Starting Your Own Flower Garden

When you buy a house you want to have a wonderful garden where children can play and you can sit back and unwind. A garden is one place where we feel we are one with Nature and enjoy the small pleasures of life. But without potted plants and flowers, a home garden is incomplete. Before you choose the plants to grow in your home garden, walk around the neighborhood and take note of what kinds of plants are being planted. That'll give you an idea of what grows well in your area.

When planning your garden, be aware of the bloom time of the flowers. Planting perennials with different bloom times near each other will insure a garden that has blooms all season long. Remember also to plan for the height of the plants, putting the taller ones in the back.

Bad conditions or wrong nutrients can keep flowers from growing well and may even kill them. Areas that don't drain well or where water pools after rain should be avoided when planting. A soil with a pH range of 6.0 to 7.4 is best for most annuals. Before you start work with your garden beds, test the pH with a home soil test kit and add lime sulfur as required to put the pH in its proper range. After the pH is in the proper range, spread 2 to 3 inches of compost, and cultivate it at least 8 to 12 inches deep.

Annuals in your perennial garden are something to think about! Annuals give you season long color, easy propagation, they're cost efficient, and provide first season interest. If you're just starting a perennial garden annuals are a great choice to fill in gaps. I remember my first garden. I bought a couple of plants thinking "This is gonna be great!" A few weeks later I realized this wasn't true. I needed a whole lot more plants and they cost a bunch! I opted for some annuals and I had a really pretty garden by the seasons end. Annuals can certainly help to fill in a garden while you wait for perennials to mature.

You need to select healthy plants if you've decided to grow annuals this year. Many people choose to grow their annuals from seed. Others choose to purchase their plants from green houses. While both ways are acceptable, always remember; You must choose carefully if you're buying from a green house. Usually, garden centers are happy to share their information about soil, sunlight, water, and wind shielding requirements for each plant with their customers.

Deep green plants should be sought out; spindly plants in cell-packs have been stored there too long and should be avoided. It is also wise to check for signs of disease by examining the leaves and stems and removing the plants from their pots to check the roots. Roots should appear firm and white, and contain no spirals or kinks.

When planting flowers, it is important to remember to follow the instructions on the tag for the plant. Always buy plants that will thrive in the conditions in which you intend to grow them. A plant that loves sun will not do well in a shady area and you will only be disappointed with the results.

Spring bulbs work well in a perennial garden. They are the first to bloom and when they finish some of your perennials are starting to bloom and others are filling in and hiding the soon to be dormant foliage of your bulbs. This is a great way to extend the color in your garden well into the summer blooming season.

Summer bulbs such as Dahlias are a great chose to fill in areas that need color after the early perennials have finished. Keep in mind that most summer bulbs will need to be dug up and stored over the winter. The good news is that you can redesign your garden by rearranging these bulbs the next year.

Randomized bulbs look beautiful in any setting. After the bulbs bloom the foliage will die down to make room for later growing plants, therefore, you can interplant bulbs with other types of plants for a carefree and beautiful garden. For this natural look you could arrange your bulbs randomly. So by tossing them and planting them where they land, with small adjustments for spacing, your garden will have a much more natural look than if you arrange them.

If you need plants that will do well growing against a wall there are many choices including clematis, wisteria, climbing hydrangea, golden hop and star jasmine. Clematis is a variety that produces purple/blue bell shaped flowers and fern like plant life. Wisteria is a hardy climbing plant that boasts lilac colored flowers that grow in the shape of beans. My personal favorite climbing plants are the star jasmine, which produces leather like, dark green leaves and beautiful white blooms that have an unmatched, abundant perfume.

Planting wild flowers in your garden, or simply scattering wild flower seeds around an area of your yard are both ways to take advantage of Mother Nature's treasured gifts. Wild flowers are carefree, colorful, and tend to attract bees, butterflies and birds. So planting wild flowers not only gives you an easy maintenance flower garden... it also promises to be a constant source of interesting activity throughout the year.

Follow these simple bits of advice and keep your garden in glorious bloom all summer long.

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