How to Make a Garden Half Barrel Whiskey Planter

First, choose your whiskey barrel. It should have proper drainage holes in the bottom to let the water out and prevent your plants from getting too much water. Next, fill your container three-quarters full with potting soil to give your plants a sturdy and nourishing foundation. The potting mix also helps absorb water like a sponge to protect against over and under-watering. You can mix your own with equal parts organic potting soil and compost, either purchased or from your compost pile.

Now that you’ve got your whiskey barrel ready, it’s time to make a game plan for your arrangement. Arrange your plants while still in their containers, with taller ones in the back and trailing or low plants in the front. Add some pops of color with flowers or bright veggies.

With your arrangement planned out, now it’s time to plant! Gently take your plants out of their containers, loosen the roots and set them in your barrel. Fill in the spaces between them with your organic potting mix. Then, use a watering can to water your containers thoroughly until water runs out of the drainage holes.

Tip: After about a month, feed your plants regularly with an organic fertilizer.

A successful mixed planting in a whiskey barrel pulls in a variety of plants, textures and colors. However, they will all need about the same light and water, so check plant tags for recommendations. Achieve a lush look with annuals and perennials, naturally, as well as ornamental grasses, small shrubs, herbs and succulents.

Gardeners have a handy phrase to remember the keys to creating a fun-filled arrangement: ‘Thriller-Filler-Spiller.’ Thrillers give height, fillers bring the body to the center and spillers cascade over the rim of the planter, softening the edges. Put them all together and you have a colorful display with texture and movement.

Choosing the plants for your arrangement depends on the season and region. Check the USDA’s plant hardiness map to find out what plants are likely to thrive in your location. This map uses average minimum winter temperatures across the country to determine what plants will survive the winter in your area. In the fall, try these five plants in a whiskey barrel:

• 'Jazz Hands' loropetalum: Dwarf loropetalum is winter hardy in plant hardiness zones 7 to 10 and low maintenance once established. This shrub grows well in containers and as a groundcover in a mass planting.
• Purple basil: Herbs offer fragrance, texture and culinary usefulness. Look for tender lettuces to fill in here, too. As the weather cools, replace it with flowering kale and cabbage.
• Red hot poker (torch lily): Perennial tritoma is a pollinator magnet and makes fine-cut flowers, too. Keep red hot poker outside in your container to liven up purple fountain grass as it becomes established. Plant red hot poker in the garden when it's finished blooming in the container.
• Sedum is delightful as a groundcover and also tucked into containers for a bright bit of texture. They send a flower in late spring and are hardy in plant hardiness zones 7 to 11.
• Zinnias: Whether from seed or seedlings, annual zinnias are perfect. Easy-growing, good-looking until the first frost and all with bright blooms in late summer and early fall colors. When the frost nips them, just toss them on the compost pile and fill your display with more cold-tolerant annuals like pansies.

Tip: Watering and fertilizing are not as important in fall as in spring, so make sure your potting soil is fresh and fertile. Good quality organic potting mix will give your plants the best start.