Now is Orange County's Post-Mother’s Day Potting Season

We’ve arrived at the familiar post-Mother’s Day time of year. The birds are cheering up everyone’s Costa Mesa mornings with their noisy springtime come-hither commotion. Out in the garden, flowers have broken out where they are supposed to (hopefully—if not, it’s time to hightail it to the garden store). Post-Mother’s Day is also an ideal time for adding color in other places around the house.

In Costa Mesa, that means it’s potting season.

For the uninitiated, potting season is when Costa Mesa homeowners make critical decisions about what flowers to plant in which pots and planters, and where. The main objective is to create colorful nooks on decks, patios, porches, under windows, and/or hanging at eye-pleasing heights under eaves in front or back of the house. But secondary considerations abound, too, having to do with the amount of tending each will require and the intended longevity of each.

Other potting strategies revolve around placement. Sun, shade, or sun/shade blends in combination with wind exposure are key considerations—as well as the relative ease or difficulty of watering and dealing with runoff.

Potting season veterans are aware that the enthusiasm that accompanies planting can wane as summer wears on—especially when a star-crossed pot continually produces tired-looking blossoms, too clearly approaching their untimely ends. When revival efforts fail, those will have to be ditched and re-potted—the kind of mid-summer Waterloo that’s to be avoided when possible.

For potting season neophytes—Costa Mesa homeowners braving the world of container gardening for the first time—it all might seem impossibly mysterious and complicated. But courage will eventually be rewarded. Trial and error (or a patient mentor) will ultimately lead to success—and the colorful results that make the effort worthwhile. Color can be an invaluable addition for any Costa Mesa property when it goes up for sale. Give me a call when that time nears!