Watering

To keep your container gardens healthy, water them deeply during the morning hours.  Check the moisture levels in the soil each day by inserting your finger to your second knuckle (deeper, if it will go).  If the soil feels dry at your fingertip, your container needs to be watered.  Remember to water the soil, not the flowers, so lean in and get your water source gently under the foliage.

Feeding

The best way to feed your container garden is to get nutrients to the roots by using a water soluble fertilizer.  Dissolve a powder fertilizer in water, and deliver it to your garden once every 2-4 weeks.  Don’t wait for signs of distress before feeding your containers, else you will be denying them critical nutrients to thrive after planting.

Grooming

Container gardens, like any other garden, require your care and attention to stay vibrant and beautiful.  Regularly trimming the faded blooms and any long, leggy stems will encourage new blooms and give you fuller, more shapely plants.  Proper trimming means you will use a clean shear and trim the undesired piece where it intersects with another offshoot.  Always snip at a 45 degree angle, being careful not to damage the remaining shoots.