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Perennials

GARDEN CENTER IS NOW OPEN!

April 25, 2020 by Wendy Pettit

utah garden center open to public

Dear Valued Customers:

We have opened our gates to the public!  Store hours on Saturday are 10-6 pm.  Beginning Monday the 27th, store hours will be 9-6 pm.

Please know that we take Covid-19 seriously and aim to protect YOU AND OUR EMPLOYEES.  Therefore, we are doing the following:

  1. Sanitizing common surfaces continually throughout the day.  This includes shopping carts. 
  2. Installing plexiglass barriers at checkout stands.
  3. Requesting our employees AND customers to adhere to the CDC recommendation to wear a mask or a fabric covering while in our store.  A bandana can work just fine.
  4. Requesting our employees AND customers to adhere to the CDC recommendation to maintain a 6-foot social distance as much as possible. We have 6 feet markers throughout the store. One way to figure is that one of our shopping carts is approximately 3 feet, imagine 2 carts.      ***PLEASE*** when picking out your favorite plant, be aware of your spacing.  We all need to be patient during this crazy time!  If you need to pass someone in the aisle, walk past and do not stop to talk.  Using common sense and being courteous will help everyone have a good experience.
  5. Use CREDIT CARDS if possible.
  6. No Public Restroom and drinking fountain.
  7. Customers may still order via email with parking lot pick up the same day or next business day.  Due to the heavy volume, no more phone orders or in-the-parking-lot orders can be accepted. All our employees are busy inside servicing the in-store customers.

Salt Lake Store: [email protected]

West Valley:  [email protected]

No Garden Consulting at this time.

We appreciate your cooperation to protect our employees and our other customers. It means a lot to us.

We remind you of the other CDC recommendations:

  1. If you are sick, PLEASE STAY HOME, get better, and then come to visit us!  We want to see you healthy!  Should you choose, you can email your order and have someone pick it up for you.
  2. If you need to sneeze (we know it is ALLERGY season), sneeze into your elbow with your mask on!
  3. Wash your hands regularly with soap & water.  A liberal rubbing with hand sanitizer is the next best thing. 
  4. Remember to not touch your face if you haven’t washed your hands. 

Covid-19 doesn’t have wings to fly on its own.  It is transferred by contaminated hands or with droplets when we talk, sneeze or cough.  Hence washing hands, wearing a mask when social distancing isn’t always possible, coughing/sneezing into an elbow, and keeping the 6-foot social distance are important, and very doable!  We can do this!

THANK YOU for your cooperation and patience during this challenging time.  We are grateful that we offer an essential service to the community and wish for your best success in growing your own food, beautifying the community, remaining healthy physically and mentally, and tending your gardens and yards this season.

Happy shopping and happy planting,

Western Garden Centers

Feast your eyes on this sampling of temptations!

wall of peonies waiting to open

A wall of peonies loaded with buds waiting to open

Healthy tomato plants

Ingrid Bergman Hybrid Tea Rose

Giant succulent plants

Sun-Believable Brown Eyed Susan

Iceberg Floribunda Rose

Marigolds of all varieties

Ruffled Red Echeveria

Begonias

Gorgeous petunias

Good As Gold Hybrid Tea Rose

Anna’s Promise Grandiflora Rose

Rosie the Riveter Floribunda Rose

Celestial Night Floribunda Rose

Filed Under: Covid-19 updates, Flowers, Fruit, Gardening, Herbs, Lawn Care, Perennials, Products, Tomatoes, Tools, Trees, Utah Gardening, Vegetables, Yard Care Tagged With: covid-19, garden center open, safe shopping, shop the nursery, social distancing, Utah gardening, wear mask

Western Gardens Plant Material April 2020

April 13, 2020 by Wendy Pettit

Plant material at western garden centers utahWith the current pandemic situation, we now only do phone and email orders for pick up.  On this page, please find some videos and photos showing the excellent prime material we’ve had delivered to our door.  We will do our best to choose the best selection for your yard or needs.  Just let us know what you want, and we will get it.  You’ve trusted us for years, you can trust us now!

vivid orange and yellow ranunculus for early spring in utah

Ranunculaceous in vivid colors

Plant material as of April 13, 2020 –

SPRING COLOR ANNUALS & PERENNIALS

CLICK – Spring colder color annuals & perennials

 

GROUND COVERS

CLICK – Ground cover by Utah local growers

 

HERBS – VEGETABLES – BERRIES

CLICK – Berries –  Raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, grapes, pomegranate, currant, and more…

CLICK – Strawberries

CLICK – Herbs – cold-hardy herbs for April

CLICK – Herbs BASIL

CLICK – Tomatoes

CLICK – Vegetables cold crops

 

peony white and pink

Peony

FLOWERING SHRUBS & ROSES

Our prime ROSES will be here by the end of April.  We have a few that wintered over and just beginning to come out.  Email your requests.

