The University of Delaware has some tips to help gardeners save money.

According to a UD news release, gardening is the No. 1 hobby in America, more popular than boating, golf or skiing, and although not as expensive as those pastimes, it can be costly.

“It’s very easy to get caught up in the excitement of picking out new landscape plants and find yourself over-buying,” Carrie Murphy, a UD Cooperative Extension horticulture agent, said in the news release.

Murphy, who has a garden of her own in her North Wilmington yard, gave some tips on how people can maintain a garden while maintaining their money.

“I’m a minimalist,” said Murphy. “I get by fine with a spade, shovel, pruners, cultivator, soil rake and leaf rake, plus a hori-hori knife.”

She added that another way to cut costs could be to start plants from seed or cuttings, although starting from cuttings “doesn’t work for every species.”

Patience is the key to saving money, Murphy said in the news release. She took a slow, measured approach to her landscape plan, waiting six months before making any major changes to her garden when she and her husband moved into their home.

“I’m glad I didn’t rush in and make hasty decisions,” Murphy said. “Choosing the right plants for the right location saves you from making costly mistakes. We got to really know our property and the particular soil, light and drainage issues for each area.”

Other ways to cut gardening costs include making compost and using rain barrels to catch water for irrigation.

There are lots of things to do this weekend. However, the most important as far as I am concerned, is that you keep it safe. Gardening can be a dangerous hobby, so be careful out there.

First, take it easy. Yes, Alaska is unforgiving when it comes to timing in the garden. You miss a week and you may miss the whole season. Still, if you have a heart attack trying to do everything, you may never garden again. You don’t have to do everything in one day or even in one weekend. Pace yourself.

The best thing you can do is sit down and make a list of the things you need to do in the yard. Yes, there are lots of things, perhaps too many. So prioritize between hardening off new plants, mowing the lawn, cleaning the tool shed, attaching the hoses, fixing the lawn mower, trimming the raspberries and moving the ligularia, etc. Figure out which chores you can put off without completely disastrous consequences down the line.

After you write it all down decide if you need to purchase anything to get things done. If you do, take care of it today or tomorrow so that you don’t have interrupt yourself by constantly hopping into the car all weekend to get what you need.

If you have family helpers, now is the time to make assignments and make it clear how important it is to complete them.

Next, don’t kill or hurt yourself with exertion. For many this will be the first exercise since winter set in. Keep that in mind. Stretch before you start and pace yourself. Some don’t mind limping into work Tuesday, but it really isn’t good for your body. Drink plenty of water. Wear gloves to prevent blisters and splinters. You know the routine. Yardening is a hobby, not an occupation. We are supposed to be having fun. Make sure you do.

I might add that gardening is not an aerobic hobby. You are supposed to be able to hear the birds, sing to yourself, quietly think, soak in the smells and sensations. Gardening sessions are not gym classes. They should be more like yoga sessions.

This is also a weekend when many take it upon themselves to use dangerous equipment: lawn aerators, rototillers (but only if you are putting in a new garden), chain saws, power edgers, hedge clippers, tall ladders and all manner of potentially dangerous rental equipment to complete landscaping jobs (not to mention simply using the lawn mower or tractor to mow the lawn.)

It is easy to be lax and not wear ear protectors and safety glasses or even shoes with hard toes. There is no OSHA around the yard to enforce a safe workplace. Still, I like to be around for the next weekend, so I think about the rules I learned in shop class. It’s a good idea for all gardeners.

And (you knew it was coming) there are the pesticides and herbicides. Do not use them. Yes, I am speaking about dandelion killers this week. The main ingredient in the “chemical” dandelion killers is 2,4-D. It has been linked to endocrine disruption, kidney and liver damage, reproduction toxicity and harm to birds and dogs. Earthworms hate the stuff as do lots of beneficial insects like bees. It is easily brought into the home on feet. (beyondpesticides.org/pesticides/factsheets/2,4-D.pdf for more) and it moves in the air tremendous distances.

