Shopping for plants can be a bit disorienting if you don’t have a definite plan of what you want to buy.  There’s annuals and perennials, tons of colors, and hundreds of other options.  Each year I come up with a color scheme for my landscape and work from there.  The next thing I consider is the bed locations, container sizes, and the heights that would look best.  There’s tons of other factors you can consider when planning.  In this post I want to look at just the container size options we offer, and the applications they are best suited for in your garden.

Let’s start off big.  Here at Bob’s we offer a number of pre-planted containers.  These are great choices for gifts or for quick color.  However, these are a premium item with a premium price.  If you’re on a budget, buying the components in smaller containers and planting it yourself might be the better option.  You’ll just have to wait a few weeks for it to fill out.

Along those same lines, we also offer hanging baskets and gallon containers.  Hanging baskets can be enjoyed just as they are or transplanted into another container.  Likewise, gallon containers offer a mature, ready-made mix that can quickly be transplanted into a container of your choosing.

The next smaller size gets us into 4.5 inch diameter pots – our “Bob’s Better Blooms” series.  These premium annuals make a great choice for filling in large containers or creating a focal point that pops in landscape beds (Vista Bubblegum Petunias come to mind).  Because of their larger size, they also take less time to fill in containers or become impressive specimens in the landscape.

Finally, let’s take a look at what I consider to be the workhorse of the landscape.  Let’s say you have a huge bed to fill in.  An 8 count, 4.5 inch shuttle tray of pots isn’t going to cut it.  This is where 32 count bedding flats are a great choice.  It’s even in the name!  What these plants lack in initial size, they make up for in their numbers and ability to grow to fill in a bed.  Since they are small plants starting off, they will need a bit more care and patience to grow to a finished size.  However, that’s part of the fun of gardening.

When it comes to garden planning, it’s always a balance between something that is fully grown and something that takes a bit more work. However, the work is half the fun of gardening. Nurturing your plants and watching them grow into a beautiful display during the summer is incredibly rewarding.  Don’t forget our container size options when planning your garden this spring.

To help you start planning, today we’re launching the “Our Plants” section of our website. This new section features photos of some of our most popular selections. Just keep in mind that this doesn’t represent our entire product selection and also availability might vary by store. Keep an eye out for these beautiful blooms at your local Bob’s Market in the coming weeks!