First, buy a flower! Select a healthy-looking flower (they will usually come in pots) and make sure to choose one that is suitable for your region and the area you wish to plant it.
Next, prepare the place that you want to plant it.
Plough up the soil to at least a foot deep.
If the soil is hard then add some commercial soil or peat moss to soften it up.
This makes it easier to work with and will help the plant to grow better too.
Soil that is too powdery will not hold water well, while soil which is too heavy (e.
g.
clay) will not allow the roots to breathe.
The perfect soil is somewhere in between these two extremes, a nice crumbly, soft soil which can be packed hard.
Add fertilizer if you want to the plant to grow faster, although most potted plants already have some plant food in the pot so this is optional.
If you do decide to fertilize then make sure you don't use too much.
Start by digging a hole, about twice as wide as the pot and about an inch deeper.
Carefully remove the plant, together with the roots and soil, from the pot.
It should come out easily but you may have to cut it with a knife to remove it all in one go.
Place the whole lot in the bottom of the hole and add an inch of loose soil around the roots.
Add just enough water to cover this soil, then continue to add layers of loose soil and water until the roots are completely covered.
Now let the whole lot sit for a while until the water has drained and the mixture has settled.
Then pack it down with your foot so that the plant and roots are held firmly in place.
Finally add the rest of the soil until the hole is filled in, but only to the top of the soil from the pot because you need to leave some space for mulch.
Add mulch around the plant, about two inches deep but make sure you leave a gap of about an inch next to the stem - you don't want the mulch coming into contact with the plant itself as this increases the risk of insect attacks.
Lightly pull on the stem to make sure it is firmly packed in and if it moves them you need to stamp a bit harder to really pack the plant into the soil.
To complete the planting, you just need to water it one more time.
Now the plant should thrive on the sun's energy, with just a little maintenance from you: water it every two or three days and keep an eye on it to make sure the soil doesn't dry out too much.
But be careful not to over-water as the roots will not be able to breathe and you will effectively drown the plant!