For too long I promoted the use of all sorts of dangerous chemicals in these columns. (For the grave damage I did, I am obliged to make up for this whenever I can.) All you have to do is read the labels to know you don’t want to use them. Take the pledge give them up forever. You owe it to yourself, your spouse, children and grandchildren as well as your pets, neighbors and the rest of us.

In short — Whoopee! It’s the big weekend. Have fun planting things in the ground. However, be safe out there. Enjoy yourself, but don’t be careless because you are giddy that we finally made to Planting Out Weekend.

Jeff Lowenfels is a member of the Garden Writers Hall of Fame. You can reach him at teamingwithmicrobes.com and hear him (and call in) on the Garden Party from 10 a.m.-noon on Saturdays on KBYR, 700 AM.

Garden calendar

PLANTING OUT: MANY SOURDOUGH GARDENERS WAIT ONE MORE WEEK, SO AGAIN, THERE IS NO NEED TO RUSH AND GET EVERYONE DONE ALL AT ONCE.

ALASKA BOTANICAL GARDEN SPRING PLANT SALE: 9 A.M. TO 4 P.M. ON SATURDAY. MEMBERS ONLY IN THE FIRST HOUR, SO IT PAYS TO JOIN. SEE WWW.ALASKABG.ORG.

RHUBARB: HARVEST SOME (IF YOU MUST). LEAVES ARE POISONOUS, BUT CAN BE COMPOSTED.

MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI: GET SOME AND APPLY TO TRANSPLANTS BEFORE THEY GO IN THE GROUND. COLE CROPS, BLUEBERRIES AND RHODODENDRONS ARE THE EXCEPTION.

DANDELIONS: PICK OR MOW FLOWERS. DON’T LET THEM GO TO SEED. USE A HAND TOOL TO DIG ‘EM FOR 15 MINUTES EVERY DAY FOR A TWO WEEKS AND GET THINGS UNDER CONTROL. CLOVE, VINEGAR OR IRON-BASED SPRAYS WORK TOO.

DELPHINIUM DEFOLIATOR: CHECK YOUR PLANTS. THEY ARE THERE! SPRAY WITH BT, AZAMAX OR NEEM OIL. FOLLOW DIRECTIONS.

NURSERIES: VISIT AND BUY. STUFF GOES FAST! LOOK FOR GREAT SALES ON BARE ROOT STUFF.

| POLICE NEWS
HAWAIIAN GARDENS — Sheriff’s Homicide investigators said Tuesday that a coroner’s autopsy revealed a man, whose body was found inside a refrigerator at a Hawaiian Garden’s liquor store Monday, died from a gunshot wound to the head.

The cause of death was determined Tuesday, and authorities were hoping to have the victim’s identity confirmed by his next of kin that same day, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Lt. Holly Francisco.

Francisco said detectives were also still working to determine if the victim worked at the store, which was found with the doors open and lights on by a customer Monday afternoon.

Homicide detectives were called to the Beer Wine Market, 12321 Carson St., at about 4:34 p.m. after the customer went into the business and found no one working, authorities said Monday.

“The Lakewood Sheriff’s station received a call of an open store with the lights turned off,” said Deputy Pauline Panis of the Sheriff’s Headquarters Bureau.

“When deputies arrived they searched the store and found the man’s body at the rear of the store.”

The motive for the killing also remains under investigation, the lieutenant said Tuesday morning.

Anyone with information about the slaying is urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tips can be made by calling “Crime Stoppers” at 800-222-TIPS (8477),

or texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or log onto the website at http://lacrimestoppers.org.

tracy.manzer@presstelegram.com, 562-714-21450, twitter.com/tmanzer

By Melinda Myers

Get out the shovel and trowels–it’s Memorial Day weekend and that means gardening for many.

Spend a bit more time getting your garden off to a good start and reap the benefits all season long.  Proper planting and post planting care means less maintenance, fewer pests and more produce and beautiful flowers in your landscape.

