how i tripled the size of the ferns on my front porch

Ferns on the front porch are an unspoken rule here in the south.  There’s just something about having them flank my front door in the planters my husband made me that makes me so happy to pull into my driveway every day!  I’ve been fortunate enough to have great luck with them in the past; I even managed to keep two alive three years in a row by keeping them in my garage during the winter.  This year, I found four at the grocery store for $10 a pop; I loved the broad leaves and emerald color so much more than traditional Boston ferns, but when I put them in my planters (I put two in each because my planters are so ginormous!), they just barely hung over the top.  Fast forward about a month and a half and they have all tripled in size!

My secret is this: water them every other day and twice a month, I add a scoop of Jack’s Classic 20-20-20 plant food to a gallon of water and drench them.  In no time, they are filling out my planters and adding such a gorgeous pop of color to the front porch!

I finally got around to planting some flowers in pots, too, and while you can technically use the 20-20-20 for flowers, as well, I like to use the Blossom Booster Fertilizer – I’ve tried others before but nothing has worked as well as this for me!  Here is purple angelonia and lime green sweet potato vine about a week after the first application:

Happy weekend! (And happy planting!)