The hanging basket we have this year is by far the most lush and beautiful hanging basket we’ve ever had.  The difference?  A weekly watering with Miracle-Gro Bloom Booster, in addition to our once daily watering.  On hot days you might need to up it to twice a day.  I also deadheaded it every couple weeks.

But look how full and beautiful it is!

(This picture was taken July 8th)

But over time, I got lazy, and through most of August I didn’t do my Monday waterings, nor did I deadhead the flowers.  The plant grew longer, but it’s not as full and lush.  This is the result of NOT using Miracle-Gro and tending to your hanging basket:

Image how beautiful it would be NOW if I kept it up!

Back in early June I planted a variety of flowers around our front bird bath:

And here they are now:

And while I’m at it, here’s a few more pictures of our “established” flowerbeds.

Remember my Topsy Turvy project? Tomatoes are growing pretty well. Grasses and cascading flowers have really taken off, too.
Our grasses have really taken off!
Remember this project? Whew- this shrub is a high maintenance little guy. I've already trimmed him twice!

I’ve decided next year to only plant petunias, primarily wave petunias.  Although high-maintenance from a dead-heading perspective, they are super easy to grow, and grow fast and full with proper watering.  And add a lot of color!