Start by selecting healthy plants free of insect and disease problems.  There’s no need to spend money on problems.  And keep in mind that bigger is not always better.  Instead look for compact plants with sturdy stems.  The leaves should be deep green or the proper color for that variety.  Avoid plants that show signs of stress such as spots, brown leaf edges, and holes.  And when all things are equal, purchase the perennials with multiple stems.

Keep your purchase properly watered before and after planting.  Check transplants daily and twice a day when temperatures rise, watering as needed.  Increase success and reduce the stress transplants often face.  Apply a plant strengthener to protect potted plants from drying out until you are able to plant. Or apply to transplants to get your plants off to a vigorous start.  These organic products are not fertilizers but rather naturally occurring molecules that work like an immunization to help new and established plants better tolerate heat, drought, insects, disease, and other challenges plants face.

Prepare the soil before planting.  Though not glamorous building a good foundation for your garden will pay off this season and beyond.  Dig one or two inches of compost, peat moss or other organic matter and a low nitrogen slow release fertilizer into the top 12 inches of the soil.

Now slide, don’t pull, the plants out of their containers to avoid damaging their roots and stems.  If they resist, gently squeeze small flexible pots or roll larger pots on their sides over the ground.  This loosens the roots, releasing the pot from the container.

Gently tease any roots that encircle (girdle) the root ball.  Or use a knife to slice through girdling roots or the tangled mass that often develops at the bottom of the pot.  This encourages the roots to explore the soil beyond the planting hole.  And a bigger root system means healthier plants that are more productive and beautiful.

Set your plants at the same depth they were growing in their container.  Tall leggy tomatoes are the exception.  These can be planted deeper or in shallow trenches to encourage roots to form along the buried stem.  Cover the roots with soil and gently tamp to insure good root to soil contact.  Water new plantings thoroughly; moistening the rootball, planting hole, and beyond.  Spread a thin layer of shredded leaves, evergreen needles or other mulch over the soil to conserve moisture, suppress weeds, and keep the roots cooler when hot weather moves in for the summer.

Check new plantings every other day and water thoroughly and often enough to keep the soil slightly moist.  Gradually reduce the frequency until your plants only need to be watered once a week in heavy clay soils and twice a week in sandy soils. Of course you’ll need to water more often in hot weather.

And don’t forget about the rest of your landscape.  Plant strengtheners can be applied to established plants to prepare them for the often stressful season ahead.  Treated plants will be better able to tolerate heat and drought as well as attacks from insects and diseases.

So get out and start planting to make this the best gardening season yet.

Melinda Myers, nationally known gardening expert, TV/radio host, author and columnist, has more than 30 years of horticulture experience and has written over 20 gardening books. She hosts the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment segments which air on over 100 TV and radio stations throughout the U.S. and Canada. She hosted “The Plant Doctor” radio program for over 20 years as well as seven seasons of Great Lakes Gardener on PBS. She has written articles for numerous magazines.  Melinda has a master’s degree in horticulture, is a certified arborist and was a horticulture instructor with tenure.  Her web site is www.melindamyers.com

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Tags: gardening, home and garden, Melinda Myers, planting, vegetables

Category: Home Garden

7:58 a.m., May 22, 2012–Gardening is the No. 1 hobby in America, more popular than boating, golf or skiing. With no boat to maintain, country club to join, or skis to buy, gardening wouldn’t seem to be that pricey of a pastime. However, gardening expenses can quickly add up. 

A 2007 book by William Alexander comically illustrates this fact.  The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity…in the Quest for the Perfect Garden includes a cost benefit analysis of the author’s garden, adding up items like Velcro tomato wraps and animal traps, amortized over the life of the garden. In the end, Alexander discovers that his heirloom Brandywine tomatoes cost a whopping $64 each to grow.

