Planting flower boxes: ideas for spring

Planting flower boxes: ideas for spring

Spring is coming to the garden and balcony from the end of March. Ring the garden season with a bloom! We give you ideas on how to plant spring-like flower boxes and explain how you can put together colorful arrangements with early bloomers. Combine seasonal flowers, perennials, ornamental grasses and herbs like real professionals and transform the balcony into an oasis in the middle of the big city!

Planting flower boxes: Useful tips for hobby gardeners

Would you like to plant a balcony box in spring but don't know when to start? Most early bloomers are planted in autumn. For those who missed the planting period in October, garden centers and nurseries offer early seedlings. So that you can enjoy a lush balcony garden throughout the garden season, you have to consider a few things when planting. The first step to blooming is to buy suitable flower boxes. These tips will help you choose a suitable balcony box:

1. The flower box should be at least 30 cm wide and at least 25 cm high. Don't forget to plan a distance between the different varieties. All flowers and ornamental grasses have sufficient root space.

2. The rule of thumb says: The larger the volume of the earth, the better. This gives you more scope and allows you to combine several flowers, and the water evaporates much more slowly.

3. Try to keep water loss to a minimum. Choose flower boxes in bright colors made of plastic. They hardly heat up so that the water evaporates much more slowly than, for example, with open-pore materials such as ceramics or clay. If you like a natural look, you can put the plastic window boxes in wooden boxes.

4. If you are replanting the flower boxes, you should first clean them thoroughly to remove the germs. Always use new, fresh potting soil that meets the requirements of the plants. Old soil that you have been storing for several years is not very suitable for this. As a rule, the quality of the soil deteriorates over time, which is why the experienced hobby gardeners buy a new pack every year.

5. Don't forget the drainage! If necessary, re-drill the pre-punched holes in the planter and lay a drainage layer of gravel or potsherds on the bottom of the planter to prevent waterlogging and to protect the spring flowers from decay.

6. Place the plants at least 5 cm apart.

Planting flower boxes in spring: herbs, perennials and early bloomers as spring messengers

Frost-resistant plants can be placed in the balcony box from the beginning of April. Such are, for example, Mediterranean herbs such as lavender, mint or lemon balm, which can survive a shorter frost period. They not only add a splash of color to the arrangement, but also exude a gentle fragrance that attracts bees and then repels mosquitoes and flies in summer. The herbal mix can be perfectly combined with ornamental onions and edible flowers like the violets. Your flowers can not only add color accents to the flower box, but you can also use them to refine desserts or use them as edible decorations on cakes.

If you want to plant flower boxes, these hardy herbs are also available in spring:

• The nutmeg sheaf has white flowers, reaches a stature height of 50 cm and can be easily grown in window boxes. The perfect planting partners are the small lady's mantle, the small-flowered mountain mint and the purple widow flower.
• The scented nettle has a lavender color, prefers sunny locations and reaches a height of 80 cm. It attracts bees. It can be combined with the white hyssop.
• The purple chives have burgundy flowers, reach a height of 35 cm and can fill gaps and empty spaces in the balcony box perfectly. Combi partners are, for example, the row feather grass and the boar diamond.
• The boar diamond itself is very popular for its spicy aroma. The herb grows to a height of up to 1 meter and forms an attractive ensemble with classics such as iris or lavender.

Even with frost-resistant perennials you can design winter-proof and at the same time attractive flower boxes.

Flower box in spring: When will other balcony plants be allowed to go outdoors?

Many hobby gardeners ask themselves the question of when balcony plants can go outdoors. There is no clear answer to this question. Frost-sensitive houseplants that you have stored in a warm place for the winter must first get used to the low temperatures outside. The young plants from the nursery have also been brought forward from the weather in a greenhouse. For this reason, place them in a sheltered, partially shaded place in the first few days. After a week, the familiarization phase is over and you can repot and fertilize the plants.

Hardy plants that have been stored outdoors in the mini greenhouse can get fresh air from the end of March. You need a pruning in spring. But first check them for pests such as snails or aphids and remove infected leaves, shoots and stems. If necessary, you can then repot the plants. Carefully remove the root balls and dip them briefly in water. In the meantime, put a drainage layer and a finger-thick layer of soil in the new flower box. Put the plant on the ground and cover the roots with plant substrate. You can do without fertilizer. It is better to wait 2-3 weeks and then add liquid fertilizer to the water to supply the balcony plants with important nutrients.

Frost-sensitive flowers and exotic plants such as citrus plants only appear on the balcony after the ice saints in May. Place them in a sunny place and water them daily. After a week, you can water the plants only if the soil dries out.

