Today is National Sticker Day, and I have to admit… stickers are one of those little joys that never really stop being fun. The only difference as adults is we don’t put them on our homework anymore. We put them on our garden journals, water bottles, seed bins, potting totes, laptop lids, and planter tags. 😄 So let’s use this fun little holiday for something bigger: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐏𝐆𝐒 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐲 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛? Not “random stickers”… but container-gardener stickers that feel like us. A small, low-cost way to support the community… and a fun way to keep gardening motivation visible all month long. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 Stickers aren’t just cute. They’re weirdly useful: 𝟏) 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐟𝐮𝐧 If you use a planner, notebook, or calendar, stickers can turn “I should plan my garden” into “Ooooh, let me open my garden book.” 𝟐) 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐧𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 When you see “Water Wednesday” or “Seed Starting Mode” on your tote or shelf, it’s a gentle reminder—without feeling like a chore. 𝟑) 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲 + 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 This is the big one. Stickers can be little “badges” that say: “I’m a container gardener. This is my happy place.” 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 If we did a monthly sticker club, it could rotate themes like: 🌱 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 * “Grow Big in Small Spaces” * “Deck Pots Count as Gardening” * “Potting Bench Therapy” * “I Brake for Garden Centers” * “More Pots Please” 🌿 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐛 & 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐬 * “Tiny Harvest Club” * “Microgreens for the Win” * “Snip • Rinse • Eat” * “Herb Garden Energy” 🪴 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐍𝐨𝐨𝐤 * “Humidity Squad” * “Low Light Legend” * “Leaf Wipe Champion” * “Prop Queen / Prop King” 🐛 𝐏𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 & 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚 (𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬) * “Fungus Gnat Survivor” * “Spider Mites, Not Today” * “I Came, I Saw, I Quarantined” * “Root Rot Rehab” 🌸 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐮𝐧 * “Spring Seed Starter” * “Summer Patio Jungle” * “Fall Container Reset” * “Winter Grow Light Glow” 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞

If it feels unfair that pests show up just when plants are already struggling… You’re not wrong. Winter is actually prime time for certain pests, especially indoors. Not because plants are weak, but because conditions are quietly in the pests’ favor. 🌱 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐬 𝐚 𝐏𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 Winter creates the perfect storm for pests: * Warm indoor temperatures * Dry air from heating systems * Crowded plants grouped together * Slower-growing plants that can’t recover quickly While plants slow down… 𝐏𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭. 🐜 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐬 These pests thrive when we least expect them: 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 * Love dry air * Cause stippling, yellowing, fine webbing * Often appear suddenly 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐛𝐮𝐠𝐬 * Hide in leaf joints and stems * Look like tiny cottony clumps * Spread easily between plants 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞 * Appear as bumps on stems or leaves * Often mistaken for part of the plant * Drain sap quietly over time 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐬 𝐆𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐬 * Thrive in consistently damp soil * Usually a watering issue, not a soil problem 👀 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐏𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐆𝐨 𝐔𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 Winter pests are sneaky because: * Growth is already slow, so damage blends in * Leaves aren’t dropping dramatically * We assume problems are “just winter stuff” By the time pests are obvious, they’ve often been there a while. 🚫 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐨 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭 𝐏𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 Resist the urge to: * Panic and spray everything immediately * Overwater to “help the plant recover” * Fertilize to push growth * Ignore it and hope it resolves itself None of these fix the root issue and some make it worse. 🛡️ 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐡𝐮𝐭 𝐏𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧 (𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲) Start simple and consistent: * Isolate the plant if possible * Wipe leaves (especially undersides) * Increase humidity slightly for spider mites * Let soil dry more to discourage gnats * Inspect weekly, not daily Consistency beats harsh treatments every time. 🌼 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭: 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐚 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞 Pests don’t mean you’re doing something wrong. They mean you’re growing plants in real-life conditions.

Does anyone use a plant app and if so which one? I used plant parent this year and was not really happy with it. I like the set up but the advice they give you was not always right.

I got this sweet little planter the opening is around 3.5 inches. What plant would make cute "hair"?

[IMPORTANT READ] Wow! A huge thank you to each of you who joined The Potted Garden Society. This isn’t just a gardening group — it’s our green corner of the internet. Together, our mission is simple: 👉 Build a vibrant community of 10,000+ passionate plant lovers — from curious beginners to backyard legends — who are here to share, learn, and grow 🌼 Think of Skool as your gardening clubhouse. A space where tips bloom, ideas grow roots, and plants (and people!) thrive together. Here’s what we’ll dig into as a group: 🌱 Seasonal planting tips, tricks & troubleshooting 🌼 Celebrating plant wins (with proud pics!) 🐛 Solving pest & soil challenges 🍅 Learning how to grow food at home 🌿 Swapping advice on tools, composting & containers Our FIRST main focus as a community: 🔥 Help each other grow more confidently each season 💬 Make daily conversations about real plant wins & woes 🌍 Share eco-friendly ways to garden & give back to the earth A Few Quick Things: 1️⃣ This space is for plant newbies and seasoned growers 🌻 2️⃣ Say hello below 👋 Tell us what you grow, your zone or location, and a pic of your current favorite plant! Let’s grow something beautiful — together. Let’s grow The Potted Garden Society! 💚 – Donna