CLICK – Magnolias

CLICK – Peonies – beautiful shipment just waiting to plant in your yard

CLICK – Lilacs – an old-time favorite with fragrance

 

SMALLER SHRUBS for TEXTURE & COLOR

CLICK – Barberries

CLICK – Spireas

 

FRUIT TREES

Realize that the fruit trees are just now coming out of dormancy.  Some look like sticks, but they are healthy and prime – ready for your yard!

CLICK – APPLES, APRICOTS, APRUMS, CHERRIES – bush or tree form

CLICK – NECTARINES, NECTAPLUM & FRUIT SALAD (varieties on same tree)

CLICK – PEACHES (including favorite “Donut”), PEACHOTUM, PLUERRY, COMBOS

CLICK – PEARS – all kinds including the Asian Pear

CLICK – PLUMS, COMBOS, PLUOTS, WALNUT

 

SHADE TREES

CLICK – FLOWERING CHERRIES – Beautiful selection of all types –

Special Local Note:  If you haven’t seen them, hurry and witness the color and fragrance of the cherry blossoms at the Utah State Capitol.  They are gorgeous!  (April 12, 2020)

 

MORE TO COME

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Annuals, Flowers, Fruit, Gardening, Herbs, Outdoors, Perennials, Products, Tips & How To's, Tomatoes, Trees, Uncategorized, Vegetables Tagged With: annuals, apple, blueberries, cold hardy perennials, currant, fruit trees, Herbs, peach, pear, plum, pomegranate, shade trees, strawberries

SEEDS, SEEDS, SEEDS

April 5, 2020 by Wendy Pettit

seed packets

Several of our customers want to see what seeds we have available during this COVID-19 pandemic.  Since we currently and temporarily are only taking phone or email orders with curbside pickup, we are posting photos of the seeds we currently have inside the store.  Limited to supply on hand.  We apologize if these photos are difficult to see, but until we get some closer photos, these will have to do.  You may need to ZOOM in close to read the varieties.

Thank you again for supporting the small businesses in our community.  We appreciate you shopping at Western Gardens for quality products and services during this more than unusual spring.

ORGANIC SEEDS

organic vegetable seed packages at utah garden center

Organic Vegetable Seeds – soybean, beets, huckleberry, sunberry, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, corn, collards, cucumber, greens, kale, melons, peas, peppers, gourd, and more.

organic vegetable seed packages for natural garden in Utah

Organic Seeds (minus the bottom 2 rows) – radish, squash, tomato, pepper, beans, corn, peas, spinach, and more.

VEGETABLE SEEDS

Utah vegetable seed packets

Vegetable Seeds – Artichoke, Asparagus, Bean, Beets, Cabbage, Cardoon, Cauliflower, Celery, Cucumber, Grains, Kale, Lettuce, Melon, Okra, Onion, Peppers, Radish, and more.

Vegetable seed packets from peas pumpkins leeks, beans, and more

Vegetable Seeds – Beans, Carrots, Collards, Corn, Greens, Melons, Peppers, Pumpkins, Rutabaga, Spinach, and more.seed packets of vegetables for gardening

Vegetable Seeds – Bean, Berries, Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, Corn, Cowpea, Eggplant, Endive, Greens, Lettuce, Melons, Peas, Radicchio, Radish, Pumpkins, Gourds, and more.Summer squash seeds for a vegetable garden

Vegetables – Squash-Zucchini, Winter squash, Strawberries, Swiss Chard, Tomatillo, Tomatoes, Watermelon, and more.

HERB SEEDS

seed packets of herbs for gardening

Herb Seeds – basil, chives, cilantro, coriander, dill, fennel, lavender, oregano, parsley, rosemary, stevia, thyme, and more.

FLOWER SEEDS

Flower seeds packets

Flower Seeds – Alyssum, Amaranth, Butterflyweed, Caster beans, Daisy, Gourds, Lavender, Nasturtium, Petunia, Morning Glory, Poppy, Salvia, Snapdragon, Sunflower, Sweet Peas, Mixes, and more.

