Flower Gardens

The secrets to a beautiful flower garden are knowing what flowers you are planting and when and where you are planting them. If you are new to planting, it is best to start small to guarantee success.
When you select your plants (20 to 30 to start), choose mostly annuals (flowers that are planted every year) and a few perennials (plants that will keep coming back).

Make sure you know how much sun you need and choose a site with good soil. You can purchase a soil testing kit. Don’t plant near trees, as they compete for water.

Dig down into the ground at least eight inches and remove all rocks and debris. Level the ground with a rake and fertilize with compost or manure. These can be purchased at any gardening shop or greenhouse. Add peat moss or grass cuttings to increase water capacity and lime is the soil has too much acid. Using a rake, level the bed.

Plant seeds or plants according to directions, smaller plants in the front, and larger plants in the rear of the garden. Water the area thoroughly, and watch your garden grow. There are a great number of garden supply stores both online and in your neighborhood, as gardening is an age-old tradition that is not going away. These stores usually have everything you need. But mix and match your sources for plants, since you will probably want your garden to be unique. Make your garden a thing of your own imagination, and consider it an art form.

Knowing how to care for your flower garden can make a big difference in the look and over-all health of your plants. Here are some simple hints to make your garden bloom with health

1. The essentials must always be given major consideration.

Your flower garden must have an adequate supply of water, sunlight, and fertile soil. Any lack of these basic necessities will greatly affect the health of plants. Water the flower garden more frequently during dry spells.

When planting bulbs, make sure they go at the correct depth. When planting out shrubs and perennials, make sure that you don't heap soil or mulch up around the stem. If you do, water will drain off instead of sinking in, and the stem could develop rot through overheating.

2. Mix and match perennials with annuals.

Perennial flower bulbs need not to be replanted since they grow and bloom for several years while annuals grow and bloom for only one season. Mixing a few perennials with annuals ensures that you will always have blooms coming on.

3. Deadhead to encourage more blossoms.

Deadheading is simply snipping off the flower head after it wilts. This will make the plant produce more flowers. Just make sure that you don't discard the deadhead on the garden or mildew and other plant disease will attack your plants.

4. Know the good from the bad bugs.

Most garden insects do more good than harm. Butterflies, beetles and bees are known pollinators. They fertilize plants through unintentional transfer of pollen from one plant to another. 80% of flowering plants rely on insects for survival.

Sowbugs and dung beetles together with fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms are necessary to help in the decomposition of dead plant material, thus enriching the soil and making more nutrients available to growing plants.

Other insects like lacewings and dragonflies are natural predators of those insects that do the real damage, like aphis.

An occasional application of liquid fertilizer when plants are flowering will keep them blooming for longer.

Always prune any dead or damaged branches. Fuchsias are particularly prone to snapping when you brush against them. The broken branch can be potted up to give you a new plant, so it won't be wasted.