Can that pretty mixed pot of flowers be planted in the ground

6 years ago

I bought one of those planter replacement pots, fairly full of different kinds of petunias and million bells but not overgrown at all, flowering but on the young side. There is a hole in my garden where these would look so pretty and I'm wondering if I can lift from the pot and plant directly in this space. I could just place the pot there but I'd love to see if this will work if I actually plant them as they are now. Has anyone ever tried this? I know it will take lots of deadheading and trimming but I do that while they are in pots anyway. What do you think?

Featured Answer

docmom_gw

6 years ago

In my experience, plants are much easier to care for in the ground, unless there are weeds that could invade and overwhelm them. I would go for it.

Comments (9)

Paul MI
6 years ago
Should be quite doable. However, if these are, as you suspect, young plants, then it is likely that you will not be able to lift the whole mass as a unit from the pot (if that was your intent). That would require that the root systems of the plants had grown out and intertwined enough to bind the soil together. Instead you may find it necessary to plant the plants "piecemeal " in that spot.
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
no reason it can NOT be done ... but its the expensive way to do it..

a cell pack or two of plants.. has to be 10 or 20 dollars cheaper than a prearranged pot plants ...

otherwise ... go for it ...

ken
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
6 years ago
ken means "no reason it can't be done".

I wouldn't do it....they will be very over crowded, resulting in declining plants, never able to reach their potential. They may also be disease prone.

But that's me.....go for it, if you're interested! With some attention, it may be spectacular!
jessie21
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks everyone, I went for it. I was wrong in that there are no million bells, just different complementing colors of petunias. Paul, you were right about the roots not intertwining yet...at least one of them actually still had the peat pot pretty much still in tact and not very well placed and the whole arrangement kind of flabbed out a bit although the larger pot dirt stayed together. I'll see how they take. Ken, yep, it's not cost effective but as usual, I bought too many plants with no real plan of what to do with them so this is ok with me!
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
6 years ago
I bought too many plants with no real plan of what to do with them so this is ok with me!

==>>> lol.. but youre having the time of your life ... have fun .. live.. plant.. and learn ..

good catch rhiz ... i edited it

ken
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
6 years ago
It sounds like it was a rescue. Someone had planted peat pots into a bigger pot? Frown!
mzdee
6 years ago
You can totally do this. This time of year, grocery stores mark down hanging baskets that they couldn't sell for Mother's Day. They go for 3-5 bucks. I buy geraniums and other annuals, dig a few holes and plop em into the flower beds. Pinch em back, water and fertilize em. They do really well with minimum effort on my part. Enjoy your annuals. Life is way too short to sweat the small stuff.
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
6 years ago
I do this constantly by potting up cuttings in group pots in the fall & plopping them in the landscape in spring for instant effect & to use as the new mama plants for the current years' landscaping & to later save in the same way & repeat the process. It saves a enormous time and space over trying to pot cuttings individually.

Can that pretty mixed pot of flowers be planted in the ground

docmom_gw

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Can that pretty mixed pot of flowers be planted in the ground

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jessie21Original Author

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jessie21
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