INDIANAPOLIS — On the earliest Mother's Day can fall this year, Indiana is still not out of the window when outdoor plants are safe from frost.
Still, Pat from Sullivan Hardware and Garden said in his weekly segment on 13Sunrise that outdoor plants, particularly hanging baskets, seem to be a safe and appreciated Mother's Day gift every year.
Before you stop by your local garden center and pick out a basket to present to your mother, make sure she has a place to hang it.
"But if you want to personalize something," Sullivan said, "you can pick out a nice piece of pottery, and still buy your hanging basket...pull it out, and plant it."
You will wind up with a more versatile piece that can sit on a porch, patio or in a sunroom.
Pro Tip: A hanging basket needs more frequent watering than a plant in a large pot.
Sullivan said whether the plant stays in its original basket or is re-potted, it will require fertilizer on a regular basis to continue to thrive.
You can mix a product like Miracle-Gro granules to dissolve in a bucket of water and pour over plants once a week, or sprinkle a dry fertilizer every few weeks on the soil around the plant and it will dissolve with regular watering.
Sullivan also recommended a product called Bio-Tone Plant Starter for blooms and establishing good root systems.
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Watch Pat's full Sunrise segment in the video player.