Are your combo pots looking tired? Should they just be tossed on the compost pile? Let me show you how to refresh your patio pots!
Stand Back & Watch! – How To Refresh Patio Pots
Whether you call them patio pots, porch planters or combo pots, your outdoor planters are probably ready to be refreshed for the Fall season. Today, I’d like to share a few tips about what to do when your patio pots or color pots start to look a little tired. Or in the case of the example below, a lot tired! Let me show you how easy it is to refresh your patio pots!
My very good friend, Rick helped me a lot in the flower shop. He was always shaking his head when I would drag in a pot that he thought was beyond help. I would say “Stand back & watch”. Sometimes I might have been inwardly doubting myself, but I wouldn’t let Rick know!
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The geranium patio pot looks pretty sad. I knew it just needed a little love! The first step was to deadhead the planter and trim the geranium to improve its shape. You should remove any dead flowers and leaves. This will help prevent mold and mildew from growing on the plant.
In order to add height to the planter, I added a 4 in pot of Rush, a type of grass to the back of the planter. I also added an orange kalanchoe in the front.
I did use a bush of silk leaves that I cut apart to fill in a few spots as well as add some extra color. The patio pot was then set down inside a slightly larger pot. After watering it thoroughly, I top dressed the soil with sheet moss. I use sheet moss a lot. It helps keep the plants moist and it gives the planters a more finished look.
To use the sheet moss, tear off a piece and then soak it in water. Squeeze the excess water out and then flatten out the piece of moss. Then lay the moss on top of the soil. The moss is easy to tear into the size piece you might need. If necessary, you can secure the moss with greening pins.
I think I was quite successful in refreshing the geranium patio pot, don’t you?
More Examples of Red Geraniums Just Waiting to Be Refreshed!
I had a little spare thyme today so I decided to give these two red geranium pots a quick makeover! Both plants were in need of a good deadheading.
I found two Red Rooster grass plants when I was in Illinois this past weekend. The TSA agents were a bit confused as to why I had two plants wrapped in a plastic bag and stuffed in my backpack! I added one of the Red Roosters to each pot and also planted a small Diamond Snow as an accent.
I love how the grass adds some motion and height to the patio pot. The white Diamond Snow acts as a filler plant.
After I was finished refreshing the planters, I gave them a good drink of water and set them in a shady spot to recover.
Here is how the planter looked after a month:
Another Quick Makeover – How to Refresh Your Patio Pots
This planter just need a bit of deadheading and a trim .
I added a few white pumpkins and placed the pot on a burlap stand. The stand is actually a pickle bucket covered with burlap!
Depending on the part of the country you live in, you might be able to squeeze another month or so of life out of your summer patio pots ! If you need help determining how long your growing season is, please refer to this map by the USDA Plant Hardiness Map
Save me for later!
A Little Bit of the Back Story
When I was growing up, my Mom would ask me to help in the garden. She always wanted me to plant the onions. Ugh, I hated it! I didn’t like getting dirty, I didn’t like sweating, I didn’t like being outside! So it was a great surprise when I discovered a love for outdoor gardening when I bought my first house!
I soon discovered geraniums (scented as well as zonal) and herbs. My neighbor would share her canna bulbs with me. I started to learn about the different growing zones. I would race home from work, change clothes and start working in my tiny narrow garden beds. That experience is what eventually led me to start my own business and ultimately become a florist. Parts of the journey are shared here:
First They Sprout, Then They Grow and Finally They Bloom
My absolute favorite thing to do when I owned Petals & Porch Posts (my flower shop) was to make patio pots and European Dish Gardens.
I was even fortunate enough to have my front door combo pots featured on an episode of Extreme Makeover Home Edition!
Extreme Makeover Home Edition ; Philo, IL Sept 2009
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