5 Important Summer Tips for Potted Flowers

Potted plants are my favorite type of flower gardening because they are easily moved and have more options on caring for them versus the plants in the ground. These are my tried and true important summer tips for potted flowers that have kept mine alive even during 115 degree weather with zero rain for months. These are also tips I learned from trial and error since 2007 and tips I was taught when I took horticulture in college. I am excited to share them with you today!

1. Make sure they are only getting morning sunlight.

Again, this is going to be dependent on your climate, but the morning sunlight is the coolest sun of the day. I have all my potted plants arranged this time of year so they only receive morning sunlight until about noon.

2. Check the water twice a day.

The reason I say twice a day is smaller pots can dry out VERY easy in the heat. I have all sizes of potted plants, some are massive and take days to dry out, but others are very small. I had this pretty potted flower last summer that I watered everyday just like the other plants, but every morning it looked like it was about it die.

I checked the soil and it was bone dry every morning. I realized that when I was watering in the morning, the pot was so small, by the evening it was dried out. So, I started watering it twice a day in small portions and it immediately perked up.

Again, if your climate isn’t as hot as Texas, you probably will only need to water once a day, but always check the soil in the morning and afternoon. Just to make sure. Potted flowers don’t have established root systems in small pots, so they need more water than usual.

Which leads me to the next tip…

3. Understand how much water your flower needs.

Potted flowers can be over watered just as much as under watered. If the pot is small, it will need less water to prevent root rot. That is why I have had luck watering in small portions twice a day for those sizes, just to keep the soil damp.

If you follow my flower garden on Instagram or snapchat (or add me with username alexisroch), you know I am obsessed with geraniums and hibiscus! I have dozens of each in pots in the back yard! They are totally different when it comes to their watering needs.

Hibiscus is a huge water lover. I have them in LARGE pots and I will turn on the water hose, and just saturate it daily. Hibiscus LOVE water!

Geraniums DO NOT! In fact, they have a tendency to get root rot because of how shallow and fibrous the root system is. I also water these twice a day, but much less at a time. The smaller potted geraniums I make sure to lightly dampen each day without having too much water.

So make sure you check the label of the flower when you buy it to see what type of soil it needs. And make sure to not over water, even in the summer!

4. Remove all spent blooms and leaves.

Even if only a portion of the plant is yellowing or the blooms are dead, it can still be soaking up nutrients from the plant. In the summer, it is best to immediately remove any yellow, brown, burnt, or dead leaf or bloom right away. In fact, keeping the potted flower trimmed up will help it stay healthy. It needs all the water and nutrients it can get in the summer!

Check out my link below for my secret chemist tips about fertilizer and the last summer tip for your patio garden which is probably one of the most important tips chemically. Have a great summer!