Author
Mario Mirelez
Sales Director & Design Expert
Nearly a decade of retail garden center experience and a passion for combination planter design.
Mario leads sales, marketing, and container design at Schlegel Greenhouse, bringing nearly a decade of independent garden center experience to the Hoosier Boy team.
Before joining Schlegel five years ago, Mario was the perennial buyer at Sundown Gardens in Westfield, Indiana — one of the most respected independent garden centers in the state. That retail background gives him a rare perspective: he knows what sells, what performs, and what gardeners actually take home.
His specialty is designing combination planters that hold up all season long in Indiana's unpredictable weather. If you've used the Planter Designer on this site, you've used Mario's brain.
Growing Tips by Mario
33 guides
Plant Care
Can Compost and Organic Fertilizer Feed Your Annuals?
Plant Care
Why Fertilizer Can Hurt Plants (And What “Salts” Actually Means)
Plant Care
How Your Water Affects Your Plants (Indiana Water, Softened Water, and Containers)
Buying Tips
Should You Break Apart Hanging Baskets to Save Money?
Plant Care
Slow-Release vs. Liquid Fertilizer: Which Is Better for Annuals?
Buying Tips
Count the Buds, Not the Blooms: How to Pick the Best Dahlia at the Garden Center
Troubleshooting
Can I Save My Dahlias for Next Year?
Plant Care
How to Make Your Dahlias Last Longer
Plant Spotlights
Best Uses for Dahlias (And Where They Actually Perform Best)
Plant Spotlights
New Angelonia Colors Worth Trying This Season
Plant Care
How to Grow Angelonia (And Keep It Blooming All Summer)
Plant Spotlights
How to Use Angelonia in Containers and Landscape Beds
Seasonal Tips
A Cool May in Indiana: Why It Might Actually Help Your Plants
Seasonal Tips
Frost Tips: Why Sometimes a Cloudy Day Is Good for Your Plants
Plant Spotlights
What Are SuperCals? (And Why They're Built for Rain)
Troubleshooting
Plants That Struggle in Rain (And What to Use Instead)
Plant Care
What To Do After Heavy Rain (And How to Get Your Plants Back Fast)
Plant Spotlights
Plants That Actually Handle Rain (And Keep Looking Good)
Plant Spotlights
Coleus: One of the Most Versatile Plants You Can Grow
Plant Care
How to Grow Coleus (And Keep It Looking Its Best)
Plant Spotlights
Where Coleus Works Best (And How to Use It)
Seasonal Tips
The Best Days to Go to the Garden Center (If You Want the Good Stuff)
Seasonal Tips
Should You Buy Dahlias in April?
Troubleshooting
What To Do After a Frost: The Hoosier Recovery Guide
Plant Spotlights
New Fuchsia Varieties: Why Breeders Are Making Them Better Than Ever
Plant Spotlights
How to Actually Grow Fuchsia in Indiana (Without Killing It)
Plant Spotlights
Fuchsia: One of the Most Unique Plants Ever Brought to the Garden
Seasonal Tips
Jacket Weather for Plants — Is It Cold Enough to Cover?
Seasonal Tips
Don't Let One Cold Night Win — How to Cover Your Plants
Container Care
You Can't Live on Water Alone — And Neither Can Your Plants
Getting Started
Moving Is Stressful — For People and Plants
Container Care
Breakfast Matters — For People and Plants
Troubleshooting