Entrance & Step Garden Planter Ideas!

The entrance to your home tells the world a lot more about you than you think.

Virtually all entrances will benefit from potted garden planters.  It’s a decorating delight and an easy way to soften harsh lines.  You can add color, fragrance, and beauty to your front entrance by placing colorful planters around overflowing with grasses, succulents, flowers, shrubs, or palms.  So many choices.

The choice of a container will depend on the size of the area around the entrance and the design you are looking for.  Do you want the pottery to be brightly colored and filled with small flowers so the attention is on the planters? How about a large terracotta pot overflowing with green ivy and a palm shooting out the top opening of the pottery.  You will notice the plants and not the container on that type of style & design.

Are you going for a contemporary look with planters that have smooth lines, mono colors, and clean lines, or a more formal entrance design with a garden urn or towering vase?

Maybe you don’t have a lot of space but you do have steps leading up to your front porch.  You can place two larger garden containers framing each side of the front door.  If you have only the steps to work with, try placing smaller pots on the different levels of steps, up next to the railing so that they won’t be obstructive and cause issues.

When it comes to the planting materials for any of the entrance pots suggested above, just look at how much sun or shade they will get.  Are they under a porch awning or exposed to direct sunlight all day.  Once you select the perfect planters, filling them will not be an issue but a super fun adventure.

Lastly, whatever style, size, or planting materials you choose, please, please, please keep them cleaned up, watered, fertilized, and well maintained.  It won’t matter how much you spend on a garden planter if they are ignored and not taken care of.

How to create classic potted topiary

Materials:

4 large terracotta pots
Bark Chips
Pottery Mix
Slow-Release Plant Food Fertilizer

4 – box trees in different topiary shapes, real or faux

Most topiary from a garden center or nursery will come in a plastic container.  We think that isn’t very decorative or nice looking so we recommend our Italian Terracotta Standard or European Style Pottery.  If you look on our website you will see both styles, come in many sizes and are shipped directly to us from the Italian factory.  This is not a cheap, easily damaged terracotta clay.  Each of these pots is fired in a gas kiln making the color even, sun-backed, and stunning.

The clean lines of the topiary are matched by the simplicity of the terracotta pots.  Since the eye is drawn to the outlines of the box plants, decorated or colorful pots would be a distraction.

Fill the bottom of the planter with bark chips.  This keeps the potting mix from coming out and the water able to run off.  You want to keep the drain hole free and clear for good drainage but not totally open so the soil runs out.

Remove the tree from the nursery pot and place it in the terracotta container surrounding it with potting mix.  Push down the side so there are no large air pockets.  Scatter the fertilizer over the top and then finish off with more bark chips.  Water well and position in sun or partial shade.

***Plant anytime of year!

Alexander the Great popularized the medicinal properties of aloe when he heard how the sap from it’s leaves could help heal battle wounds.

“Aloe” creates a protective barrier on the skin that keeps it moist and promotes healing.  It also stimulates the Langerhans cells, which can reduce inflammation.

Now is a good time to think about growing your own indoor potted aloe plant.  It’s so easy, they are just beautiful and a very healthy plant to have around the house.

Select a small size clay flowerpot and saucer.  Make sure you place them in a sunny location or window.  The potted aloe plant loves indirect sunlight but too much direct sunlight can brown it’s leaves.  It’s best to rotate the pot once or twice a week so that all sides receive equal light.  Don’t overwater but keep the moisture moist.

To use for burns or cuts:  Slit open a stalk, squeeze out some gel like substance and dab on the skin.  Keep the remaining stalk in the refrigerator for up to 60 days.

Read More: How to grow a pineapple bush.

Keeping Potted Herbs Happy

As the world becomes more health-conscious, people are looking to become more pro-active when it comes to cooking at home and growing their own potted herbs.  By using fresh grown herbs in your food preparation you will use less oil, fat, butter and cream.

Potted grown herbs have a powerful taste and delicious smells that add so much to food.  Don’t forget you can use any home-grown potted herbs in all kinds of things from soap to candle making.  Fresh or dried they are simply wonderful and if you haven’t tried to grow your own you are wasting your money.  Grocery store herbs are very expensive and unnecessary.

Get some of our small terracotta clay flowerpots and saucers.  Decide on the size dependent on where you will grow them.  A kitchen window, a center island, back porch or patio area are all good places if you have easy access to them.  Clay flowerpots are good because terracotta is considered low fired and breathable which is super healthy for your herbs root systems.  Just make sure you have easy access or we all know what will happen.  You won’t use them!!!

Treat your fresh herb just like fresh flowers.  When you trim your potted plants, place them in a glass of water and refrigerate up to 2 weeks.  Try drying some for adding to soups and casseroles by placing them on a paper towel and microwave for 30 sec intervals.  Turn as needed till brittle.

Winter Whites

We are always searching for plants & flowers that do well indoors during these long winter months.  If you have never heard of “Moth” orchids then listen up.

Potted Moth Orchids are a year-round flower that does well indoors.  With their paper-thin petals and tall erect stems, they can bring elegance, fragrance, and beauty to your indoor décor.  During winter's dark cold days, these potted beauties are perfect to brighten your days.

