I love that my kids are creative and thoughtful too.  This spring Buck made me some planters for the front of the house.  I was so surprised and super excited about them….Hubby was too.  He made the planters with the purpose of being on my front porch.  My front porch faces east and there is some shade too so impatiens flowers were the perfect pick to put in the planters.
Well Hubby’s mom loved impatiens flower just like we do. Â We are a little sentimental sometimes and this was something we were happy to be sentimental about. Â She had them at her front door and now we do too.
I was really bothered with how the plants were growing though. Â We got all of the flower starts at the same nursery but somehow some were doing so much better than the others. Â It’s even noticeable from the street. Â Look at the planter to the left….look at the right front. Â Those flowers are so much higher and better looking.
Here’s a close up picture. Â You can see it better. Â Notice the right front of the planter is noticeably larger and more filled out, see?
Here’s a better picture of the back row…see it’s not as full.
Here’s the other planter. Â The front lower section is nicer looking.
I was so frustrated with this. Â COMPLETELY frustrated. Â I was sure there was too much shade to the back row. Â I thought and thought.
I talked to each of my kids trying to figure out what caused the difference. Â Then when Buck was home I said something to him. Â That’s when he asked me…what about the potting soil. Â I didn’t use the same potting soil throughout. Â I used Miracle Grow on the front sections but ran out about half way through on one of the sides. Â I used a cheaper brand on the rest.
Lesson learned there. Â I will only use Miracle Grow from now on. Â I have tried to fertilize the flowers that aren’t growing as well but they still haven’t caught up. Â I’m kind of frustrated with myself.
With the cost of plants, I need to make the added investment of good potting soil too. Â So from now on I’ll be buying Miracle Grow!! Â No other potting soil for me ever, ever, never.
Your planters are beautiful!
I’ve had the same thing happen. Only Miracle Grow from now on.
What a wonderful son…..your flowers are beautiful. Love the planters.
The planters are a wonderful on the porch and very colorful. I recently over hauled my entire landscaping scaling it all back so there would be less for me to maintain. When it was all set for some dirt, miracle grow was purchased for the entire areas. I have not been sorry. I do use miracle grow for blooming flowers also which makes the colors so brilliant.
Your planters are great…I use impatients often in my shade garden areas…..here in Canada we have had a problem with some of our plants because of a blight or something like on the impatients….so far this year they seem ok …not sure if the same thing is occurring in your neck of the woods
The planters are beautiful. And your porch is lovely
Add some compost to your existing cheaper dirt. Work it in the soil and then water it. They love compost half way through the summer!!
Miracle Grow has (or had) a product you dissolve in your plant water and it feeds them, once a week I think. The last time I used it I could barely contain all the flowers they were so robust. Might be worth a try to give ’em a boost.
I use the water soluble Miracle Grow or Peter’s Special every time I water, diluted to about 1/10 of the recommended amount. Does a great job. I also add compost to my soil before I plant…Really makes a difference.
Nobody believes me when I tell them about Miracle Grow until they try it for themselves.Then they say now I believe you. Miracle Grow all the way.
Oh my gosh, isn’t that interesting, who knew!
Good potting soil makes a difference! I also put Osmocote in the planter/holes when planting. That makes a difference as well.
I made the same mistake this year. With a bum ankle I started using the long planter boxes along my sidewalk to the garage. Last year the plants were beautiful—I always get petunias. I had used Miracle Grow potting soil. This year when I looked at the potting soil piled in the Shopko parking lot the Miracle Grow seemed awfully expensive. So I got the cheaper stuff that sounded just as good from reading the label on the bag. Not so!! My flowers look awful—-the hubby might be over watering too. Next year it’s Miracle Grow again even if it is expensive. No sense buying plants and doing all the work just to have them look puny.