10 Essentials to Water and Refresh Your Potted Plants in Summer
Keep container gardens looking lush by cooling them down when temperatures rise and giving them a seasonal spruce-up
Lauren Dunec Hoang
29 November 2020
Houzz Editor; landscape designer and former garden editor for Sunset Magazine and in-house designer for Sunset's Editorial Test Garden. Her garden designs have been featured in the Sunset Western Garden Book of Landscaping, Sunset Western Garden Book of Easy-Care Plantings (cover), Inhabitat, and POPSUGAR.
Houzz Editor; landscape designer and former garden editor for Sunset Magazine and... More
As we move into the full swing of summer, temperatures climb and container gardens often need a little extra care to stay looking fresh. Watering is key for container garden care, and when and how you water make a difference.
For potted displays that have been going since spring, now’s a good time to do a bit of editing. Pull out annuals that are past their prime and replace them with foliage plants or perennials to give containers an instant boost.
These 10 tips will help keep your container gardens looking lush, full and healthy throughout the hottest period of the year.
For potted displays that have been going since spring, now’s a good time to do a bit of editing. Pull out annuals that are past their prime and replace them with foliage plants or perennials to give containers an instant boost.
These 10 tips will help keep your container gardens looking lush, full and healthy throughout the hottest period of the year.
1. Get your watering schedule down pat
Potted plants dry out more quickly than those in the ground, so it’s important to keep a consistent watering schedule. How often to water potted plants depends on a number of factors: your climate, the size of the pot, the type of plants and whether the pot is in sun or shade.
As a general rule of thumb, water when the top few centimetres of soil feel dry – typically about twice a week in summer, but this could increase to every day during heatwaves. The best time to water plants is in the coolest time of day – early in the morning or in the evening – to prevent water loss through evaporation.
Tip: What if you’ve come home to a completely shrivelled plant? Don’t worry, we’ve all been there, and it can happen in the blink of an eye during a heatwave. Soak the soil with water and keep your fingers crossed. Many wilt-prone summer annuals, like lobelia and calibrachoa, will spring right back after a deep soak.
Potted plants dry out more quickly than those in the ground, so it’s important to keep a consistent watering schedule. How often to water potted plants depends on a number of factors: your climate, the size of the pot, the type of plants and whether the pot is in sun or shade.
As a general rule of thumb, water when the top few centimetres of soil feel dry – typically about twice a week in summer, but this could increase to every day during heatwaves. The best time to water plants is in the coolest time of day – early in the morning or in the evening – to prevent water loss through evaporation.
Tip: What if you’ve come home to a completely shrivelled plant? Don’t worry, we’ve all been there, and it can happen in the blink of an eye during a heatwave. Soak the soil with water and keep your fingers crossed. Many wilt-prone summer annuals, like lobelia and calibrachoa, will spring right back after a deep soak.
2. Use plant trays
The saucers that go under potted plants do more than just protect your deck, patio or courtyard from water stains. They also act as a backup water reservoir for thirsty plants. Water pooled in the saucer can be soaked up by plants in need of a drink.
You can fill planter saucers with water to give plants a moisture buffer. Just make sure the plants aren’t sitting in water for extended periods of time.
The saucers that go under potted plants do more than just protect your deck, patio or courtyard from water stains. They also act as a backup water reservoir for thirsty plants. Water pooled in the saucer can be soaked up by plants in need of a drink.
You can fill planter saucers with water to give plants a moisture buffer. Just make sure the plants aren’t sitting in water for extended periods of time.
3. Add drip irrigation
Hooking up potted plants or window boxes to a drip irrigation system set on a timer is the easiest way to make sure your plants don’t dry out. Use the smallest drip tubing for containers and make sure each container has two to five emitters, depending on the size of your plant pot. Hook up the line to a smart timer on the hose, and you’re all set for the season.
Redesigning your garden? Find a landscape architect or designer near you for the outdoor space you’ve always dreamt of
Hooking up potted plants or window boxes to a drip irrigation system set on a timer is the easiest way to make sure your plants don’t dry out. Use the smallest drip tubing for containers and make sure each container has two to five emitters, depending on the size of your plant pot. Hook up the line to a smart timer on the hose, and you’re all set for the season.
Redesigning your garden? Find a landscape architect or designer near you for the outdoor space you’ve always dreamt of
4. Move pots to catch irrigation spray
If you’re leaving for the weekend, move potted plants to spots where they’ll be watered when your irrigation system switches on. If there isn’t a natural spot for this, you can even place container gardens in the actual garden bed to make sure they get sprayed.
If you’re leaving for the weekend, move potted plants to spots where they’ll be watered when your irrigation system switches on. If there isn’t a natural spot for this, you can even place container gardens in the actual garden bed to make sure they get sprayed.
5. Fertilise lightly but frequently
Plants in a container go through soil nutrients in standard potting mix fairly quickly in the course of a season. To give plants a mid-season nutrient boost, fertilise with a higher phosphorous (the P in the NPK you see on the bottle) fertiliser for more flowers, or choose one with higher nitrogen (the N in NPK) for lush foliage.
Tip: Try fertilising potted plants (both indoors and outdoors) lightly but frequently. Drop a few tablespoons of your water-soluble fertiliser of choice into a watering can about every other week to perk up summer containers.
Browse more beautiful Australian gardens for inspiration
Plants in a container go through soil nutrients in standard potting mix fairly quickly in the course of a season. To give plants a mid-season nutrient boost, fertilise with a higher phosphorous (the P in the NPK you see on the bottle) fertiliser for more flowers, or choose one with higher nitrogen (the N in NPK) for lush foliage.
