DIY Planters For Your Balcony in Fall

Nature puts on quite a show in the fall. Even if you live in an apartment, you have a front-row balcony seat if you plant a pot or two with easy plants that reflect the spectacular autumn palette.

Start with a couple of lightweight pots. A deck-rail planter fits snugly on standard 2"x4" and 2"x6" deck rails.

Don't forget to drill holes in the bottom for drainage —the spots for drainage holes are clearly marked. To complement the deck-rail planter, add a large square pot.

To Fill Deck Planters

1.Fill the planter almost to the top with potting soil. One large bag of potting soil will be plenty for both planters. You'll need six plants (in four-inch pots) for the deck-rail planter and a couple of larger plants for the square pot. Choose long-blooming plants in complementary colors and include some handsome ornamental grasses in the arrangement. Dwarf purple fountain grass, for example, looks great either in the pot or in the deck-rail planter, and trailing annual flowers, such as million bells (Calibrachoa), complement the color and texture of the grasses.

2.Loosen the roots of the plants a little before planting them. This is good for the roots so that they can spread out in the container. The Big Grip Knife is the perfect tool for this because of its versatility. Use the forked end of the knife to loosen roots at the bottom of the root ball and the serrated edge to slice along the sides of each plant. Plus, the knife's big handle is comfortable and will not slip in your hand as you work.

3.On one side of the planter, scoop out a hole in the potting soil with the Big Grip Trowel to make room for one of the grasses. Plant a flower in front of the grass and off to one side.

4.Use the Big Grip Cultivator to lightly cover the crowns of the plants without damaging them. Continue planting to fill the deck-rail planter with the grasses in the center and flowers on both sides, so you can appreciate the colors and textures from your balcony and from the street.

5.After planting, fill in with potting soil. Add a few scoops of soil with the trowel, using the point to reach in among the plants. This won't take long with the Big Grip Trowel because of its extra-large aluminum head.

6.Firm the soil in around the crowns of the plants with your fingertips.

Build Your Box Planter

A tall plant, such as a long-blooming coreopsis, is the right scale for a large pot, and will nicely complement the grasses and flowers in the deck-rail planter. You'll need two quart-sized plants for this pot, and a couple of six-packs of smaller annual flowers, like marigolds, to plant around the edges of the square pot.

1.Loosen the roots with the Big Grip Knife as you plant the large plants in the center. Then use the knife to wedge the smaller annuals around the sides. Fill in with a couple of trowels full of potting soil.

2.Trimming spent flowers off the coreopsis and marigolds will encourage them to keep blooming for a long time. The Garden Multi-Snip makes a quick, neat cut. The sharp blade never tears the stems, and the Multi-Snip fits neatly (and safely) in its own holster, which clips onto a pocket.

3.After you're finished planting both containers, water well. Fiskars' Easy Pour Watering Can is ideal for watering plants with a gentle shower or a steady stream. The spout rotates so you can also use a direct stream of water, but use the shower the first few times you water, to make sure the potting soil is evenly moist. The filling hole on the watering can is offset, so it will fit under the tap in the kitchen sink, if you don't have an outside spigot on the balcony of your apartment garden.

Now is the time to sit back, relax and enjoy your colorful and exuberant fall garden from a comfortable spot on your balcony.

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