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Midwest Tropicals, Inc.

Blog

Believe it or not, Spring is coming!

Posted by David Winter on

After one of the coldest and grayest Winter seasons ever, housebound folks everywhere will breathe a sigh of relief when the Spring Season finally appears.

You can help Building Managers celebrate the arrival of Spring by providing outdoor container gardens.

Midwest Tropicals offers a wide range of highly durable outdoor planters in a range of shapes to fit anywhere. A wide range of colors along with custom painting can allow the planter to match the existing environment or stand out as an eye-catching accent.

When setting up a container garden, be sure to use a media that provides a combination of good aeration and moisture retention. Materials such as long fibered Peat Moss or composted Rice Hulls will retain moisture, while perlite, bark, or calcined clay will provide aeration and help to drain off excess water.

A drainage layer of pea gravel or volcanic rock in the bottom of the container will help prevent clogging of the drain holes and encourage good drainage. Place a piece of Soil Separator over the drainage layer to prevent the media from clogging it. Be sure to have 3/8” or ½” diameter drain holes drilled into the bottom of your planter. (We do it free if you ask us).

Let your creativity run wild. You can plant literally anything in a container garden if you wait until the Frost Free date for your area. (look it up at: http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/Maps.aspx)

The list of candidates to fill your container includes annuals, perennials, small shrubs and Evergreens, tropical foliage plants and even rocks and cut branches. Tropical foliage plants will give you a wide pallet of leaf color, shape, and texture.

Annuals and Perennials have differing dates of flowering and can be mixed in order to produce a constant display throughout the season. If a section of the container is devoted to colorful annuals, you can offer a rotation several times during the season to keep things fresh and different. Dwarf vegetables can even be added to encourage the “office farmer”.

A service contract is easy to offer if you are already servicing plants inside the building. If the client chooses to service the planters themselves, give them a sheet of care tips with your logo and contact info on it to encourage repeat sales.

Have fun and enjoy an extra revenue stream with container gardens. Feel free to contact us for help, advice, and anything else you might need to create beautiful gardens.


  • Jay Scotts
  • Veradek
  • Crescent Garden
  • Container Gardens
  • Spring