Tip: Try fertilising potted plants (both indoors and outdoors) lightly but frequently. Drop a few tablespoons of your water-soluble fertiliser of choice into a watering can about every other week to perk up summer containers.
Browse more beautiful Australian gardens for inspiration
6. Edit container combinations
By midsummer, some annuals and perennials are really hitting their stride, while others are looking a bit tired. Take a look at your mixed containers with an eye for editing and pull out any annuals that aren’t looking great.
Fill in with herbs that will quickly grow into the gaps. Or choose long-blooming perennials like coneflower (Echinacea spp.), which is just starting now and will carry your container into autumn.
By midsummer, some annuals and perennials are really hitting their stride, while others are looking a bit tired. Take a look at your mixed containers with an eye for editing and pull out any annuals that aren’t looking great.
Fill in with herbs that will quickly grow into the gaps. Or choose long-blooming perennials like coneflower (Echinacea spp.), which is just starting now and will carry your container into autumn.
7. Deadhead flowers often
Cut off the blooms of annuals and perennials that are past their prime to keep containers looking fresh and to encourage plants to keep producing flowers. Remove large flowers like dahlias or zinnias one by one.
For plants that are covered in a bunch of small blooms, use the ‘ponytail’ approach. Grab the majority of flowers in one hand to make a ‘ponytail’ and use the other hand to shear off the blooms. This works perfectly for plants such as flowering thyme.
Cut off the blooms of annuals and perennials that are past their prime to keep containers looking fresh and to encourage plants to keep producing flowers. Remove large flowers like dahlias or zinnias one by one.
For plants that are covered in a bunch of small blooms, use the ‘ponytail’ approach. Grab the majority of flowers in one hand to make a ‘ponytail’ and use the other hand to shear off the blooms. This works perfectly for plants such as flowering thyme.
8. Use low-water plants as a living mulch
Mulch – including bark chips or straw – helps keep the soil cool and prevents water loss through evaporation. One trick for potted trees or shrubs is to use ground cover plants as a living mulch.
Choose ground-cover plants with low-water needs so they don’t compete with the tree for too much moisture. The succulents planted below this orange tree, for example, help prevent the soil from losing water and look far more decorative than bare dirt.
Mulch – including bark chips or straw – helps keep the soil cool and prevents water loss through evaporation. One trick for potted trees or shrubs is to use ground cover plants as a living mulch.
Choose ground-cover plants with low-water needs so they don’t compete with the tree for too much moisture. The succulents planted below this orange tree, for example, help prevent the soil from losing water and look far more decorative than bare dirt.
9. Move potted plants to partial shade
If plants in a potted container are looking wilted, they may need shelter from direct sun during the hottest part of the day. Move the container – it’s particularly easy if your pot is on a stand with wheels – into a lightly shaded area during heatwaves, so they don’t dry out as quickly.
If plants in a potted container are looking wilted, they may need shelter from direct sun during the hottest part of the day. Move the container – it’s particularly easy if your pot is on a stand with wheels – into a lightly shaded area during heatwaves, so they don’t dry out as quickly.
If a heat wave is predicted and your container garden is too big to move, consider shading the container with a patio umbrella or covering it in shade cloth or hessian.
10. Pick container-grown produce often
Ripe fruit and vegetables left on the bush or vine send a signal to the plant to stop producing new fruit and veggies and to focus instead on ripening seeds. If you’re hoping for a steady harvest of eggplants, tomatoes, beans or strawberries, keep picking them.
Container-grown edibles also benefit from consistent watering to form evenly juicy fruits. Keep to a hand-watering schedule or hook your pots up to drip irrigation.
Ripe fruit and vegetables left on the bush or vine send a signal to the plant to stop producing new fruit and veggies and to focus instead on ripening seeds. If you’re hoping for a steady harvest of eggplants, tomatoes, beans or strawberries, keep picking them.
Container-grown edibles also benefit from consistent watering to form evenly juicy fruits. Keep to a hand-watering schedule or hook your pots up to drip irrigation.
Your turn
Do you have any tips for keeping container gardens looking good in summer? Share them with us in the Comments below. And if you found this article useful, like it, save the images and join the conversation.
More
Prefer not to have to water your garden much at all? Xeriscaping might be the answer. Here are 7 Laws of Xeriscaping Explained: All You Need to Know
Do you have any tips for keeping container gardens looking good in summer? Share them with us in the Comments below. And if you found this article useful, like it, save the images and join the conversation.
More
Prefer not to have to water your garden much at all? Xeriscaping might be the answer. Here are 7 Laws of Xeriscaping Explained: All You Need to Know
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I have a couple of small bushes in my garden in an area where they are overhung by maple and pine trees; the only water they get is by small drip line or hose watering. To supplement this, I use a 2-litre clear empty plastic pop bottle, fill it with water once a week, and screw on a watering pick. I insert this uphill from the bush, out of sight as you view the garden.
I add "SoilMoist"--grain-like polymer that acts like a salt--absorbing water then releasing it slowly. Putting a tablespoon in each pot or container, mixed into the potting medium, will hold water near the roots where it is needed.
I live in western NC and buy large Boston Ferns for my porch. I usually just hang them as is and have to water almost every day. This year I purchased 2 huge hanging baskets that hold one of those coco fiber liners and what a difference they have made. The extra soil and the coco liners really keep the plants hydrated for many days now.