How to Plant in Wine Barrels
- 1). Turn the barrel over and make sure it has adequate drainage holes. If not, drill a few holes to improve the drainage. Place the barrel in its permanent location. It's too heavy to move when full of soil, water and plants.
- 2). Put the barrel on pot feet to get the bottom off the ground or patio.
- 3). Lay a 3-inch layer of gravel in the bottom of the barrel.
- 4). Fill the barrel with enough soil to bring it up to the level of the evergreen's nursery container. In other words if the barrel is 18 inches deep and the nursery container is 12-inches deep, fill the barrel with 3 inches of soil, in addition to the 3 inches of gravel. Water to settle the soil. You may have to add more soil after you water.
- 5). Take the evergreen out of its pot by gently removing it. If it's stubborn, roll the container on the ground pressing on the sides. The plant should pop out. If not, cut the container up the sides to release the plant.
- 6). Score the evergreen's root ball four times by running a knife down the sides of the root ball about 1/2 inch deep. This helps loosen the roots and encourages them to spread out when planted.
- 7). Place the evergreen in the center of the wine barrel.
- 8). Place four 1-gallon size geraniums equally around the evergreen. The root balls should not be touching. Fill the barrel with 6 more inches of potting soil. Place the pre-chilled spring flower bulbs on top of the potting soil between the geraniums. They should be 6 inches from the top of the barrel.
- 9). Fill the barrel to within 5 inches of the top. Place 4-inch pots of lobelia and alyssum around the edges of the barrel. They'll grow over the sides. Place 4-inch pot sizes of pansies on top of the soil between the geraniums. The spring bulbs underneath will grow up through these flowers. Fill in any gaps with additional potting soil. Add an inch of potting soil over all the root balls.
