 |
Make A Beach In A Pot |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you yearn for the beach but live miles inland, you can re-create the look easily in a garden pot. |
 Find a low wide pot or bowl, that is approximately 14" in diameter. It can be made of terracotta clay, ceramic, poly-resin, concrete or any other type of planter that you like. Partially fill the bowl with new potting soil. Set the plants you purchased still in their nursery container on the soil, and move them till you find the position that you really like. Make an arrangement that makes you happy! Use 4" slow growing plants, approx 3.
|
Knock the plants out of the nursery containers and gently take the coiled roots apart. Fill in around them with more potting soil up to within an inch of the pot rim. Make sure the soil is compact and then water till moist.
|
Pour sand on top of the soil and finish with a piece of driftwood or other beachy treasure. Shells, and sand-dollars make interesting pieces to add.
|
Set the finished pot on a sunny patio or porch, where it gets some sun and some shade. Water once a week or so using a gentle stream of water. You don't want to disturb the display. A watering can comes in handy here.
|
| *Idea found in Sunset Magazine by Kathleen Brenzel |
By Arizona Pottery
Post Last Updated: 9/28/2023 1:59:53 PM |
|
|
|
|
Cure Insomnia With Potted Plants |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tossing and turning all night?
Waking up groggy in the morning?
|
Simply placing potted plants around your bedroom could rid it of sleep robbing air pollution - both from smog outside your home and from items giving off pollutants inside. All of this according to new research out of Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Harvard School of Public Health.
|
|
The link? Irritants in the air can affect upper airways, causing difficulty breathing as you sleep, says lead study author Antonella Zanobetti, P.h.D
For best results, use a combination of potted snake plants, spider plants or golden pothos (plants proven to eliminate smog, traffic and other pollutants from outside your home) and orchids, red ivy, English ivy or asparagus fern (proven to remove harmful compounds released from furniture, rugs electronics and other household items). |
Place potted plants in your entry hall to combat stuffy air. Fill small clay pot with herbs and the fragrance will flow through-out the kitchen area. Place plants on a balcony outside a bedroom window and open it at night.
Small ideas make big differences! |
By Arizona Pottery
Post Last Updated: 9/28/2023 2:00:28 PM |
|
|
|
|
Organize Your Potting Supplies |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stack wooden crates for a storage base. Use small shipping crates because they are the ideal size for holding stacks of pots. Keep inexpensive pots on hand for when you have a project that requires one or you are in the mood to plant something. Just stack the crates on top of each other - 2 high - and then top with a piece of wood from the local lumber yard.
This is easy, portable, and no tools required.
|
Maximize space with an overhead pot rack. Whether you have a green thumb or are completely green at gardening, having all your must haves in one place let's you confidently accomplish any task. A wall rack that keeps supplies in an easily accessible spot. You can use it to dry flowers on and the pot hooks always come in handy.
|
Clip up a gallery of inspiration: To sidestep pottery block keep your ideas just a glance away with a photo gallery or flower arranging idea. Surround your space with images that speak to you, motivate you or just makes you happy. Picture of plants you like to pot someday or flowers you hope to buy all go on the clip boards. Plant combinations for planters are hard to create but easy to copy.
|
Hang essentials on a cup hook: A little whisk broom and gardening gloves are always on hand when you optimize the space underneath your work surface with cup hooks. This often over looked area offers a bonus: If your potting area is outdoors, the overhand keeps soft items from getting damaged by rain. The hooks are easy to install with no tools necessary. They just screw in. |
Transport pots with a push: Say goodbye to lugging around planters thanks to your own clever assistant - a wooden glider. This rolling base can hold up to 88 lbs, letting you move the heaviest pots with your fingertips. Don't want to make one then try the "Pot lifter" we sell that can lift up to 200 lbs. |
|
By Arizona Pottery
Post Last Updated: 9/28/2023 2:00:56 PM |
|
|
|
|
Plant This Window Box |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
There are many ways to plant a windowbox container but here a few brief tips that we think may help. |
Choose a container that has holes in the bottom for drainage. Drainage is important for most types of flowers, grasses or plants that you would want to decorate with, so plan ahead. What is really fun is changing out the planting materials for each season or holiday. This is a easy and fun way to decorate the front of your home or entry. |
Use all purpose potting soil. Packing peanuts in the bottom of the planter help minimize weight. We sell other materials that work - like our Pot Filler. The point is to make the hanging planter as light as possible. Don't fill the bottom with pot shards or gravel since the added weight could effect the hanging ability. |
Mix in a slow release fertilizer, such as Osmocote, which provides nutrients to plants for several months. Trying to fertilize after you have placed the plant materials inside is hard to do. It is much easier to change out the soil and fertilizer each time you change the flowers. |
Moisten the potting soil thoroughly. Don't skimp when it comes to the first watering. This helps to compact the soil, releasing air pockets that can cause problems. Make sure to keep watering after the plants or flowers are planted. A container that is hanging off a window ledge is exposed to more wind and weather elements so make sure you water to keep the soil from drying out.
|
Select plants according to preferred light exposure and how frequently you will be able to water. Space them closely for a full look. Add something to trail over the planter's edge. We love a trailing ivy that extends the length of the plant materials and adds character to every display. |
By Arizona Pottery
Post Last Updated: 9/28/2023 2:01:28 PM |
|
|
|
|
Themed Potted Gardens |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
When your heart is troubled and the country is at war try planting a peace garden. Motherwort for its cardiac-strengthening properties and chamomile, vervain, lavender, and valerian for their calming qualities. Planting a potted garden brings you peace at troubling time. |
Want a Southwest Theme to your potted garden? Fill your terracotta clay planters with poppies, blanket flowers, bluebonnets, ornamental grasses and hardy cacti. Select plants with colors that are earth tone and muted. You want it to express a sunny attitude by using orange, rust and green plant materials. Bright colorful Mexican pottery filled with lively and dramatic flowers give a playful and fun feel. Add a garden sphere for fun.
Fill the tops of planters with river rock to reflect a dry river bed or use colorful rocks or soil to fill in around the plant materials. Even the little things make a big statement.
|
|
Zen Garden theme anyone? When you think of planting this type of theme you think of muted colors, organic plant materials, natural pottery and a clean feel. Well, that is great and works wonderful but another option would be bright oranges and colorful plants to create a invigorating and exhilarating garden where you go to relax surrounded by warm color tones.
Hang a piece of colorful fabric from a patio cover and carry that color theme with cushions, place mats, or napkins.
|
Seasonal themes are always easy to create. This fall design shows simple pots with fall plants spilling over the sides. The dried gourds add a theme that can't be denied. Use fall grasses, or wildflowers.
For Spring use garden bulbs and deep green plants, summer is easy with lots of flowers and color and Winter can be achieved with boughs from pine trees, holly and dried plant materials.
|
By Arizona Pottery
Post Last Updated: 9/28/2023 2:01:58 PM |
|
|
|
|
