Water less often, but thoroughly. Too much water can be just as damaging to the plant as too little. Watering one to two times per week is usually sufficient for a flower bed.

Be careful not to get the leaves or blooms wet when watering. Wet leaves can develop burn marks and become diseased leaves. Getting the blooms wet will result in water spots or knocked off petals.

We do not recommend watering your plants with a bucket. This will lead to overwatering and it is difficult to water just the roots with a bucket. We recommend a hose long enough to reach your furthest area of your garden, a spray nozzle with different settings, and a watering can with a long spout.  A spray hose comes in handy for many reasons. Use the misting setting when you have fresh soil covering seeds. During sprouting or with mature plants use a setting to localize more efficiently. A watering can with a long spout will help you target the root areas without watering the blooms or leaves.

You also want to consider the amount of sunlight your container will be getting each day. For example, if your container will be sitting under a covered front porch that does not get much sunlight you will want to look for plants that require shade. If your container is sitting by your pool and will be getting the sunlight all day you want to look for flowers that take full sun such as a Zinnia.

The size of your container will help you determine how many plants you will need. If I am working with a round container I like to use an odd number of plants to keep the arrangement looking round like the container. Listed below is the amount of plants I usually use with their respective container sizes. Note that this can vary depending on the kind of plants you get. For example, some plants fill out a lot more than others and need much more room to grow such as a Petunia. Also, keep in mind if you are buying packs of plants you will need to buy more to fill up your container. Packs are smaller plants and will not fill out nearly as fast because most are sprayed with a growth regulator called B-NINE that stunts the growth of plants. Some greenhouses (not us) will do this to regulate the size of the plant making it easier to transport and to extend the shelf life of the plants. 
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4" - 6" container: 1 plant
8" - 10" container: 3 plants
12" - 14" container: 5 plants
16" - 18" container: 7 - 9 plants
20" - 22" container: 11 - 13 plants
24" - 26" container: 15 - 17 plants

Again this is just a general guideline to get you started. The number of plants you put in your container is completely up to you!

​Now get out your green thumb, get your hands dirty, and have some fun!

There's nothing more frustrating than that all too familiar buzzing followed by the itchy prick of a mosquito while you're trying to enjoy an evening outdoors. Here's a list of 7 plants that can be used to repel these pesky insects.