Summertime is for creativity, plant crafts, and coming together as a family! Get creative in your garden and make Thumbprint Pottery! This easy garden activity is a great way to unwind with plants and learn about our beneficial pollinators. In just a few simple steps, you can make adorable butterfly-themed containers paired with the perfect summer plants.
HOW-TO MAKE THUMBPRINT PLANTERS
SUPPLIES:
To get started, you will need the following supplies:
- Terra Cotta Pottery
- Plants From Calloway’s or Cornelius
- Calloway’s Premium Container Potting Soil
- Craft Paint
- Paint Brushes
- Garden Gloves
- Hand Shovel
STEP 1: PAINT BUTTERFLY BODY
Garden activities for kids are fun for adults too! Make butterflies out of your thumbprints!
Get started by painting the base and body of each butterfly around the terra cotta pottery. The thumbprints will be the wings.
With a small paint brush or paint pen, create a long, oval shape for the body, a circle for the head, and 2 antennas. Space out the butterflies around the pottery, leaving room for your thumbprints.
Allow the paint to dry before moving to the next step.
STEP 2: ADD YOUR THUMBPRINTS
Next, add the butterfly wings! Grab your craft paint and dip your thumb into the paint. Be sure to use your favorite paint colors! Press your thumb four times around each butterfly body to create the wings.
Repeat this process all around each container. You can make your butterflies a different color or keep them the same – it is up to you!
Once your pottery is completely painted, allow everything to dry before planting.
STEP 3: ADD POTTING SOIL
Fill your containers with Calloway’s Premium Container Potting Soil, leaving room for the plants.
Calloway’s Premium Container Potting Soil helps your plants get the best start for healthier, continued growth. It contains water saving ingredients like hydrogel water holding crystals, expanded shale and coconut coir for added moisture control. Additional ingredients include sphagnum peat moss, composted rice hulls, composted pine bark, earthworm castings, dolomite lime, and trace elements. Our soil is Silicon Enriched™ to provide container gardens with the same benefits as those grown in the Earth’s soil! Plus, our .2-.05-.1 professional formula contains a slow-release fertilizer to help feed your plants for up to 6 months.
STEP 4: ADD YOUR TEXAS-FRIENDLY PLANTS
Now, it is time to start planting! Pick the perfect summer plants for you and your garden. For this craft, we were inspired by the butterfly theme, and we selected pollinator-friendly plants. Did you know pollinators are essential to maintaining our ecosystems and helps provide the food that we eat? These are great plants for kids to grow and be inspired by nature.
PENTAS
Pentas are tall, vibrant, and popular with many pollinators. They are known for their star-shaped blooms and are a great choice for a Texas container garden because of their heat-tolerance. Pentas are ideal for attracting beneficial pollinators like butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden.
PROFUSION ZINNIAS
Profusion Zinnias are bold, daisy-like blooms that love the sun. Zinnias are heat and drought tolerant plants ideal for Texas gardens. They are a favorite to many pollinators like bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies!
LAVENDER
Enjoy the scent of aromatic Lavender this summer. Lavender is a low maintenance plant that enjoys our Texas heat. Available in many varieties, Lavender contains showy silver foliage that blooms spikes of purple flowers. Beneficial pollinators like butterflies and bees love this fragrant herb!
For more information about planting for pollinators, read and learn how to grow a pollinator victory garden!
To start, carefully remove the plant from its container. Gently breakup the root ball. Place it into the butterfly pottery and potting soil. Water in thoroughly until water comes out of the drain hole. Add more potting soil if needed.
GARDEN TOOLS FOR KIDS
Get the kids excited about gardening with gloves and tools made just for them.
Available in many of their favorite characters or heroes, explore our selection of watering tools, gardening gloves, shovels, and more at a local Calloway’s or Cornelius near you!
SHOP FOR PLANTS WITH EASE
To better serve you, at Calloway’s and Cornelius, we have convenient ways to shop for your garden! Shop our local open-air stores or shop online for Curbside Pickup or Delivery!
Stop by today and explore the beautiful selection now! Have questions? Ask our Texas Certified Nursery Professionals; they are here to help!