Campus Stories

It’s not just vegetable gardeners who need to watch expenses. “It’s very easy to get caught up in the excitement of picking out new landscape plants and find yourself over-buying,” says Carrie Murphy, a UD Cooperative Extension horticulture agent.

But there’s no need to hang up your trowel — there are many ways to keep gardening costs down, notes Murphy.

For starters, don’t splurge on unnecessary tools. “I’m a minimalist,” says Murphy. “I get by fine with a spade, shovel, pruners, cultivator, soil rake and leaf rake, plus a hori hori knife.”  (The gardener’s version of a Swiss army knife, a hori hori knife can be used for pruning, weeding, planting and more.)

Another way to cut costs is to start your own plants from seed or cuttings. New Castle County Master Gardeners held a seed-starting workshop in March. Look for one to be held again next spring. And, throughout the growing season, you can take cuttings of landscape plants. 

“Taking cuttings to start new plants doesn’t work for every species,” cautions Murphy. “Some plants root readily, others are more challenging, and others are impractical to start from cuttings.”

In her North Wilmington yard, Murphy has taken cuttings from red-twig dogwoods and many easy-to-root perennials, such as sedum. She says the sedums were extremely easy to work with; at the end of the summer she cut the tips off and sprinkled the cuttings on the soil. Approximately 80 percent successfully rooted before winter set in. She also lets some perennials “seed-in” and grow until they can be transplanted to another garden space. She has done this with black-eyed Susan, echinacea, sedges and more.

Patience is a virtue – and can help you save money. Case in point: when Murphy moved to her current property five years ago, she was eager to pull out a scraggly lilac shrub at the corner of the house. She knew she’d have the expense of replacing it with a new plant. But because the shrub was old, with well-established roots near the house’s foundation, she feared she also might face the expense of drainage issues once the lilac was pulled. Her husband convinced her to whack the plant back to its base to see if it could be revitalized. 

“I’ve never really been a fan of lilacs but three years after cutting this one back it looked great,” she says. “I’m glad I didn’t rush in and make hasty decisions.”

Murphy took a slow, measured approach to her entire landscape plan. After moving in, she and her husband lived with the existing landscape for six months before making any major changes.

“Choosing the right plants for the right location saves you from making costly mistakes,” she says. “We got to really know our property and the particular soil, light and drainage issues for each area.” 

Once she started adding plants, patience was still the watch word. For example, three years ago she bought three containers of switch grass for an area ideally suited for five plants. Now, the original switch grass is ready to divide and Murphy will have her five plants – plus more to share with family and friends.

Murphy avoids annuals except for the occasional planting of pansies or mums. “If you choose the right mix of perennials, shrubs and small flowering trees you can have color all season long,” she says. “Buying annuals that need to be replaced every year gets expensive.”  

Other ways to cut gardening costs include making your own compost and using rain barrels to catch rain for irrigation. To learn more about ways to save money on gardening, go to this Cooperative Extension website.

Article by Margo McDonough

Photo courtesy Carrie Murphy

Commemorative planting makes a strong statement for future generations. Queen
Victoria planted the first Chusan palm outside in England, at Osbourne House
back in 1851. It died at the respectable age of 150 in 2002. So our Queen
planted another to mark her Golden Jubilee, grown from seed from the same
batch.

Choosing which tree or rose to plant is difficult. Maybe go for a tried and
true plant such as Malus ‘Royal Beauty’, or one about to be debuted
such as the rose ‘Royal Jubilee’, a deep, powerful pink with large,
chalice-shaped, fragrant flowers. The petals curl in so much that you can
only just see the stamens. No doubt at Chelsea, there will be many stunning
introductions named for the Jubilee. Debs is going to plant a Red Windsor
apple tree in her garden : “This is a sport [a freak genetic occurrence]
which arose in Hereford in 1985 with Cox’s Orange Pippin parentage – tasty
and disease resistant. Also grown at a British nursery.”

