How to Create a Spilled Flower Pot

Spilled flower pots add a charming, informal touch to any garden landscape. Unlike a regular potted plant, a spilled flower pot has vines growing over the pot’s side, “spilling” out.

The pots used to make them are often turned on their sides, accentuating the spilling. Cascading blooms seem to overflow right out of the pot. Some outdoor decor ideas to match your spilled flower pot could include a flower pot garden, a fairy garden, or a flower bed.

For more spilled flower pot ideas and to learn how to create a spilled pot for your own garden design, keep reading.

Gather Materials

Creating a spilled flower pot is an easy DIY garden project.

You’ll need a large container. It can be a terracotta or plastic pot (a broken one will work well). You’ll also need potting soil or compost. You can find suitable pots at the dollar store (along with additional garden elements). Because you’ll be turning the pot onto its side, you don’t need to worry about finding a pot with drainage holes.

You’ll also need five or six small summer bedding plants. These can include petunias, begonias, marigolds, impatiens, and other annuals.

Select Location

Find a spot in your landscape that has at least one foot of bare space around it so you can spread the spilled soil. The spilled flower pot will look especially attractive emerging from under shrubs, next to a garden path, or grouped with your other potted plants.

Consider placing it next to a seating area where you can enjoy the cascading blooms up close. Think about the sun exposure in the area. Most annual flowers need at least four to six hours of daily sunlight. Morning sun is ideal to prevent the soil in your spilled pot from drying out too quickly.

Prepare Soil and Pot

Remove grass and weeds from your chosen space — about 1 foot wide and 2 feet long. Loosen the soil with a spade or small shovel.

Dump a bag of potting mix or compost over the cleared space. This soil amendment will help your plants get established and grow their best. It also improves drainage and provides nutrients.

Rake the area, spreading out the enriched soil. Keep the amended soil area at least 2 inches higher than the surrounding ground.

Place your pot on its side in the area and fill it about halfway with the soil with a “spilled” effect.

Plant Flowers

Unpot your beautiful flowers and plant them together in and around the turned-over pot and in the surrounding enriched soil.

Place two or three plants trailing out of the planter’s open rim to complete the spilled effect. Water the plants well after planting, and add a 2-inch layer of mulch to help maintain moisture.

Finish With Decorative Touches

Some ideas to complement your spilled flower pot might be decorative stones, marbles, or glass nuggets around the pot. Small solar lights also look lovely nestled into the planting. If your garden pot is in the right spot, some houseplants placed around could balance the colors of your flowers well.

The last step is to sit back and enjoy your beautiful new garden feature.

Maintaining Spilled Flower Pots

Caring for a spilled flower pot is like tending to any outdoor container garden. Follow these organic care tips:

• Water thoroughly whenever the top inch of soil is dry. Check soil moisture daily in hot weather.
• Apply a balanced organic liquid fertilizer every two to three weeks during the growing season. Slow-release granular fertilizer also works.
• Groom plants by removing spent blooms (deadheading) to encourage more flowers.
• Watch for pests like aphids and mites. Treat quickly with organic methods to keep damage to a minimum.
• Repot the arrangement with fresh plants each year, as most annuals decline late in the season.

With proper care, your spilled flower pot will flourish all season long, adding a playful touch to your garden. The blooms cascading out from the pot create a joyful, informal look that kids and adults will love.

Design Variations

Here are some fun ways to change up the look of your spilled flower pot.

You can plant succulents such as sedum or hen and chicks — they’re low maintenance and drought tolerant. You could change up the color scheme, opting for a monochromatic look or combining trailing foliage plants with flowers.

Compatible herbs, such as thyme or parsley, look beautiful spilling out with flowers. You can also collect unique containers, such as watering cans, colanders, or toy trucks, to make into spilled flower pots. You can even group three to five spilled pots together for an arrangement and vary the colors and textures you use.

You can get creative with this simple DIY garden project. Change up your spilled pots seasonally for an ever-evolving display.