DIY Flower Pot Station
October has the most beautiful weather here in Charleston, SC. The kind where you wake up and there's a chill to the air and you can enjoy a hot cup of coffee, but by midday the sun is the perfect temperature for tending to your fall garden or reading a book on the patio.
We decided to host an autumn garden party full of whimsy and fall themes in our backyard. I think any good party has a few elements to it: good food, drinks, and activities. And of course people you can enjoy it with!
October 12th officially marked two years in this gorgeous house that we built and we never officially did a housewarming party. What better time than during autumn when the fall garden is in full swing, it's cool enough to be outside, the bugs have subsided a bit, and we can serve all the fall flavors.
As I was thinking what activity I could have for the party I realized my raised planter was completely overgrown and needed an overhaul. I was just going to replant my favorite fall/winter flowers in it but then figured I could turn it into a cute potted plant station. I love being able to share my love of gardening with other people and now each guest will be able to bring home a flower pot.
While I had this raised bed available to be used, you can also just set this up on a table covered in a pretty gingham or floral linen.
Let's get started!
This post contains affiliate links, which means I will make a small commission at no extra cost to you.
What flowers should I use?
This answer depends on the time of year. It's autumn in Charleston so I chose Violas. They can survive the frost and even snow (not that we typically get snow, but we did last year so it needs to be considered!) and will re-bloom in the spring. Other good cool weather flowers would be snapdragons, dianthus, calendulas, petunias and pansies (these are actually just a sub genre of violas but with larger flowers).
I went to my local garden center and they had an option to get an entire flat of violas for about $28 which was perfect. The flat was for 18 3" annuals. I would recommend getting 3" potted options because it fits perfectly in a 4" terracotta pot.
Head to your local garden center and see what flowers they have in season. A 3" flower should only be about $2 each but sometimes they offer full flats for a cheaper price. I know my local Lowe's will also have marigolds and other flowers in packs of 6-15 that you can get for cheaper than buying each one separate. Sometimes garden centers will even let you mix and match!
Typically I suggest finding flowers that are not blooming yet but for this activity I recommend getting ones that have a few blooms open so your guests can see the color and flower type.
Materials:
- Table, raised planter or ladder shelf
- Flowers (1 per guest or 1 per couple is usually good)
- Dirt (my favorite dirt!)
- Garden Shovels
- 4" Terracotta Pots
- Markers
- Mason Jar
-
Cute Signage (this is for a baby shower but I customized it!)
- Wood sticks for signage
Making Your Station
My raised bed planter has different cubicles inside so it was perfect for splitting up the pots, dirt, and flowers. You can put your dirt in a large pot or cardboard box to put inside your planter if you don't have sections. The rest of the items will fit without needing sections. If you do a table then start with the pots and markers, then the flowers and end with the dirt. That is most likely the order your guests will go in. A ladder shelf could also work for this project and make a pretty display! Here is the same planter but without the cubicles inside. It's cheaper and will still looks amazing and is great for gardening on a patio. I absolutely love this planter and change it out for the seasons. It's held up through all different types of weather and still looks brand new, two years later.
You will need a section for your terracotta pots, a section for dirt, and a section for all of your flowers.
Don't forget to add some shovels in the dirt so people can add dirt to their pot after they add their flowers. The 3" flowers fit almost perfectly in the 4" pots but guests may want to pack in a bit more dirt around the sides.
I also had an option to decorate your pot. I used Posca markers that I put in an old jam jar but a mason jar works for this as well. Posca markers work great on terracotta and will hold up in any weather.
The final touch is to add some signage so that guests know what to do! I put clear instructions on the sign and added a little blurb about the violas so guests knew how to take care of them and to keep them through the winter so they re-bloom in the spring. I also wanted guests to know the flowers were edible and could be sprinkled on desserts or salads! I glued a wooden dowel to the back of the signs and stuck them in terracotta pots but you can also just stick them in the dirt or put them in frames.
That's it! This is a fun project for birthday parties, garden parties, or any sort of celebration. It's fun to do, gives guests a reason to talk to each other and decorate a pot, and they get something to bring home with them. Let me know if you try this out and I would love to see pictures! Check out my Instagram reel to see this project in action and how it turned out.