Make a commemorative plaque, so later generations will know the history of the
plant . Make your own or have enthusiastic young relatives paint one. As for
cut flowers, Debs suggests peonies, Philadelphus, or Ceanothus:
“Anything that is home-grown, is looking good and sports the colours.”

Up the road from me, at Burghley House near Stamford, the head gardener, John
Burrows, is growing and planning decorations for the 10,000 people coming to
celebrate on 13 June along with their guest of honour, the Queen. John is
using slices of home-grown oak branches about 15cm in diameter and 10cm
deep, as table decorations. He is chiselling out a hole in the centre to
take a hidden vase, which he will fill with roses, alchemillas, euphorbias
and whatever looks vibrant in the gardens on the day. Estate carpenters have
carved two beautiful wooden spades and the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh
will plant two trees with them: a large-leaved lime and an Oriental plane.

So what is Debs going to be doing during the Jubilee celebrations? “I will be
sometimes with friends and family, but also at Highgrove with the people I
work for, to make it a very special time for them – it couldn’t be better
than that.”

Life readers can save 10 per cent when you buy roses (containerised,
bare root or bouquets) by mail order from David Austin Roses. Quote DTSP to
qualify. Order online at davidaustinroses.com,
call 01902 376300 or write to David Austin Roses, Bowling Green Lane,
Albrighton, Wolverhampton WV7 3HB.Offer valid until 31 July.

2012 Royal Jubilee roses can be advance ordered for despatch from November
2012 onwards. Each rose is £17.50, or three for £46.50, plus £5.95 p
p. Roses will be supplied as bare roots.

1: Twist, don’t shout
Young dandelions, plantains, tree seedlings, and other tenacious weeds come up easily if you twist as you pull. Grasp the plant below the leaves, at ground level, and twist while slowly pulling upward. For better leverage when pulling unwanted tree seedlings, wrap the pliable seedling around your hand.

2: Dig it
Add a long, skinny “dandelion digger” with a forked tip to your handtool collection. Use it to pop out the tough, deep taproots of dock, sorrel, burdock, and of course dandelions. The sharp tip of a triangular hoe makes short work of clump-forming weeds with fibrous roots, like chickweed and dead nettle. Swing the hoe toward you so that the blade slices and lifts the weed. It takes only a little practice to develop great hand-eye coordination with a hoe, and the activity can be a great stress reducer.

3: Smother ‘em with the Sunday paper
Kill off existing weeds and block new ones from sprouting with biodegradable newspaper. Layer 2- or 3-sheet sections of newspaper around your perennials and other plants and cover with a thin, disguising layer of grass clippings or bark mulch. Rain will soak through, worms will move up to work the paper into the soil, and you’ll get better, looser soil in the bargain.

4: Mulch, mulch, mulch
Don’t bag those grass clippings or fall leaves. Use them to keep your garden weed-free. Spread a 2-inch layer of grass clippings (or 4 to 6 inches of fall leaves that you have chopped with a pass or two of the lawnmower) around shrubs and perennials, keeping the mulch an inch or two away from the crown of the desirable plants. Weeds beneath will suffocate and any new ones that sprout will be easy to pull.

5: Practice flame-throwing
Use a portable torch to burn off weeds in cracks of brick or paving stones. A quick tongue of flame will sear most weeds instantly. If they green up again, repeat the treatment — they’ll soon give up and die.

6: Listen to Shakespeare
“Now tis the spring, and weeds are shallow-rooted. Suffer them now and they’ll o’ergrow the garden,” said the Bard in King Henry VI. He was right, of course. Use your hoe or a hand hoe to slice off young weeds en masse, before they get a roothold in the garden. Skim the soil surface lightly with the hoe, scraping or slicing off the weeds. Avoid disturbing the soil with chopping motions, which will only bring more weed seeds to the surface to sprout. This is a great technique for lady’s-thumb, lamb’s-quarters, and other weeds that produce dense masses of self-sown seedlings. It also works well on chickweed, purslane, and other shallow-rooted weeds.

