How To: Tend Mom’s Favorite Flowers

Tend Mom’s Favorite Flowers

By Bethany Beebe

This year, Americans will spend an estimated $25 billion on Mother’s Day gifts 1. One of the most popular gifts is flowers. With a bit of knowledge and care, beautiful blooms can be a return on investment enjoyed through the coming season and, in some cases, for seasons to come.

Before making a purchase decision, the intended function and size of your purchase should be considered. Some moms like growing a victory garden of vegetables in a battle to be economical and stay healthy. Many of these edibles can be grown in containers close to one’s patio door. Others enjoy larger, flowering, more striking pieces. A bush like a lilac or rose can make that multi-season impact (and smell great, too!)2 Many of those flowers carry meaning historically. Azalea bushes, for example, mean womanhood and love, and pink roses “say” appreciation2 .

For Mother’s Day, though, little else beats a seasonal planter’s splash of colorful annuals. Whether sitting on a suburban porch post by the mailbox, on an urban apartment’s fire escape, or by the chicken coop on a farm, beauty can be found in Mom’s favorite colors. Containers, even more than their in-ground counterparts, will require some care to maintain health for a season’s enjoyment.

To enjoy some visual balance in a container you design yourself, keep three elements of style in mind. A thriller, filler, and spiller help form an organized look3. The thriller is the main focal point, tallest, and in the center of a pot viewed from all sides or in the back if up against a wall3 . The filler complements the thriller but does not compete with its overall presence3. Finally, the spiller drapes over the edge and draws the viewer’s eye to the bottom of the grouping3 .

At the base of the whole thing is the growing medium from which the plants will obtain nutrients and be anchored. You can either mix the medium yourself or obtain the commercially available finished product4. Visiting Purdue Extension’s HORT-200-W will lead the intrepid garden researcher to recipes for good soil4. With medium in hand, almost anything can be used as a container if it has drainage holes for escape of excess water. To keep the growing medium from escaping with the excessive water, a layer of gravel or broken pottery over the drain holes are effective barriers4 .

With more exposure to heat, wind, and other drying factors than their in-ground counterparts, containers require attention to assure their moisture is maintained4. It is time to water when the top inch of soil feels dry4. To make sure the roots are getting enough, keep adding water until it flows from the drainage holes in the bottom4 .

One of those drying factors is the longer daylight hours of the warm-weather months. Vegetables, even those grown in containers, require six to eight hours of light per day4. Check the label for light requirements as growables range in need from full-sun to shade-loving4. Whether needing lots of direct light or more cover, covering the basics of care will keep Mom’s plantings pretty through the season. a

• THRILLER

• FILLER

• SPILLER

1 Americans spend more on Mother’s Day than ever before (detroitnews.com) 2. Planting A Mother’s Day Garden – Grow A Garden For Mother’s Day (gardeningknowhow.com) 3. Container Flower Gardening - Information About Thrillers, Fillers And Spillers (gardeningknowhow.com) 4. HO-200.pdf (purdue.edu)