weather, how to tell heat wilting from a dry pot, simple ways to cool the root zone, and how to set containers up before a week away.
How to tell when it is warm enough to plant your pots in spring: last frost dates, which plants can go out early and which must wait, how to harden plants off, and the jobs to do beforehand.
Arrange pots so a patio, deck or porch looks good and stays usable. Plan around how you use the space and where the sun falls, then apply simple ideas for grouping, height and placement.
Old potting mix can often be used again when the plants in it were healthy. Learn when to discard it, how to refresh it with fresh mix and fertilizer, and what to do with the rest.
Does a tall planter need potting mix all the way down? The honest trade-off of using lightweight filler, which plants should never get it, and the steps for filling a big container properly.
How to remove faded flowers so potted annuals keep producing buds, which plants need it and which clean themselves, how to pinch young plants for bushier growth, and how to trim leggy trailers in midsummer.
A starting point for troubleshooting potted plants: a table of common symptoms with their possible causes, a six-step checking routine, and first steps against aphids, spider mites and slugs.
How to tell when a potted plant has outgrown its container, how to pick the next pot, and the steps for moving it into fresh potting mix, plus what to do when the plant has to stay in the same large pot.
Why potted plants run out of nutrients, what the numbers on a fertilizer label mean, how slow-release and water-soluble feeding differ, and how to spot the signs of too little or too much.
Why potted basil turns tall and thin or collapses, and how to prevent it: warmth, sun, evenly moist mix, and pinching above a pair of leaves so the plant branches and stays bushy.
Which herbs can share a planter, and how to plant them. Two groupings that get along, a sensible container size to start from, and step-by-step planting and early care.
