Let’s Talk!
651.500.7650
Styling Annuals
I hate to say this out loud but with the 4th of July upon us, we are half way through summer. I know. I know. If you love summer like I do, this is a scary thought so we must savor every day that we can wear shorts and sleeveless tops!
By now your potted flowering annuals are well established, filling in bare spots, and probably even getting a bit “leggy.” In order to keep your annuals looking great for the second half of summer, it’s time to do a bit of styling!
I’ve always hung two potted flowering annuals on a double shepherd’s crook during the summer and in the winter, I hang bird feeders there. It’s right outside my kitchen window so I can look at whatever is hanging there while I wash dishes.
Usually, I’ve bought some variation of hanging petunias, “wave” or “million bells” but I’ve also switched it up and gotten verbena, fan flower, or lantana. It doesn’t matter what plant it is, they all grow and eventually get flat on top and leggy at the sides. It’s kind of what my own head of hair does. Ya know, when you come home from the salon and your hair has body and some lift on top. Then all of a sudden one day you look in the mirror and see how flat the top has become and the style has just disappeared. That’s what plants do too!
From the beginning of my gardening hobby, I knew that in order to promote blooms, I shouldn’t allow the plant to put its energy into making seeds. For petunias, I thought that meant taking all the dried flowers out of their little green skirts. Then I learned that you actually have to cut off that little green skirt because that’s where the seed pod starts growing. So, yes, I was promoting blooms by cutting those seed pods off but my flowers were still flat on top and leggy on the sides.
I did some reading online and discovered that whole stems needed to be cut back to about three inches from the dirt so I did that but instead of strategically cutting out only some stems, I cut the whole plant back. I had bald spots for a VERY LONG TIME.
The trick is to randomly and gradually cut back stems which I am finally doing correctly this year. After I brought my pots home from the greenhouse and gave them about two weeks to transition, I started to cut back about three to five stems in the middle which was hard because they were full of blooms. Then I’d wait a few more weeks and cut out a few more so it wasn’t noticeable.
Those pruned stems are now blossoming and I think I’m succeeding at styling full and healthy-looking plants all season long. I’ll have to continue this process every few weeks until I decide to retire my pots for the winter.
Meanwhile I still manicure my pots every week by deadheading and I nurture them with fertilizer. And with the hot summer we’re having, I’ve been watering every day! Don’t let your flowers wilt. If they get to that stage, you’ve already really stressed them. Give them regular drinks!
Our flowers need regular water, nutrition, and HAIR CUTS just like we do! I find this process very therapeutic. Maybe it’s a “stop and smell the roses” kind of thing. I don’t know but it’s very relaxing for me to take the time to do this! And I reap the rewards for doing it. My flowers are billowing and that gives me a lot of joy!
Let’s Talk!
Roberta Peters
Birch Hill Interiors
651.500.7650
Twin Cities
Styling Annuals
I hate to say this out loud but with the 4th of July upon us, we are half way through summer. I know. I know. If you love summer like I do, this is a scary thought so we must savor every day that we can wear shorts and sleeveless tops!
By now your potted flowering annuals are well established, filling in bare spots, and probably even getting a bit “leggy.” In order to keep your annuals looking great for the second half of summer, it’s time to do a bit of styling!
I’ve always hung two potted flowering annuals on a double shepherd’s crook during the summer and in the winter, I hang bird feeders there. It’s right outside my kitchen window so I can look at whatever is hanging there while I wash dishes.
Usually, I’ve bought some variation of hanging petunias, “wave” or “million bells” but I’ve also switched it up and gotten verbena, fan flower, or lantana. It doesn’t matter what plant it is, they all grow and eventually get flat on top and leggy at the sides. It’s kind of what my own head of hair does. Ya know, when you come home from the salon and your hair has body and some lift on top. Then all of a sudden one day you look in the mirror and see how flat the top has become and the style has just disappeared. That’s what plants do too!
From the beginning of my gardening hobby, I knew that in order to promote blooms, I shouldn’t allow the plant to put its energy into making seeds. For petunias, I thought that meant taking all the dried flowers out of their little green skirts. Then I learned that you actually have to cut off that little green skirt because that’s where the seed pod starts growing. So, yes, I was promoting blooms by cutting those seed pods off but my flowers were still flat on top and leggy on the sides.
I did some reading online and discovered that whole stems needed to be cut back to about three inches from the dirt so I did that but instead of strategically cutting out only some stems, I cut the whole plant back. I had bald spots for a VERY LONG TIME.
The trick is to randomly and gradually cut back stems which I am finally doing correctly this year. After I brought my pots home from the greenhouse and gave them about two weeks to transition, I started to cut back about three to five stems in the middle which was hard because they were full of blooms. Then I’d wait a few more weeks and cut out a few more so it wasn’t noticeable.
Those pruned stems are now blossoming and I think I’m succeeding at styling full and healthy-looking plants all season long. I’ll have to continue this process every few weeks until I decide to retire my pots for the winter.
Meanwhile I still manicure my pots every week by deadheading and I nurture them with fertilizer. And with the hot summer we’re having, I’ve been watering every day! Don’t let your flowers wilt. If they get to that stage, you’ve already really stressed them. Give them regular drinks!
Our flowers need regular water, nutrition, and HAIR CUTS just like we do! I find this process very therapeutic. Maybe it’s a “stop and smell the roses” kind of thing. I don’t know but it’s very relaxing for me to take the time to do this! And I reap the rewards for doing it. My flowers are billowing and that gives me a lot of joy!
Let’s Talk!
Roberta Peters
Birch Hill Interiors
Twin Cities