Use this light meter to gauge how much sunlight the location of your planter gets. Then make sure the exposure matches the lighting requirement listed on your planter recipe. Please keep in mind that different regions of the country and different settings can create unique growing environments. For example, a planter sitting on an asphalt driveway up against a brick garage, with just a few hours of sun is going to really heat up and probably behave more like a planter in a full sun location. Likewise, a planter that sits in 6+ hours of direct sun, but is located near the woods, a single large tree, or even some lush turf, may behave more like a partial shade arrangement.

Full Sun: 6 or more hours of direct sun daily

Partial Sun / Partial Shade: 3 - 6 hours of direct sun daily

Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sun daily

Dividing is a general term used in gardening when you dig up a mature plant in the ground and divide it into two or more sections. This is typically done to thin out overly dense growth or create “new” plants. For our purposes, this simply means taking a plant you’ve purchased that clearly has multiple individual plants within the pot and dividing the cluster into the individual plants. Annuals in six inch nursery pots are often sold this way and include 3 - 4 smaller stems. This is a great opportunity to economize because you get multiple plants out of one purchase.

Yes it is, but you’ll need to use your judgment. Make sure your container is tall enough to give the roots room to grow downward. A good guideline is at least twice as tall as your largest root ball in the arrangement. The roots will find a place to go.

As your arrangement matures, trim back any branches or stems that seem to be taking over the arrangement so that each individual plant continues to get the light and air flow it needs to thrive.

Most plants specified for Summer containers in 7A are also sold in other hardiness zones, but they might become available and "safe" to plant earlier or later, depending on whether you're in a warmer or colder climate. You may also find that some plants specified here are not sold in your market, which is a sign that they aren't high performing in your area. In that case, I recommend you ask a professional at your local garden center for a suitable substitute.

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the standard by which gardeners and growers can determine which plants are most likely to thrive in a location. The map is based on average winter low temperatures, divided into 10-degree F zones. When considering adding evergreen, deciduous, and perennial plants to your garden or containers for year-round interest, it’s important to make sure they can survive your area’s coldest temperatures.

Because these zones across the US are based on temperatures, they also help us estimate when the last Spring frost and the first Fall frost are likely to occur in each region. This isn’t an exact science, but it’s a great guideline.

This is helpful to home gardeners, particularly container gardeners, because we simply need to plant tender Spring and Summer annuals sometime AFTER the last frost. We should also realize they probably won’t last beyond the FIRST frost the next Fall.

For more info about when it’s “safe” to plant Spring and Summer annuals, go to [THIS FAQ].

To find the zone where you live type your zip code into the search box.

Find your average frost dates [HERE]. Scroll down to your state and find the city closest to you.

Sources: www.usda.gov , www.farmersalmanac.com

The short answer is: it depends on what plants you want to use. If you build your Spring arrangements out of cold-hardy stuff like evergreens, early blooming perennials, and of course pansies and violas, you won’t need to worry about freezing or even snow. Plant those whenever they’re available at your local garden center, probably during March and April.

But if you want to use more tender Spring annuals for a bigger burst of color (snapdragons, phlox, lobelia, calibrachoa, and gerbera daisies to name a few), you should wait until the long term forecast shows evenings above 40 degrees. These plants have most likely been grown in a temperature- and humidity-controlled greenhouse for the last few months. Expose them gradually to a few hours of cold, direct sun, and wind each day, for a few days, before you move them outside full time.

If you’ve already planted your tender Spring flowers and the forecast dips below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, drape some frost cloth or an old sheet over your arrangements to keep them from freezing. Make sure the fabric is secure so it doesn’t blow open. You can remove the cloth when it warms up the next day, and cover again at night as needed.

A point of clarification: I define the Spring container gardening season as March through April. It may be slightly different where you live, but for many of us, it tends to be a short and violent season with wide temperature swings. Our Summer season, when I use lots of tropicals and heat loving annuals, comes later and lasts from late April through September.

It depends on the plant material, the season, the weather, and the care. Evergreen elements such as Holly, Boxwood, Spruce, and English Ivy can be used as a semi-permanent foundation for your container garden and will provide year-round interest in your containers. These may last up to two years, or more, if cared for properly. Evergreens can typically be planted in the ground after they outgrow your containers.

The splashes of color in your container garden will typically come from annuals, which are plants that live and perform for one growing season. In most regions, you can expect to enjoy the blooms of Summer annuals for several months, from early May into September. Be sure to water properly, fertilize, and trim throughout the season to help your plants thrive as long as possible.

Try focusing on these 3 things:

1.Watering: Always test your soil before watering by sticking a finger into the dirt up to your second knuckle. You want to keep the soil feeling like a wrung out sponge – not wet and soupy, not dry and crusty. If it’s time to water, focus a gently spray at the roots. Continue spraying until excess water trickles out the drainage hole.

Fertilizing: Give your plants a boost with a water-soluble all purpose fertilizer, like Miracle Gro. This can be applied more frequently if you like, but once a month during the Summer growing season is enough.

Trimming: Remove dead flower heads, broken leaves, or wild stems throughout the season. This will keep your arrangement looking tidy and will tell the plants to focus their energy on new growth.

Check out my FREE GUIDE to watering container gardens. - Coming Soon

Click here for a FREE copy of my Summer Guide to Thrillers, Fillers, and Spillers.

It depends on the size of your pots. I like to create a really full look on day one, so I plant root ball to root ball. As they grow, I trim occasionally to make sure certain plants don’t take over and limit light and airflow to the other plants in the arrangement.