Sunflower seeds and more

Flowers – Bachelor Buttons, Cosmos, Flax, Hollyhocks, Marigold, Nicotiana, Penstemon, Poppy, Sunflowers, Zinnia, and more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Annuals, Covid-19 updates, Flowers, Fruit, Herbs, Perennials, Seeds, Tomatoes, Uncategorized, Utah Gardening, Vegetables, Veggie Gardening Tagged With: flower seeds, garden seeds, herb seeds, organic, organic seeds, packaged seed, seed packets, seeds, vegetable seeds

Differences between Perennials and Annuals – What’s Best for My Garden?

May 5, 2017 by Becky

WELCOME FRIENDS, Come learn with us!

difference between perennials and annuals

image: Pixabay

As a novice gardener, I need to know what is the difference between perennials and annuals?  Whenever I went to the nursery, I was confused by the terms “annuals” and “perennials.”   When choosing plants for your garden it’s important to know the difference, so I thought I would share some of what has made it easier for me to remember.

Annuals

Annuals are plants that came from seeds earlier this spring.  You can plant them as seeds or you can purchase them as seedlings or starts in flats and pots.  Annuals usually bloom the entire summer until frost kills them.  They don’t survive the winter.  I remember the plants that are annuals because I have to buy them “annually.”

However there are exceptions, some tropical plants are perennial in a tropical climate, but in Utah’s colder climate, they are annuals.  They die every winter and need to be replanted as a new plant.  Geranium, Impatiens, and Bougainvillea are good examples of annuals.

impatiens are annuals in salt lake city

Image: Pixabay

Begonia annual in Utah

Image: Pixabay

Perennials

Perennials that do well in our climate are a different story.  Perennials survive our Utah winters in the growing zone 5.  They bloom again year after year.  The tradeoff is that perennials have a definite blooming season and don’t bloom all summer long.  Usually they bloom from a couple of weeks to a couple of months.  There are many varieties from evergreen, to shade tolerant, or even drought tolerant.  Most die to the ground in fall or winter and spend most of winter dormant.  Most perennials like well-drained soil with plenty of organic material in it.

Peonie perennial in Utah

Image: Pixabay

Gloriosa daily perennial

Image: Pixabay

So basically, that’s the difference between perennials and annuals. How long they survive in the climate zone you live in.  In the Salt Lake Valley, we are usually a zone 5, and sometimes can be a zone 6, so be sure and talk to one of our expert gardeners to make sure you get the perfect plants for your soil and landscape.

A Word about Placement

Placing a plant in a good site, in a place it will thrive, is one of the most important differences that will make your flower garden successful.  In my yard I have hot, sunny sites, cool shady sites, and everything in between.  I am always careful not to place a plant that prefers shade, like a Hosta, Fern, or Begonia in a hot sunny spot because it will do poorly.  A hosta in the sun will show it’s displeasure with burned, scorched leaves.  However, planting a peony, Petunia, or Sunflower in the shade will not produce good results either.  Any of our gardeners can help you identify which plants do best in sun, shade, etc.

A Word about Soils

Most soils in Utah are either clay or sand based (like my garden) and will do very well with some organic amendments.  For perennials create a 50/50 mix with existing soil.  For annuals simply spread a 2-3″ layer of organic amendment evenly on top of the existing soil, then dig or till it in.  The hole for perennials should be about twice as wide as the container and an inch or so less in depth.  Place the plant in the hole after popping it out of the container.  If it’s root bound (lots of white roots wrapping around the soil ball), use a short blade utility knife to make a few shallow, vertical cuts around the root ball to stimulate new root growth.  Press the root mass into the hole to make sure there are no voids under the roots and water well using a root starter (we can help you with that at Western Gardens too).

Come see us!

Our garden experts at Western Gardens have a lot of great suggestions to help you get your flower garden blooming all summer long.  From root starter to organic compost, we have everything you need.  Be sure to visit us on Facebook for specials and daily tips.

What do some of you expert gardeners do to keep your flowers strong and healthy.  Feel free to share your experiences here too.

Post revised by Wendy P 5/2017

Filed Under: Annuals, Flowers, Gardening, Perennials, Tips & How To's, Utah Gardening Tagged With: annuals, flowers, Perennials, planting flowers, utah annuals, Utah gardening, utah perennials

10 Low-Maintenance Perennials

June 4, 2016 by Heather Leister

Hi there, thanks for stopping by!  

