Growing up, my mom always had potted plants on the front porch. Every year, she’d ask for new flowers for Mother’s Day. In the summer, brightly colored petunias and geraniums dressed up our porch and back patio. I’ve continued the tradition with a rotating mix of flowers at my house: pansies in the Spring, petunias/geraniums for Summer and finally, mums in the Fall.

While I’m by no means a master gardener, I do know how to pot plants. If you’ve never done it before, it’s really simple.

First, choose your plants. This Spring, I picked pansies and violas.Typically, I choose flowers in all one color for each pot, but this time I switched it up a bit and chose flowers in different colors that went together.  I bought a mix of four packs and 2 inch pots, which is easier to work with. Look for plants with mostly buds on them and some flowers. If you choose one with all of its flowers open, you run the risk of having a plant that never blooms in the pot.

Before starting, I divide the plants into two groups, one for each planter. I evenly separate them putting an equal number of 4 packs and 2 inch pots in each group. I also tried to create a balanced color palette. Here’s one group:

Then, fill your pots with potting soil leaving an inch or two at the top. I pulled these pots out of our shed and removed the dead mums.  That’s why there are a number of dead leaves in there.

I like to start by working from the center of the pot with the larger plants (2 inch pots) and then, fill in around the edges with the littler ones (individual plants in the four pack). To get your plant out of its container, squeeze the plastic. Then, gently, but firmly, ease it out.*

Next, create a space in the pot for your plant.

Place the plant in the spot you’ve created. Then, using your fingers, push the soil down around it. Continue creating spaces and adding plants, working your way in a circular motion around the planter.

After you’ve added all your plants, water them, adding water until it begins to run out the bottom of your planter.

Here is a photo of the final product.

*My nails are painted in Essie’s Sand Tropez color. Love this color, but please don’t look too closely at them.