In the garden, I want instant gratification. Planting seeds and waiting two years for the plants to bloom calls for more patience than I usually possess. So when it comes to perennials, those stalwarts that live for years in the garden, I often buy potted plants that will please me with flowers their first year in the ground. But growing perennials from seed is a real money-saver, and the siren call of a $2 seed packet that will yield a couple of dozen plants is hard to ignore — especially when I compare the price of those homegrown plants to the $3 to $5 a pot I’d pay at the nursery.

Over the years I’ve done some experimenting and discovered a garden-full of easy-to-grow precocious perennials. If you plant these seeds early (in the garden if it’s an early spring, in pots if not), you can often enjoy colorful flowers the first year.

Gardening Tips: Instant Gratification

My first success was globe mallow (Sphaeralcea grossulariifolia, also sold as S. incana; Zones 4-10), a wildflower from the West with spires of simple cupped flowers in summer. I almost missed out on this hollyhock relative because the catalog called it orange, and I thought the color would be hard to work into the garden. I’m glad I took a gamble, because the blossoms are actually a soft orange-red, further mellowed by the effect of the gray-green leaves.
Orange globe mallow is beautiful with blues, like ‘Blue Mirror’ delphinium, another first-year bloomer. I had a hard time believing I could have blooming delphiniums the same year I planted seeds. But here in the humid lower Midwest, it’s one of the few delphiniums I can grow; the stately giants simply peter out when faced with our summers, so I grow smaller cultivars (Zones 4-8), like ‘Butterfly’, ‘Beverly Hills’, ‘Southern Jesters’, and ‘Southern Noblemen’, all quick to bloom from an early spring sowing.

If you’ve always wanted a hedge of lavender, meet ‘Lady’ (Lavandula angustifolia ‘Lady’; Zones 7-9), a fragrant delight that’s almost as easy to grow as marigolds. I like to jazz up its soft purple with the bright gold of ‘Early Sunrise’ coreopsis (Zones 4-10), which blooms the first year with fluffy double daisies. I sprinkle seeds of Verbena bonariensis (Zones 7-10) among the coreopsis; they’re “see-through” plants with tall, almost bare stems that you can put anywhere in the garden. Butterflies love their tight-packed clusters of tiny purple flowers, which bloom right through light frosts.

If you have a garden pool, plant seeds of monkey flower among the surrounding rocks for a spill of color from summer through autumn. Look for hybrids like ‘Red Emperor’ and ‘Fireflame’ for knock-your-eye-out color, or plant a mixed pack of ‘Calypso Hybrids’ for a flurry of warm color.

Summer-blooming perennials are your best bet for a first-year show. Pristine white musk mallow (Malva moschata ‘Alba’; Zones 3-8) is one of my favorites, with silken blossoms on branching three-foot plants. Golden marguerite Anthemis tinctoria ‘Kelwayi’; Zones 3-7) quickly grows into relaxed clumps of ferny foliage splashed with lemony yellow daisies that bloom into fall.
First-year flowers aren’t guaranteed, even with these precocious perennials, but I don’t mind taking that risk. If I don’t see any blooms this summer, there’s always next year!

Take the guesswork out of pruning shrubs with this clear and easy guide

Spring-flowering shrubs need plenty of TLC to keep them looking their best. Some benefit from deadheading or annual pruning to stimulate growth and enhance flowering. Use the following guide to take the guesswork out of pruning flowering shrubs in your garden.

Abelia: Prune old or diseased wood in early spring. Signs of new growth will help you distinguish healthy shoots from damaged wood.

Azaleas: Whether evergreen or deciduous, only mature specimens require pruning (after 10 to 15 years, on average). For abundant blossoms the following spring, deadhead after bloom time; prune mature azaleas in midsummer.

Gardening Tips: Spring Pruning Guide

Ceanothus (California lilac): In spring, cut back all branches of deciduous ceanothus to the node where last year’s growth stopped. Evergreen ceanothus do not require pruning.