Love having a beautiful yard, but don't have a lot of time? You need these 10 low-maintanence perennials! They will make your yard beautiful and your life easier!

Do you love beautiful flowers?  Do you also love NOT spending a lot of time in the garden to keep them beautiful?  Then I have the perfect answer for you!  10 low-maintenance perennials that will thrive in your yard and produce beautiful foliage and blooms all season long.

Between kids, job, house, husband (and everything else that falls through the cracks), I don’t have time for high-maintenance anything in my life right now. Especially in my yard!  Plants have to meet two requirements before they go in the ground here.

  1. They must be a perennial
  2. They must be low maintenance

I’ve learned over the years that anything else won’t survive my crazy schedule and sometimes inattentive care.

At one point or another I have had each of the following plants in my yard, and they have all thrived.

10 Low-Maintenance Perennials:

cone-flower1. Coneflower – A hardy flowering perennial, the Coneflower will bloom from early summer to fall. The Coneflower does well in drought conditions and will grow to approximately three feet tall.

iris12. Iris – The Iris is a multiplying wonder! Its bulbs will increase each year, and you will quickly end up with a mass of gorgeous flowers on tall green stalks. Once they are established, Irises require little care, and bulbs can be split and replanted in other areas of your yard. 

mums13. Chrysanthemum – Chrysanthemums are an easy-to-grow perennial that will provide fall color in your yard. There are several different types of Mums, so make sure to select a garden variety mum that is suitable for your zone. 

sedum4. Sedum – Sedum is a wonderfully reliable groundcover. It can withstand heat, disease, and drought – and  still continue to grow and spread. I currently have Sedum in a rock wall and it is thriving, even without a dedicated water source. As it spreads, divide it every few years, replanting it in different areas of your yard or gifting it to friends.

yarrow5. Yarrow – Yarrow is an extremely hardy perennial, and does well in cold, heat, and drought conditions. This plant is also deer resistant, so I have planted it throughout my yard!  If deer are a problem in your yard, then don’t miss my favorite 10 deer-resistant plants!

daylily pinterest6. Daylily –  The Daylily is a workhorse of a perennial. These plants will reward you year after year with luscious green foliage and bright yellow flowers. Daylilies require little attention, and they are predictable plants that can also be divided and replanted as they spread. One of the best gifts that I ever received was a bag of Daylily plants that had been divided from mature plants in a friend’s backyard.

coralbells17. Coralbells – Coralbells are a showy, yet very low maintenance plant. They do well in a location that is partially shaded. This plant has unusual foliage and tiny bell-shaped flowers that bloom on tall, thin spikes. Coralbells spread well, and the flowers shoots give it height.

hostas landscape8. Hosta – Hosta thrives in the shade, and comes in a variety of sizes. I’m partial to Hosta with large, bright green leafs and I love having plants that come back bigger and better each year. My last yard was filled with Hostas, but I have had less success with them in my current yard, because the local deer enjoy them as a snack. Hostas are very easy to grow, but be mindful of pests that will damage the plants.russian sage19. Russian Sage – Russian Sage has light colored, silver foliage and spiky lavender flowers that will cover the leaves from late spring until autumn. This perennial prefers dry conditions, making it a plant that is definitely low maintenance. peony10. Peony –When I planted my first Peony bush, I was surprised that such a resilient plant could produce such gorgeous flowers. Peony blossoms appear late spring to early summer and their beauty is tough to beat. Peonies comes back year after year, with bigger, showier flowers, and it requires minimal care, making this my favorite perennial!

Do you have any of these perennials in your yard?  Which is your favorite?  Tell us in the comments below!

Image Credits:
Peony, Hostas, Yarrow, Sedum, Coneflower: Pixabay
Russian Sage, Coralbells, Daylily, Chrysanthemum, Iris: Flickr

Filed Under: Flowers, Gardening, Perennials Tagged With: Easy Care, Lists, Low Maintenance, Perennials

10 Flowers for Beautiful Hanging Baskets

May 11, 2016 by Kirsten

Welcome, I’m so glad you’re here!

Do you ever see gorgeous hanging baskets that are filled to the brim with blooms cascading down over the sides, and wonder what kind of flowers they are?   And how you can get your hands on some to beautify your own yard?!

