Mary, Mary, quite contrary. How does your garden grow? You may be familiar with the old nursery rhyme about the lady that planted silver bells in a row in the ground. If you are planning a flower container garden, then this will require more care to promote healthy vigorous growth.

Consider Your Container Choices

The first major consideration with flower container gardening is the container itself. They should be deep enough to accommodate the growing plant’s roots. Make sure you are not using a shallow container because it will dry the plant out quickly and stress the flower you have planted. The two considerations needed when choosing a container is the depth of the container and whether there are drainage holes in the bottom. The drainage holes ensure proper drainage so the plant will not drown in water while maintaining proper solubility of the s

oil. You may place some newspaper over the drainage holes to avoid the potting soil from leaking out of the drainage holes during watering.

Fertilize! Fertilize!

Before you plant anything in your container, make sure you add fertilizer into the soil. Slow release fertilizer is the best option because it will continuously fertilize the plant for about three weeks before you have to reapply. It is better to leach the soil of any old fertilizer before adding the new fertilizer to the top of the soil. You can do this by running clean water through the container until it runs out the bottom drainage holes. This should be done continuously until the water is pouring out as fast as it is being poured in.

Cut Your Plants Back

If it seems that your flowers are not doing well in the container, try cutting them back to encourage new growth of the plant. This should also be done for leggy plants or plants that are not bushing out. Once the plant has been cut back, apply liquid fertilizer to the soil, taking care not to touch the plant base. Any blooms or spent areas of the plant should be removed promptly to encourage new flower production.