Crab apple: Species of Malus do not require pruning. However, watch for ground-level shoots that may arise on grafted root stock; remove these at once.

Dogwood: In spring, cut back one third of the branches of Cornus alba (and other species grown for their winter bark) to within two inches of old wood. Flowering dogwood (C. florida) and Japanese dogwood (C. kousa) need no pruning beyond routine removal of dead or damaged branches.

Forsythia: Prune out the oldest wood to the base immediately after flowering to encourage new growth and give it ample time to mature before frost.

Magnolia: Remove small interior and crossing branches in winter to allow more light to reach all parts of the shrub.

Mock orange: Philadelphus flowers on wood that was produced the previous year, so prune out the oldest stems after flowering to encourage new shoots.

Mountain laurel: Species of Kalmia need no pruning.

Ornamental pear: Species of Pyrus do not require pruning.

Prunus: Few ornamental cherries and plums require pruning. However, Prunus triloba (Russian almond) should be thinned in early summer.

Rhododendron: While deadheading is beneficial, routine pruning of rhododendrons is generally unnecessary. Old shrubs can be rejuvenated over three or four years by cutting out a quarter or a third of the stems from the ground in early spring or immediately after bloom time.

Spirea: To stimulate new growth, cut out one of every three branches right after flowering.

Syringa: After flowering, deadhead lilacs. Remove some of the oldest stems to the base, and shorten overly long ones. In winter, remove dead or damaged branches.

Viburnum: Remove damaged or overcrowed growth in early summer.

Witch hazel: Species of Hamamelis do not require pruning.

Admit it.

You’re envious of all those brazenly lush hanging baskets dangling from shepherd’s hooks and containers spilling over with mountains of blooms in garden magazines. Of course, you aren’t a professional gardener, money to buy all those plants doesn’t grow on trees (you can’t spend those silver dollar-sized seed pods on money plants!) and you just don’t have the time to cosset container plants.

But you can still have beautiful containers, following a few simple tricks:

Experts at Proven Winners describe two planting methods: traditional and living plant arrangement. The traditional planting means leaving space between plants when filling your planter and it will fill out in two or three weeks. The living plant method is, bluntly, stuffing in as many plants as the container will hold so it looks exuberant right off the bat.

Traditional planters will have healthier root growth, better air flow and overall healthier plants. Rule of thumb is three or four plants in 10 to 12 inch pots; five to eight in 16 to 20 inch planters, depending on the size of the plant.

Densely crowded pots will not live as long, dry out faster and are prone to disease problems. You can trim plants to give other ones room to grow. If you do this, plan on a little more quality time with your containers.

When planting containers, fill the container up to a few inches from the top with potting soil and layer in plants. Fill around plants as you go so tops aren’t smothered in more than a 1/2-inch of soil. Leave head space to allow watering.

Choose foliage with flair — mix delicate or fine foliage with narrow, straight stalks and broad leaves; strappy leaves with rounded leaves, etc.

Choose a focal plant, then fillers and then a plant that cascades over the side of the planter. Mix or match your colors to suit your tastes.

Large pots require less care with room for bigger roots and better water retention. Small pots may need to be watered twice daily. Clay pots will dry out faster than plastic and glazed pots; fiber or moss-lined baskets need more frequent watering.

Plant like-with-like — sun worshippers together and shade-lovers in their own pot.

Use a light potting soil. Shake the pot to settle the soil; don’t compact it by pressing down. It’s not necessary to completely replace soil in large pots. Remove the top 1/3 or so of last year’s soil and fill with new potting soil. This saves money and work. If you had plants with disease problems, it’s best to replace all the soil.

Water when the top of the soil is dry to the touch. Water in the AM, if possible. Don’t be alarmed if plants droop in intense sun. They should recover when the sun goes down. If not, the plants are in dire need of watering, but go slow to avoid drowning the roots.

Fertilize once a week or so with water-soluble fertilizer (look for bloom busters for flowering plants).