April is long underway, and with each passing day, the anticipation of warmer weather grows stronger. Over the past couple of months, it is more than likely that the adverse weather conditions, including the strong winds and heavy snowfall, have prevented you from spending much time in your garden. For some, the garden is their favourite part of their home. As a space that can be easily transformed with the changing of the seasons, you have a lot of room to incorporate your personal style, tastes and favourite colours.

There are a lot of reasons why you should be making the most of this space; over the course of winter, it is more than likely that outdoors has become a lack-lustre area that is uninspiring, although this doesn’t have to be the case! No matter how large or small the space is that you have to work with, there are many easy ways in which you can inject some colour and bring some life back to it! One of the easiest ways to do this is by using planter boxes or plant pots to home your new flowers!  

Planter boxes are an inexpensive way to modify your garden and can be used year after year. One of the benefits of a planer box is that they are also transportable after planting, allowing you to switch up your space as frequently as you so wish! Also, they come in a wide variety of colours and can be customised to your requirements, making them the perfect gift for a family member!

Often the task of transforming your garden from a drab and dreary outdoor space caused by the harsh winter chill to a summer hotspot, where splashes of colour are woven between the emeralds and jade plants, can seem like a daunting one; however, tackling this is not something that has to be done over the space of the day. Starting the process of altering your garden early means that you can have longer to carefully and meticulously arrange each flower to create a haven for you to unwind in over the warmer months. Not only does starting in spring provide you with this luxury, but also allows you to factor in extra time for the unpredictable weather conditions that the country throws at us!  

 So, how do you prepare your garden planter for the summer? Although there are a vast variety of things that you can house inside your garden planter, the basic principles for prepping your box remain the same. This is because there needs to be a drainage system in place to prevent the plants for drowning, as well as enough room to allow roots to firmly cement themselves in the soil that has been used to fill the crate.  

Step one
All of our planter crates here at Plantabox are supplied with a black liner which is strong and efficient enough to see your flowers and herbs through the season. However, if you're looking to fill another crate, we recommend using a plastic material to line your crate, such as a thick bin liner. Place this into the crate with the seam running lengthways down the middle before folding the tops over the edge of the container. Once firmly in place, create several holes along the bottom, as these will allow the water to drain out.

Step two
If you’re familiar with lining another sort of container, such as a large plant pot, then you may be used to using stones or broken up terracotta to act as your drainage system. The next step is to add these to the crate, as this will not only aid the water leaving the crate but will provide aeration.

Step three
Next, fill the container with compost of your choice. This should be a beneficial blend that will have all the nutrients that your plants will need in the future. For there to be enough room for the plants to grow, there should be a gap left at the top, measuring roughly three inches, depending on the size of the plants you’re going to use.

Step four
What you choose to fill your garden planter with is up to you, but if you’re selecting a variety of bulbs in different sizes, it is essential to make sure that you’re placing the larger bulbs in first and covering with soil before approaching those of a smaller scale.

Step five
Lastly, ensure that you trim to top of the liner that it is not visible from the outside!