Hanging baskets can add so much to a sunny wall, or brighten up shady areas with flowers that flourish in the shade. I also love giving hanging baskets as a gift for those who are getting up in age or have bad knees, because there is no kneeling down in the dirt required, and choosing the appropriate flower can bring the receiver blooms from the summer months, on up to the fall!

If you have ever wondered what the best flowers for hanging baskets are, I’ve got you covered!

10 plants for beautiful hanging baskets- https://westerngardens.com/

One of the most important things you need to consider is if the space you want to decorate has full sun, or if it is in the shade most of the day. If you plant sun-loving flowers in the shade, they won’t thrive.  The same is true if you plant shade lovers in the sun.

You can have each hanging basket dedicated to one type of flower, or you can mix different flowers in each basket giving different colors and textures. Just be sure to put Shade Lovers together and Sun Lovers together!  Also make sure you get the trailing variety of flower for your hanging baskets.

Filed Under: Annuals, Container Gardening, Flowers, Gardening, Outdoors, Perennials, Tips & How To's, Utah Gardening Tagged With: flowers, Gardening, Mother's Day, tips, Western Gardens

Mother’s Day Flower Garden in a Basket

April 30, 2016 by Jenn Crookston

Welcome!  I’m so glad you’re here.

Mother's Day flower garden in a basket

Do you love gardening and giving beautiful gifts?  Then I have the perfect project for you!

I’ve been bitten by the gardening bug this year.  I have been enjoying getting my hands dirty and creating beautiful things with flowers.  This Mother’s Day Flower Garden in a Basket quickly turned into a favorite project!

Looking for a simple but beautiful gift for Mom? Try this Mother's Day Flower Garden in a Basket!

I love when an idea turns out how I hoped it would when I imagined it.  What I love about this project is that it is easy to customize, it can be as big or small as you want and can include a variety of flowers.

For this project you’ll need:

  • Favorite flowers
  • Basket
  • Potting Soil
  • Basket Liner

For my particular basket I collected some of my favorite flowers and an old Easter basket.  The Easter basket was blue and that didn’t work for what I wanted, so I started by painting it white.  I was happy that the basket liner fit well inside which helped make everything look nicely put together.

Looking for a simple but beautiful gift for Mom? Try this Mother's Day Flower Garden in a Basket!
The reason I call this a Flower Garden in a Basket is because in a big enough basket you can place the plants inside the basket in their original container making it easy for the receiver of the basket to plant the flowers in their yard or into flower pots if they want to.  For my basket I took the flowers out of their containers but kept them separated with additional potting soil which will still make them easy to remove from the basket if that is what is desired.

Looking for a simple but beautiful gift for Mom? Try this Mother's Day Flower Garden in a Basket!

This basket contains the following flowers/plants:

  1. Cordyline Indivisa Spikes
  2. Pansies
  3. Trailing Petunia
  4. Red Nancy
  5. Bowles Cunningham Periwinkle

If they stay in the basket they’ll fill in beautifully and look fantastic on an outdoor table or on the porch.  If they are taken out of the basket they’ll be a wonderful addition to the yard or another flower pot.

I can’t wait to put a few more of these together to give to some of the best Mother’s I know!

Here are a few breakfast recipes sure to make Mom smile when you make her breakfast in bed Mother’s Day morning!

Looking for a simple but beautiful gift for Mom? Try this Mother's Day Flower Garden in a Basket!
Stuffed French Toast Casserole ~ Breakfast Burritos ~ Strawberry Shortcake Pancakes

Filed Under: Annuals, Container Gardening, Crafts, Flowers, Gardening, How To, Perennials, Tips & How To's Tagged With: flowers, Gardening, How To, how to's, Mother's Day

10 Deer-Resistant Plants

April 27, 2016 by Heather Leister

Welcome, I’m so glad you stopped by!

Are deer eating everything you plant? Try these 10 deer-resistant plants, your landscape will thank you!

Do you have frequent visitors to your yard?  Visitors that may not be very welcome…because they’re eating your landscape?!  Oh, deer!  If you get these visitors like we do, we are here to help!  We’re sharing 10 beautiful plants you can add to your flower beds and containers, that deer will leave for you instead of taking for a snack.

Several years ago we moved to a new area with a well-known urban deer population. The city’s deer herd was notorious for visiting yards and sampling the local landscaping. In the beginning, being in the midst of the deer was a treat. We had never lived in an area with this much access to wildlife.

The novelty quickly wore off as our plants began to vanish.

