What Flowers to Put in My Planter Box

Planning

• Do a little thinking before buying any plants for your planter boxes. Observe the sunlight where you want to put your boxes and note how much sun exposure those spots receive. When choosing plants for planter boxes it is best to stick with plants that do not grow over a foot tall. Otherwise the plants will bend over for lack of root support.

Spring and Fall

• Plant flowers in your planter box in the spring and fall that do not mind a little cool weather. Pansies are good for spring planting as well as geraniums, poppies and sweet peas. Use several different colors of flowers to make your outdoor area more attractive. Primroses, ornamental cabbage, sweet alyssum and dianthus can all stand the cool nights of spring and fall. Bright yellow and orange marigolds are good flowers for spring or fall. Violas are also perfect for the cool fall months. Violas have a tendency to re-bloom in the early spring if ignored all winter.

Summer

• Choose plants for summer that can take the heat, especially if the planter boxes are in full sun. Keep in mind that flowers in planter boxes need more water than flowers planted in the ground. Depending on the weather, they will probably need water twice a week.

  Plant summer flowers at the beginning of the summer before the weather gets too hot. If you wait too long, the plants will die early because they did not get enough time to become accustomed to the heat. Plant varieties of lobelia, geraniums, ivy, impatiens and petunias for the summer months. Try different colors in different boxes. Use a variety of cascading plants as well, allowing the vines and leaves to spill over the edge of the planters.

Care of Planters

• Remove any plants when they are past their blooming period. Clean the boxes thoroughly with a bleach solution before planting new plants to prevent the spread of diseases. You can also protect your planter boxes by using plastic inserts instead of putting the potting soil directly into the box. Plastic inserts are available at gardening stores.