I live in an apartment and would like to plant some summer flowers that are easy to grow, like geraniums, in a pot and put them on the porch. I have a very small closed in porch and only have room for about 2 large pots and maybe also hang a rectangular one on the banister (handrail). However, I know nothing about gardening and would like your help. Thank you in advance.
By Onesummer
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Don't forget hanging baskets! I had a few of those when I lived in an apartment. One of the main things to remember is that containers can dry out quickly. They have potting mixes that come with water holding crystals, or you can purchase the crystals separately to mix in before planting.
For my hanging baskets, I used yellow lantana. Lantana can tolerate a bit of heat and dry weather, and they flower MORE if you don't feed them! There are a few different colors of trailing lantana, but I prefer the yellow. It seems more bug resistant (I tried another color and caterpillars ate it. I've never had a bug bother my yellow lantanas). There are also tall lantanas, they're multicolored. I would not recommend those for a basket (although we have a nice large one in our back yard).
You have to take into consideration your sun exposure. That will make a huge difference in your plant selection. We have plenty of sun.
A couple of my favorites for large pots are nicotiana (pretty flowers and the bugs left it alone) and sweet potato vine (nice foliage, available in different colors). Petunias can be nice. They have floribundas (lots of flowers) and grandifloras (fewer, but larger flowers). The wave pentunias are a little pricier, but they look really nice in containers (and they get so big, you won't need many).
If you have lots of shade, impatiens and caladiums look nice together. So get some good potting mix with water holding crystals. Look at what kind of sun exposure you have. If you find a plant you like, and you don't know if it will work with your exposure, ask someone who works there (hopefully they'll be knowledgeable). I hope you find the right combination for you, and you love your flowers!
sunny: mini zinnias like "Thumbelina"
mini sunflowers like "Elf"(15 inches) or "Teddy Bear"(2 to
3 feet)
shade: hostas, caladiums, astilbe, lilies of the valley,bleeding hearts(great for baskets)
Let me tell you!! One of the easiest plants in the world to plant is Lantana. You seriously cant kill it! It would work perfect in pots with potatoe vines. Lantana actually began as a weed and I suppose it was so pretty that people started cultivating it.
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