Plants that had thrived for years in our old yard were no match for the deer’s appetites. It became clear that we had to adapt our landscaping or our yard would continue to serve as a 24-hour deer buffet.

Through research, trial and error, we found deer-resistant plants that grow in our area. There are still a few deer delicacies planted in the yard (I just can’t give up my hostas!) but for the most part we’ve been successful in keeping them away.

When looking for a deer-resistant plant, a good rule of thumb is to choose something fragrant, prickly, or poisonous to the deer. The deer won’t always obey this rule, especially if they’re hungry and food is scarce, but this is a good place to start. Here are 10 deer-resistant plants that thrive in a variety of environments.

10 Deer-Resistant Plants

FRAGRANT PLANTS

1. Lavender

Are deer eating everything you plant? Try these 10 plants that are deer-resistant, your landscape will thank you!

Lavender is always an excellent choice for a deer resistant plant. This hardy, fragrant perennial requires little water and maintenance.

2. Salvia

Are deer eating everything you plant? Try these 10 plants that are deer-resistant, your landscape will thank you!

Salvia is another perennial that produces a strong fragrance which deer find extremely unpleasant. The plant comes in a wide variety of colors and is a strong perennial that will be easy to care for year after year.

3. Yarrow

Are deer eating everything you plant? Try these 10 plants that are deer-resistant, your landscape will thank you!

Yarrow plants are not overly picky about soil requirements, making them an excellent choice for many people. Bright, colorful flowers bloom throughout the summer, but the deer won’t be tempted to snack thanks to the strong aroma produced by the yarrow leaves.

4. Butterfly Bush

Are deer eating everything you plant? Try these 10 plants that are deer-resistant, your landscape will thank you!

 Another fragrant, drought-resistant perennial, Butterfly Bush is an excellent choice if you are looking for a flowery, deer resistant shrub. It grows quickly, produces a large amount of blooms, and does well in almost any type of soil.

Click NEXT to see which beautiful prickly plants will keep deer away! Western Garden Centers | Salt Lake City | Sandy | West Valley UTAH

Salvia image courtesy of Rawich at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Lavender and Yarrow images courtesy of wikimedia commons
Butterfly Bush image courtesy of staticflickr

Pages: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3

Filed Under: Flowers, Gardening, Outdoors, Perennials, Tips & How To's, Yard Care Tagged With: flowers, Gardening, how to's, tips, Western Garden Centers

8 Tips-Planting Early Spring Flower Pots

April 16, 2016 by Jenn Crookston

Welcome gardening friends!  

Do you love seeing splashes of color in the early spring?  Especially when winter hasn’t quite worn off yet, and the landscape can look a little gray and uninviting?  

I’m here to help!  With these 8 Tips for Planting Early Spring Flower Pots, you can take your yard from winter-blah to spring-wow!

I am very excited to start gardening this year!  So excited, in fact, that I have no desire to wait for Mother’s Day to get planting (here in Utah, Mother’s Day is about the time to start).

8 Tips for planting early spring flower pots, to help pull your yard out of the winter blues and into the happy colors of spring!

I’ll be honest.  I don’t have a perfect track record with flowers, potted or in the ground. My plants don’t always die, but my record is inconsistent and it doesn’t seem to matter if I do the same thing each year or not, it’s still hit or miss.

But I didn’t want swing and miss this year, so I headed to Western Gardens with my mother-in-law Sue (my personal go-to flower guru) and we consulted the experts there.

When we first arrived at Western Gardens I couldn’t help but notice all the beautiful flowers they already had in their pots out front.

8 Tips for planting early spring flower pots, to help pull your yard out of the winter blues and into the happy colors of spring!

Sue and I both loved this pot!  Since it’s still quite cold, I was impressed with how much color was in the pot and how great the flowers looked. Some even had ice sitting on them, and yet here they were in their vibrant beauty!

To make sure we were doing everything possible to have the best chance of success, we asked a Plant Pro from Western Gardens to help us out.  Andrea answered all of our questions and gave us so much great advice! I appreciated her friendly personality and really appreciated that she never once made me feel foolish for my lack of knowledge.

I was thrilled to discover such a wide variety of flowers and plants that are cold-weather hardy and perfect for early spring flower pots. With our temperamental Utah springs, we can have beautiful spring-like weather in February, only to have snow on the ground in April.  With these cold-weather flowers, I can have blooms all spring long.

