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Feed and Water Plants

Cut your watering time by as much as half by adding Osmocote ($12.75 for 3 pounds, growersupply.com) and Soil Moist ($15 for 1 pound, acehotline.com) to the soil when you pot your plants, says Amanda Welch, owner of Gardenista, a gardening company based in Trevilians, Virginia. Osmocote, a slow-release fertilizer, feeds plants with each watering, while Soil Moist, a water-retaining polymer, maintains moisture. Both products are available at garden centers. As a final touch, Welch suggests you pick up some hardwood mulch at the garden center and top your pots with it. It will hold in moisture and finish the look, she says.