A decorative container or simple elegant white vase filled with moth orchids are even easy for a beginner gardener.  Most folks can be easily intimated by their sophicated look but they shouldn’t be.  A potted moth orchid requires little attention and maintenance. 

As new variations in color, size and blooms arrive, even green thumb gardeners are giving these easily potted indoor flowers a second look.

Remove the orchid from the nursery pot.  If the rootball is tight, gently work it free.  Clip off any dead roots or stems.  Spread the roots with your hands gently on a clean surface.  Now all you need to do is select a stunning flower container to repot the orchid in.  Try to make it larger than the existing pot but not to oversize.

Water regularly, but reduce the amount during winter months.  Keep the foliage dry, so don’t splash the flowers and leaves with watering.  Don’t let the roots of the potted moth orchid dry out.  Since you don’t want the orchid sitting in water, make sure your garden container has sufficient drainage.

That’s pretty much it!  These types of potted flowers are impressive and ornate so enjoy all winter long.

How to dry fresh basil.

You may ask why we are bringing up drying basil in the dead of winter?  Well, we think you should be planning now what herbs, flowers, and plants you want to grow in garden containers this coming spring.  So maybe if we tell you how to dry potted basil (popular herb) and why you want to dry it, you will include it in your coming garden décor.

Dried basil in flowerpots can be used in so many cooking recipes.  Sauces, pesto, chicken and pasta dishes.  It really is one of the most used and desired herbs you can pot and grow at home.  And, have you ever priced basil at the grocery store?  argh.

If you don’t want to grow your own basil in flowerpots you can always dry any fresh basil that you purchase at the grocery store.

After harvesting the basil grown in clay planters, make sure it’s gently washed.  Lay the basil bunches in a dish strainer or on a kitchen towel where they can dry completely.  Remove as much stem as possible because they don’t dry so well.

Preheat your oven to the lowest setting.  Line a baking sheet with parchment and spread leaves out so they aren’t touching. Place in the oven for around 1 to 2 hrs. checking every 15 mins or so.  You don’t want the leaves to burn but just feel dry to the touch.  Remove and cool completely.  Now you can crumble it up removing any stems.  Bottle the crumbles and store in a cabinet out of sunlight.

See how simple this is!  You can easily grow and dry your own basil in almost any size and kind of flowerpot.  By using a clay planter instead of planting directly into your yard or garden, you can container the roots from spreading.  We like to grow all herbs in terracotta clay instead of other types of garden pottery because the clay will breathe and that is good for creating healthy roots.  So, if you have clay flowerpots or any clay planters laying around use those first.  Just make sure they are large enough to hold the number of herbs you want to grow.

[Read More] Better Berries Potted

Bring Potted Succulents indoors for Winter

Winters cold is not the easiest condition for potted succulents, plants, bushes, and trees to stand up to. Especially if they are planted in clay flowerpots or clay containers.  Most succulents are hard enough to keep healthy under normal weather conditions but winter brings a whole new set of issues.

It at all possible it is a best practice to bring your clay containers of succulents indoors or at least into a garage or garden shed.  This isn’t a necessity but a helpful step to assure the potted succulents have the best chance of surviving the cold.  If it’s not possible you can take added steps to mulch the potting mix, wrap the whole planter in bubble wrap or burlap or just let them tough out Winter and re-evaluate next Spring.

If you can bring all clay flowerpot succulents indoors give them one good watering before you do. That way they will be nice and moist and you won’t have to start with the watering process right away. This means you need garden saucers for each clay planter or you will have to move the clay flowerpots to the sink to water them.  Like most houseplants, succulents need well, draining flowerpots or garden bowls.

Now check the potting mix in each terracotta flowerpot.  If it’s compact and hard it’s best to replace it or at the very least work it to soften it up.  All root systems like the loose potting mix to grow and expand in.  Clean up the planters so that you don’t bring any bugs indoors.  Remove old leaves, twigs and other debris that may be on, in or around the pot.

Lastly, trim the succulent up if necessary.  Any old spent leaves or climbing string of pears can be clipped off and cut shorter.  Since succulents don’t grow fast you don’t need to go overboard here.  The idea is to just give it a manicured look not so much a hair cut and a shave look!  LOL

Place your garden pots in a sunny window, don’t overwater, make sure it’s not too warm in the house and your outdoor potted succulents will give you a steady stream of beauty all thru the cold winter months until you move them outside again come Spring.

How to create interesting garden containers

If you have a green thumb touch, or maybe not so much here are some tips that may help when it comes to what types of plant materials to pot in your garden containers.  Of course, everyone’s tastes are different and we encourage that, but these tips can work in general ways also.  These tips also work with all types of garden containers.  Clay flowerpots, Clay Planters, Concrete Pottery, Glazed flowerpots, tall, thin and window box pottery.  Make it simple and keep it simple!

