Nurseries often enjoy reusing your hanging pots

It happens every summer. I bring home beautiful annuals to decorate my patio, the place where my family spends a lot of time in warm weather, and fill the big ceramic pots with blooms. In addition, I always hang pots cascading with geraniums to act as a screen between my patio and that of my neighbor. I particularly love white geraniums fact, because they seem to glow at twilight which is when I get to enjoy them the most. I’m ashamed to admit I seldom think to re-use the empty hanging pots left over from the last season. Instead, always short on time, I rush out to the nursery and buy new pots each year. Sometimes, I’ll take along the empties and leave them with the nursery to recycle, but more often than not the last year’s pots go into the garage where they collect in a corner. This spring, as I began to think about moving outdoors for the summer months, I stopped and gave a little thought to the matter before buying. I spoke to Cathye Bordwell at Ritters Florist and Nursery and asked her if they would be willing to plant new flowers in my old pots. “Of course,” she replied. “We do custom pots for customers.” So, inspired, on a day when I was already running errands, I gathered up all the empty hanging pots and delivered them to the nursery. They’d ordered the white geraniums and had them waiting for me. Cathye and I walked out to the greenhouse to meet my “babies.” The staff at Ritter’s filled the pots with new, organic soil and tucked the geraniums into their new homes. I got a better product, recycled existing containers and got a head start on the oh-so-slow-to-arrive season. Now, with my pretty white geraniums potted and healthy, all I need is a little sunshine and a break from this cold, wet, spring to help them grow and thrive.