WHEN IT COMES TO SPRING PLANTINGS BE PATIENT
DON'T BE IN TOO MUCH OF A RUSH!
Wait for the weather to get a little warmer. At Powell we recommend you wait until after Mother’s Day to be on the safe side. You don’t want to go through all the trouble and have your plants frost or freeze. Just be a little patient.

ONCE YOU ARE SURE THAT YOU ARE SAFE FROM THE COLD WEATHER, PICK A SPOT THAT'S NICE AND SUNNY FOR YOUR FLOWER GARDEN

You want sunshine, but be sure you don’t pick a spot where too much sun will burn your plants if you’re not there to water. Sometimes when it is hot, gardens may need to be watered more than once a day.

PICK YOUR SPOT AND THEN PREPARE THE SOIL

Dig out all turf and weeds and turn the soil over. Then mix it with some peat moss and perlite or vermiculite to make the soil soft and loamy. This is a great time to mix in some time-release fertilizer. Now wet the soil substantially and rake the area until it is very smooth.

NEXT IS THE FUN PART... IT'S TIME TO CHOOSE YOUR FLOWERS
Remember to try to choose different types of flowers that will bloom at different times. This will deliver you beauty and color all summer long.
Try to ensure that you choose and nice variety of colors and types of flowers. Zinnias are nice and colorful and may be cut to display in vases in your home after they bloom!

HOW TO PROPERLY PLACE YOUR PLANTS Plant them fairly close together so as not be too sparse, but far enough apart so they have room to grow. Leave a little furrow around them that will hold moisture when you water them. Make sure to keep them fairly wet for the first few days so the roots will take hold.

AFTER THE GARDEN IS IN IT STILL NEEDS MORE ATTENTION
Add liquid fertilizer every two to three weeks. Keep the weeds out of your garden as they will take over and strangle your flowers. As the plants grow, pinch them back so they will get bushier and produce more flowers. Some flowers, such has Wave Petunias, do not need to be “dead-headed”… that is, to take off dead blooms, but I recommend to do it anyway for more color.

ADD SOME HANGING BASKETS TO YOUR GARDEN
Remember to keep them quite damp, especially if they are in full sun all day, because they tend to dry out faster. I also suggest that each day as you water, pick two or three of the longest shoots and pinch them back. This way you will get plenty of new growth and keep the plants bushy. If you wait until the plant is too long and straggly to cut it back, it will look terrible.