Balcony boxes in spring: tips for planting in spring and beautiful plant combinations

Spring planting traditionally begins in April. Then there are flowering perennials and ornamental grasses that you can pair with annual flowers. This creates an easy-care and harmonious ensemble. Since most perennials are vigorous, you should buy a planter with a larger volume of soil. Otherwise the perennials can take root with the other plants or displace the flowers. Possible combinations of flowers and perennials, suitable for flower boxes with an earth volume of at least 4 liters:

1. Spring planting, ideas for the sunny and sunny balcony:

• The Lanzen Günsel is a Mediterranean perennial that is native to Italy. Together with the dwarf splendor spar and the small gold sparkie, it is perfect for planting in spring. Excellent daffodils are ideal for this.
• Another foliage tree with a compact growth is the Bergenia “Baby Doll”. Together with the cranesbill and the elf flower, it forms an adorable ensemble in white. Another popular combination partner is the dwarf sedge. You can also add color accents with yellow primroses or ranunculus.
• The dwarf Pentecost carnation can take a lot of sun and is therefore perfect for a sunny planting place. It exudes a gentle fragrance and can be perfectly combined with the gray cranesbill or the stone thyme. Violets also go perfectly with this.
• The upholstery phlox of the “McDaniel’s Cushion” variety impresses with large pink flowers. The ground cover can be combined with various Bellis and sunflower hybrids, as well as goose cress.

Planting flower boxes: tips for shady locations

2. Spring planting, ideas for the partially shaded and shady balcony:

• The black snake mustache is an undemanding perennial that can be combined with classics such as purple pansies and forget-me-nots, as well as with exotic species such as the toad lily.
• You can plant crown anemonies in March. Together with hybrid varieties of delphiniums, as well as with perennials such as the Blue Schönaster, they form a colorful ensemble

Spring planting from the balcony box: Which flowers also look good as soloists?

You don't need to be a professional, with a few tricks you can create an effective and easy-care spring planting from the balcony box. Because it is not only through the combination of different types of shrubs and flowers that it can get colorful in the balcony box. Some plants also cut a fine figure as soloists. The crown anemones of the “De Caen” variety, for example, bloom in all possible colors. The mix is ​​adapted to living in the blazing sun as well as in partially shaded locations. The peony-flowered dahlias also convey a harmonious effect and can be staged effectively as soloists. A flower box with a Fosteriana tulip mix blooms in all the colors of the sun. The combination of several shades of the same color family is guaranteed to attract the attention of passers-by and put a smile on their faces. In the nurseries and garden centers you can also find numerous combinations of several varieties of daffodils. With their yellow flowers you spread a cheerful mood. The early young plants should be planted in late March / early April.

When to plant flowers on the balcony: You must plant these autumn flowers in the balcony boxes

Every hobby gardener knows: spring flowers are planted in autumn and autumn flowers – in spring. This rule of thumb has one exception: In spring, enthusiasts can buy early seedlings. However, if you want to enjoy a bloom after the end of summer, you should definitely plant the autumn flowers in April. The experts recommend these flowers for planting in spring:

1. The chocolate flower fascinates with its large wine-red flowers and is a real eye-catcher in the flower box. The long flowering period from July to October guarantees that you will marvel at the eye-catcher for a long time. Since the exotic is native to Mexico, it is not hardy. You must either store the whole plant or just the tubers in a cool place.

2. The flowering of the nerines begins in September and ends in November. The Amaryllis plant reaches a height of 40 cm and inspires with a bloom of purple and pink. From November, the African flower will be wintered in a warm place.

3. The perennial Montbreite blooms from late summer to the beginning of autumn. It can easily survive a mild winter outdoors if it is covered with leaves. In the event of permafrost, you can overwinter the plant in the mini greenhouse on the balcony.

4. The miracle flower “Mirabilis Jalapa” is known for the fact that flowers appear in different colors from a bulb. But it can do even more and exudes a gentle fragrance that attracts birds and bees. The miracle flower is wintered in a similar way to dahlias – the tubers are dug up and stored frost-free.

When can you start planting window boxes? Which balcony flowers can easily tolerate frost?

Many balcony owners can hardly wait until the gardening season begins and ask themselves: “When can you start planting window boxes?”. Enthusiastic enthusiasts can find early blooming flowers in February in the supermarket. However, not all of them can easily tolerate frost and defy cold wind and rain. The well-known early bloomers such as the spring rose, the grape hyacinth or the winter aconite are real survivors. However, all young plants that are preferred in the warm greenhouse are sensitive to frost. You therefore need time to get used to the cold weather. The best way to do this is to place the plants in an unheated room first. Then you can take the bucket outside on a sunny day. The professionals recommend that you plant the bulbs in autumn. Perhaps the flowers will bloom later in spring, but they can easily withstand cold and wind.

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