Saturday, November 19, 2011

DIY for Spring Weddings- Think Pansies Part 2

Last post was about using pansies for some special Do It Ahead DIY's for spring time weddings. But to get the flowers, you need to grow the pansies. This post is Part 2 in how to grow pansies in containers.
It's fairly easy to pot up pansies. Start with selecting the colors of pansies that you want, as well as the size. Pansy flower blooms come in different sizes- starting with petite blooms such as Violas, which are an 1" in size, then the Panolas which are about 1 1/2", then the larger blooms that reach 2-4 inches in size. I recommend using blooms that are 2 inches and smaller.
I also recommend using pansies that come in little six packs- they will have time to grow larger over the winter months. Remove the plants from the containers as shown in the picture above. Some of these plants have roots that are pretty full. You will want to loosen these roots before putting them in a new container.
I just take the garden tag that comes with the plants and rake it through the roots, scratching just about 1/8" below the surface- this allows the new roots to move out into soil as they start to grow.
Next take a 9" to 12" diameter pot ( I like to use lightweight resin or plastic pots that won't freeze and crack in the winter) and fill it 3/4 full with a potting soil such as Miracle Grow that already has fertilizer in it.
Now start adding your plants, evenly spacing them around the container.
Once they are in place, finish adding potting soil until you have completely cover all the root balls. Water the container and set it in a sunny corner on your deck or porch or along the walkway. You may want to plant several containers, each with about six plants, so that you will have plenty of spring time blooms.
Keep the soil moist, not soggy, throughout the season, add fertilizer again in February, and come next March, you will have start having blooms to embellish and decorate with. Next pansy post will have some fun ideas for these sweet little flowers and plants!

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