Plant This Pollinator Flower In Pots In April For Beautiful Porch Blooms

April is a great time of year to start increasing your home's curb appeal, especially on the front porch. As the warmer weather starts to settle in, it's not only you and your family that will start to enjoy the sunlight in this particular space more. While it may mean porch sippers for you, for flowers it means ample sunshine and warmth that will transform them into full, vibrant blooms. If you're looking for a budget-friendly porch upgrade that will not only add a burst of color to your porch but also attract butterflies and other beneficial insects, then planting pollinator flowers is a must. One option to add to your April flower pot collection is scabiosa (Scabiosa atropurpurea), also known as the pincushion flower. While it may be native to the Mediterranean, there are several species of the genus available in North America. We have a fairly good selection of colors to choose from.

While they look great in full bloom, as pollinator flowers, they naturally attract butterflies and hummingbirds, which can be fantastic for the overall health of your garden. This is especially true if your yard features fruit trees and you're hoping for a good yield over the summer months. Even if you don't, who doesn't like the sight of butterflies fluttering around their garden while enjoying a cold drink on the porch and watching the world go by? All you'll need is a few pots, healthy soil, and either scabiosa seeds or plants.

As ornamental flowers that are easy to grow in pots, scabiosa are container plants perfect for your front porch. Start by selecting a few pots to match the style of your porch and then the mix of scabiosa you're looking to go for. If you're getting seeds, ask your local garden center about what color to expect if it's not clear on the packaging. To get the most out of them over the summer months, get mature flowers and transplant them. They'll bloom from April through to the arrival of frost. With the pots and scabiosa in hand, all that is left to get is the soil. While most healthy soils from your garden center will do, scabiosa particularly prefer the lighter type, like sand or loam, with a neutral pH and high organic matter. Also make sure that this soil drains well.

Scabiosa love full sunlight, so position them in a spot that will give them as much rays as possible. Just be careful if you live in a very hot climate — if you do, place the containers where they'll receive some afternoon shade too. You can expect them to grow between 12 and 36 inches tall, so when placing the pots, make sure that they will have enough height above them to grow. For watering, once the flowers are established, you'll want to wait until the soil dries out. Don't overwater them as they don't like wet soil and are drought tolerant. By properly caring for your scabiosa flowers, you'll get to enjoy them and the pollinators all summer.