5 tips for the (im)perfect flower planter.

I love that it's finally gorgeous outside, but with a mostly desk job, weekends are precious! It's easier to enjoy the sunshine when you're being productive too... Last weekend's project was to help my mom with yard and garden work so I decided to tackle the planter near the entry.

In the past, my floral-expert mother has chosen the flowers and I've just strategically placed them, but this year I wanted full control. After over an hour and more laps around the greenhouse than I can count, I finally settled on my perfect assortment of flowers and plants. 

Here's some tips to help you put together a game plan for your next gardening project. These apply to gardens too, not just planters! 

1. Evaluate the light.

It's important to know how much sun your planter will get before heading to the garden supply store to pick out your plants.

2. Pick a color scheme. 

Although many planters are usually filled with mostly green foliage with one or two pops of color, I'm a color lover so I like to do the reverse: a lot of color with some foliage accents. Choosing coordinating colors will really tie the whole planter together. When you place them, plant contrasting shapes and colors side by side.

I started with a dahlia, above, and chose all of my colors around that super pretty blossom. I pulled pinks and oranges to compliment, and then added deep purple as an accent. For the foliages, I chose accents of bright light green and another with a reddish purple center. I also added a couple potted perennials to the steps in front of the planter to extend the color.

3. Vary the height.

For rectangular planters, I like to build stairs with the plants, the tallest in the back and the shortest in the front. Be sure to check on the plant's tag to see what its growth potential is. If you're working with a round planter, I like to do something tall at around 2:00, something of medium height in the center, and then fill all around the perimeter with smaller plants.

4. Prep.

It helps to set them up, still in their containers, in the same configuration that you'll be putting them in the planter. At least, it helps me - I like a visual plan! Water the plants before you transfer them to the planter, preferably the night before but at least a few hours before. This will help them lift out easily when they're transferred. 

5. Leave a little room.

All of the plants are going to grow quite a bit, so they should be close but not on top of each other in the planter. Again, check the growth potential of each plant and the type of foliage to determine how much space you should leave between. For smaller plants, one inch of space between the next is plenty. For larger plants with larger leaves, two to three inches should be perfect.

And knowing a couple plant terms will also help...

Perennial - a plant that blooms for one season and then dies (must be replanted every year)

Annual - a plant that comes back each year (includes bulbs like tulips)

Typically, perennials are used in planters and pots, annuals are used in gardens.

And here's a bonus tip that I had to learn the hard way...

6. It's okay for it to be imperfect. 
What happened, you ask? A few days layer, one of the dahlias revealed a secret...

I mean, red?! Come on, that doesn't match at all! It's okay though, they're still really pretty. Maybe I'll clip and stick them in a vase...

And there you have it! It's going to be so fun to watch everything grow. And I mean, when that's the first thing you see walking out of the house every morning, it's really hard to have a bad day, right?



Next project: the gardens. Flowers and possibly... veggies?!


xo Emily

happy mother's day

Hi all! Don't forget to hug your moms this weekend! 

I'll be helping mine at her flower shop, A Flower A Day. It's always fun to see dads and kids pick out something special for the ladies in their life. This weekend also marks the beginning of prom season, so we'll have high-schoolers coming in to pick up their corsages and boutonnieres; something that makes a mid-twenty-something feel old, for sure.

I also am super excited that Saturday is the opening day of the Burlington Farmers Market. This will definitely be a weekend ritual through the summer, most likely with some yummy brunches in downtown Burlington sprinkled in.

And since as of late I have become a morning person (weird, I know), I'm starting my weekend mornings off with Burlington Barre and ROWVT. It puts me in such a good mood for the entire day and gives me tons of energy.

Maybe I can squeeze in taking my parents puppy (giant German Shepard) for a walk.

What is everyone doing for their moms this weekend?
Have a blast and enjoy springtime!

xo Emily

5 tips to grow your own orchids.

I posted the last color scoop and had to immediately grab a couple pretty orchids for my new place. They're infamous for being difficult to care for and taking forever to bloom, but they're really pretty easy. Here's some tips to get the most out of indoor orchid plants and to enjoy those bright colors for as long as possible.

The orchid you buy should come with a little care tag. Read it, it's helpful! But more specifically...

ONE.

identify.

The most important thing is to know what you're working with. There are so many different varieties and each has different preferences when it comes to watering, light, fertilizing and humidity. In order to have success, evaluate your environment and pick the one that's the best match for your space. The easiest way to identify an orchid is by their blossom shape, but foliage is also an indicator.

I chose the Moth Orchid because of it's fairly easy maintenance. It's also pretty common, which makes it easy to find in Vermont... in March... when there's still a ton of snow on the ground.

TWO.

 water.

 For the Moth Orchid, typically watering once every ten days is the norm. If it's in a clay pot, it may need to be watered a bit more often (every seven days) because clay is more absorbent medium (compared to a plastic container for example). When watering, don't let water collect at the base of the pot. If it does, just remove the inner plastic liner and dump the excess. Overwatering is one of the main reasons why orchids die - it will stop flowering and eventually lead to root rot. Also take care to not get water on the leaves, and if you do, wipe dry immediately.

THREE.

 light.

Low to medium light for the Moth Orchid means that it will work in a room with indirect sunlight, but it can also take brighter light as long as it's only for a few hours at most. The huge window in my living room never gets direct light, but it's bright all day, so it's the perfect spot for these orchids. The best indicator as to if your orchid is getting enough light is its leaf color. For most species, including the moth orchid, leaves should be bright green (dark green indicates too little light, reddish green indicates too much light).

FOUR.

feed.

Although fertilizing your orchid is not critical, it will help it grow and bloom. Look for a fertilizer that contains nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) along with trace elements like orin (Fe). Typically, orchid food is granulated and must first be dissolved in water before feeding. Water your orchid thoroughly with plain water first, then pour dissolved orchid food directly into the pre-watered plant (avoiding the leaves and foliage).

FIVE.

re-pot.

A newly-purchased orchid should be able to stay in its original pot for one to two years. When the root and plant overgrowth becomes excessive, the dead roots can be removed and the orchid can be repotted. Be sure to choose a large enough pot to accommodate for two years' growth.
Moth Orchids prefer growth in a mixed medium of coconut husk, fir bark and sphagnum moss, but other mediums can be used as well. If dividing the orchid, make sure that each division has plenty of smaller, healthy, younger shoots.

A selection of orchid potting media. Clockwise from one-o-clock: tree fern, lava rock, Aliflor, 
sphagnum moss, osmunda, rockwool and fir bark in the center. (Source: American Orchid Society)

And just because I've now absorbed a ton of orchid knowledge while writing this post, here's a few more more quick tips:

- When the last flower falls, cut the flower spike halfway down the stem to encourage regrowth. -

- A drop in temperature (no lower than 50 degrees) helps encourage the Moth Orchid to bloom. -

- Use ribbon instead of plastic clips to keep your orchid upright. So pretty! -

It's easy, I promise! If you're itching to know about more varieties of orchids that you can grow in your home, take a peek at this list.
Good luck, and let me know how it goes!


xo Emily