Mix different leaf textures & sizes
Potting green plants in your home and garden pottery or containers is not the most exciting thing to do but if you think about it, they make a wonderful filler for very little financial investment.  If you put your palms, flowers, bulbs or succulents in the center of your planter and fill the border with leaves and greens you will have a much fuller flower pot arrangement without a lot of expense.

Sample:

Lamb’s Ear:  We love these silky soft leaves.   They range from pale yellow to deep emerald green and have a fuzzy softness to them.  These are great when planted in clay planters all alone because they grow fast and provide lots of colors as well as filler.  The leaves have almost a light grey cast to them because of all the fuzz.  Love it!

Ferns:  Ferns are known for their feathery tapered leaves.  They range in too many colors to list here but they are perfect as filler or as stand-alone.  Each leaf has a natural bend to it so it looks lovely draped on the outside of your clay flowerpots and glazed planters.  Ferns are also perfect for patio or porch hanging terracotta planters.

Hosta:  These leaves are little paddles that look lovely when mixed with spikey flowers or plants that have height.  A deep green that complements all colors of flowers, even white.  When mixed with other green leaf plants they add a tremendous contrast in color and style to all your clay planters or clay flowerpots.

What is an Olla and why do you need them?

The definition of an olla is a low fired, clay ceramic vessel used to save a gardener time, energy and water.  Potted planters watered this way do not put stress on water sources and help potted plants to live long healthy lives.  A clay olla watering jar is considered an inexpensive way to maximize the output of your garden while minimizing overwatering, runoff and water loss.

When watering your garden containers, it is sometimes difficult to get enough water to the roots of the plants only without the water flowing out the bottom drain hole and on to the porch or patio surface.  With the olla planted in the center of the flowerpot, the water will seep out the sides of the porous clay directly into the area where the roots are located.  Many times, the roots will be drawn to this source of water and wrap themselves around the olla bottle.  Water irrigation for garden planters becomes super-efficient and has little runoff or evaporation.

Bury a watering clay olla in the center of your garden container, leaving 2” above the opening of the bottom so dirt and mulch don’t fall inside.  Gently tap soil around the olla making sure there are no air pockets.  Fill with water.  Plan on checking the water levels of the ollas on a regular schedule until you have worked with them for a bit to understand how much and how often you should refill them.

Small size watering ollas are good for porch and patio pots.  Usually, space would be about 2 feet long like a window box planter or wide like a round garden pot or garden bowl.  The medium size is best when you have large planters where you need to water around 3 feet.  The large size is better for potted trees, large shrubs or the largest planters you have.  You can always use multiple ollas in each pot or window box.

FYI:  When leaving for a short vacation, Ollas are the perfect solution for your flowers to stay healthy and watered while you are gone.  With the slow release of water, they should be good for up to 10 days or so.

Looking for something easy to plant and grow in a decorative patio pot, something healthy to eat, wonderful to smell, and looks good in a garden planter?  GARLIC!

If you have never tried to grow garlic in a garden container and watch it grow so you can harvest it, then you are missing out for sure.  It’s really so easy and fun to do.  Great for kids and older adults alike.  Just follow a few easy tips and you can have great success growing your potted garlic.

As we all know, garlic is one of the most popular herbs you can grow.  It’s used in almost all recipes from spaghetti sauce, to stir fry and everything in between.  Garlic is reported to be a wonderful medicinal plant owing to its preventive characteristics in cardiovascular diseases, regulating blood pressure, lowering blood sugar and cholesterol levels, effective against bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic infections, enhancing the immune system and so much more.

The first thing to consider is the right type of garlic to plant in your flowerpot.  If you live in a cold climate purchase Hard neck. The Soft neck kind is better for warmer climates.  You can google this for more information.  The second thing to consider is where you will place the garden containers once they are planted.  The best place to locate your pottery is where they will get full sun.  A patio area or yard and garden area where they can get direct sun without an overhang or awning.

When selecting the container to grow the garlic in you will need one that is at least 6 inches (15 cm.) deep and has excellent drainage. The garden container also needs to be big enough to leave 6 inches (15 cm.) of space between cloves.  We recommend a terracotta planter, window box, or garden bowl because the clay breathes and is healthy for the soil and garlic to get good air circulation.  But most any garden container will yield success.

Start with fresh potting mix.  Don’t reuse mix from year after year in any of your flowerpots, because the garlic will deplete the nutrients in the soil.  Separate the cloves carefully and set them into the mix pointy side up about 4 to 6 inches into the soil.  Space apart.  Top with soil and mulch the planter.

Don’t overwater these planters.  Allow the soil to dry a bit between watering but never dry out completely.  Feed each flowerpot with fertilizer during the active growing season to help things along.  Stop fertilizing the potted garlic mid-summer when the leaves begin to turn brown and die back.  You will know when to harvest when half or more of the leaves have died.  That is the time to dig up the bulbs.

Dig them up being careful not to bruise or cut them.  Lay them out to dry for 2 to 3 weeks in a shady area or in a garage.  When the roots feel brittle, rub them off along with excess dirt, but leave the papery skins intact.  You can now store them in bunches, braid them or cut off the stems a few inches above the bulb.  Store on a screen or shelf where they will get good cool, dry air.