8 Tips for planting early spring flower pots, to help pull your yard out of the winter blues and into the happy colors of spring!

8 Tips for Planting Early Spring Flower Pots:

1. Talk to your local gardening shop (if you’re here in Utah, visit Western Gardens in Sandy, Downtown Salt Lake, and West Valley City).  Ask them what flowers and plants work best in your area for early spring planting.  It will vary depending on your location and climate.  To make the most of your pots, you’re going to want expert advice!

2. Choose a filler, a spiller, and a thriller (these are different flowers that will fill in the pot, spill down the sides, and thrill the eye…think grass spikes)!  Click HERE for more details.

3. Gather other necessary supplies:

  • Styrofoam packing peanuts (enough to fill each pot 1/3 full)
  • Fresh potting soil (like Gardener’s Gold)
  • Fertilizer (like ferti-lome blooming and rooting soluble plant food. The high middle number (9-58-8) is responsible for the flowering of plants and flowers, which means it’ll help your potted plants/flowers have beautiful blooms − or if you’re planting fruits/veggies, this helps with food production.)

8 Tips for planting early spring flower pots, to help pull your yard out of the winter blues and into the happy colors of spring!

4. Fill your pot 1/3 full with styrofoam packing peanuts (they partially fill the pot without adding weight, and allow for air and water to have room to move around the roots of the plants). Fill the remaining 2/3 of your pot most of the way with potting soil (leaving a few inches of space at the top, you’ll need it in a few minutes!).

8 Tips for planting early spring flower pots, to help pull your yard out of the winter blues and into the happy colors of spring!

5. Arrange your flowers in the pot before you plant. Here I’ve got my plants all laid out to get an idea of how I want the pot to look when it’s finished. Once you’re happy with the arrangement, then start potting each one (don’t forget to gently tear some of the roots on each flower before you plant it, this helps the roots spread into the surrounding soil and promote growth).

8 Tips for planting early spring flower pots, to help pull your yard out of the winter blues and into the happy colors of spring!
6. Add more potting soil once all your plants are potted, to fill in any holes.

7. Water your flowers to make sure they’ve got a nice, fresh drink to help keep them perky.  Don’t oversaturate your pot.

8. Fertilize, dead-head & water your flower pots to keep them looking their best all spring!  Fertilize regularly (organic and chemical fertilizers have different instructions, read carefully!  We recommend organic for pots, as chemical fertilizers leave a salt residue), remove expired blooms (so the plant’s energy can go to make new ones!), and water when soil is just barely moist (don’t let it dry out).

8 Tips for planting early spring flower pots, to help pull your yard out of the winter blues and into the happy colors of spring!

The plants and flowers featured in my pots are:

Fillers:

  • Pigeon Purple Flowering Kale (perennial) 
  • Flowering Cabbage (perennial) 
  • Candy Tuft Tahoe (perennial)
  • Pansy Fizzle Sizzle Mix (annual)
  • Pansy Matrix Lemon (annual) 
  • Ranunculus Bloomingdale Mix (annual) 
  • Pansy Delta Premium Beaconsfield (annual)
  • Primrose Danova Mix (annual) 

Spillers

  • Red Nancy (annual) 
  • Bowles Cunningham Periwinkle (annual) 

Thrillers

  • Cordyline Indivisa Spikes (annual) 

8 Tips for planting early spring flower pots, to help pull your yard out of the winter blues and into the happy colors of spring!

I am absolutely in love with how my pots turned out!  And with these tips and advice, I know I’ll have beautiful pots all spring. A few of the plants I chose are perennials (they’ll come back year after year), so when they stop blooming, they can be replanted in the ground for next year! 

These flowers will all last several months, and possibly through June, depending on how quickly it gets hot. I love that my pots are already planted, and that I can add other flowers as some of them expire, to keep some beauty outside my home all spring, summer and fall!

8 Tips for planting early spring flower pots, to help pull your yard out of the winter blues and into the happy colors of spring!

Now that all my flowers and plants look so beautiful, I need some new pots for them!  I think that will be my reward for keeping them pretty and healthy all season.

Here are a few more things to love about Spring that you can find over on my blog!

RHW Collage
Gluten Free Oatmeal Cookies ~ Spinach Salad w/Poppy Seed Dressing ~ Strawberry Lemonade Cookies

Filed Under: Annuals, Container Gardening, Flowers, Gardening, How To, Perennials, Tips & How To's Tagged With: flowers, Gardening, how to's, spring

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