Navlet's Garden Centers | Newsletter | Vol. 4, No. 4

In This Issue
Vol. 4, No. 4

Just click below read the article you want.

Pest Control
Variety is the Spice of Life
Enhance your Color Bowl
Planting Watermelon
Water Gardening
Seasonal Products
Barefoot in the Bluegrass
The Tango Twirl

Enhance your Color Bowl... with Tips from Tracy Ostman

We asked Tracy Ostman, a Navlet's Nursery Professional and color bowl expert, to share a few of her design secrets. Here's what she has to say:

There are three simple but important steps to ensuring success: 1) start with Navlet's potting soil, 2) feed an appropriate fertilizer on a regular basis, and 3) keep soil moist, but not soggy, with regular watering. Everything else is according to your own personal style.

Choose your "bowl" first. Window boxes are great for decks and smaller areas, while half wine barrels are perfect to take up space in large areas. Round pots (12" to 14") look fantastic grouped in a pool area. Square pots add a welcoming touch by the front door.

For a vibrant, striking look, use reds, oranges, yellows, hot pinks, and blues. Nasturtiums, Marigolds, Zinnias, Petunias, and Lobelias are ideal for their bold colors. For a softer look, use pinks, lavenders, pale blues, and whites like Cosmos, Impatiens, Zinnias, Asters, and Alyssums.

Keep the sun and shade exposure of your site in mind while selecting your plants. The good news with containers is that you can relocate to a more suitable site if necessary.

When planting, start with a little height in the center and work your way towards the edge of the container with shorter plants. Once at the edge of the container, it is always fun to add something that will trail over the side, such as Bacopas, Alyssums, Lobelias, Millionbells, or Verbenas.

Pack it full. In fact, the fuller the container, the better it will look. Just make sure to firmly pack the soil around each plant as you go. In only a few weeks, your pots will be spilling over with beautiful colors to enjoy for many months to come.