Technorati Tags: container gardening, container pots

I do, and it was a total disaster! I have always loved flowers and many years ago I used to wonder how mother always had a beautiful garden. Of course, when you are young and naïve the least thing in my mind was to ask questions or even watch mom taking care of her gardens. Back then it seemed as if mother’s plants would just come out of no where and bloom beautifully. Little did I know that mom’s flower gardens required some work, patience and some tender loving care almost on a daily basis.

When I got married and had my first home, I decided that it was time to start my own gardens. Well, I went to the nursery and bought some flowers and planted them all over the front yard mixed in with the grass. Big mistake! You should have seen my husband’s face when he went to mow the lawn. He was not a happy camper to say the least and explained to me that it was almost impossible for him to mow the lawn with plants all over the place. Mind you that I didn’t even check the soil or anything, I just planted them. Laughing out loud now but it wasn’t funny back then!!

It didn’t take long for me to realize that I had two options:

1. Remove all the plants from the lawn and create a garden area right in front of the house and away from the grass.

2. If I didn’t want to do this, for sure my husband would mow over the plants destroying everything I planted.

You guessed it I removed all the plants from the lawn and put them in large buckets of water until I could figure out what needed to be done. Next was a phone call to mother for advice on how to set up a flower garden area and she basically told me what to do which meant that I needed to:

1. Determine how big the area would be for the garden

2. Clear out the area thoroughly by removing weeds and grass

3. Till the soil and fertilize the soil with proper nutrients

4. Find out how much sun or shade the garden area gets during the day

5. Figure out the types of plants to buy that would compliment the house

6. Buy the plants and plant them

Needless to say, this was a lot more than what I envisioned on creating a flower garden but I was determined to get it done. So with some help from my husband we began clearing out the area in front of the house and doing all the necessary tasks that were required. Since I already had the plants that I removed from the lawn, I planted those and bought some more to fill in some bare spots.

All in all, the garden turned out to be just fine and looking good. My advice to you is that if you are new to gardening, don’t make the same mistakes I made and follow the ideas listed above. Also remember that when in doubt, a good gardening manual is your best bet on creating a healthy flower garden.

Technorati Tags: garden area, garden beginner, garden planning, garden soil

Your summer flower garden needs to be landscaped properly and this should be one of the first things to take into consideration when planning and planting your garden. Take a look at the natural landscape or terrain of your lawn and garden area before you start buying plants. The idea here is to work with what you already have as a landscape rather than working against it. Believe me, this will save you some work and will add beauty to your garden. My advice here is to go with the flow of your existing landscape as in most cases your ideas will blend well with the natural terrain of your lawn and garden area.

Start by taking a quick survey of your lawn. Don’t just look at it, walk the length of your lawn and the area that you are planning for your garden space. Measure the terrain and take into consideration inclines and slopes if any. While doing this, you can also study the condition of the soil and any areas that seem inadequate for panting. For example, you may have some areas in your lawn that have lots of rocks or too much water buildup and these can cause problems when planting a summer garden. You can either forget about planting in these areas or make an attempt to remove all the rocks if that is the case. Stay away from areas that have too much water buildup as plants may not survive here.

Take into consideration the amount of shade a particular area gets during the day as that will determine the types of plants you will buy. Keep in mind that if you do have a shaded area in your garden you can keep it that way and buy shade loving plants for it. You can even create some shade by adding plants that grow much taller or using rocks to create shade and even climbing vines on trellises or fences. There are lots of things you can do in planning your summer garden and you need to pay attention to the area you have in mind for the garden to ensure that the end result is what you have in mind.

Once you have an idea about the terrain and landscape of your garden area, think about the types of flowers or plants that you will need. Keep in mind that if you are planting a flowery garden it is likely that you will be planning to achieve some degree of beauty within your landscape. Now you can decide if you want to keep the flowers and plants within a certain color scheme or maybe mix bright vivid reds and yellows with blues and greens for a very dramatic look. This is your personal decision so choose wisely. One important thing to remember is that you should landscape your garden according to the amount of time and effort you want to devote to its upkeep and maintenance. If you are looking for a garden that is basically sow and grow then make sure it is filled with plants and flowers that are suited to that sort of low maintenance.

Another tip here is that if you have a very large area and have no clue how to landscape that area for a summer garden, it may be worth the effort to have a professional landscaper do the work for you. If you decide to have professional landscaping done, be sure to check into a maintenance program with them for the upkeep and landscaping or maybe have them provide a low maintenance type garden that you can maintain. Although many gardeners find the task of landscaping their garden enjoyable, you may not be amongst that group so I hope that the gardening tips provided here will give you a starting point on getting your garden landscaped and ready to grow.

Technorati Tags: garden landscaping, Landscape

It goes without saying that most people love roses. They are my favorite flower and I have several rose gardens that are my pride and joy. Roses are the most sought after flower for gift giving on special occasions and for celebrating lifetime events such as weddings. But, roses do get diseases and you must be able to recognize and treat them to get rid of them and restore your rose bushes to health. To make sure that your roses remain disease free, follow these tips and ideas.

Black Spots on the Leaves

This disease commonly known as black spots appears as circular with fringed edges on the leaves of your rose bush. They cause the leaves to turn yellow and eventually the leaves will fall off the plant. Don’t wait for this to happen, remove the infected foliage right away. There are many sprays available to take care of this problem all from different manufacturers and varying prices. My advice here is to go to your local nursery or garden center and buy a rose spray according to your budget to treat this rose disease.

Malformed young canes

This is known as powdery mildew and it is a fungal disease that covers the leaves, stems and buds of your roses with a white powder. In some cases it makes the leaves curl and turn purple. You can treat this rose disease with Benomyl or Funginex.

Blistered underside of leaves

Known as rust and you can spot this disease by looking at the leaves which turn to orange-red blisters and then turn black in the fall. This disease is bad news for your rose garden because it can survive in the winter and then attack new sprouts in the spring. The minute you see this problem, remove all infected leaves in the fall and spray your roses with Funginex.

Deformed leaves and flowers

Spider mites cause this problem for your roses. They are tiny spiders that you may see in green, red or sometimes yellow and they hide on the underside of leaves. To help treat this infestation, apply Orthene or Isotox to your rose bushes.

Leaves that look weak with tiny white webs under them

Aphids are the culprit here. These are tiny, soft-bodied insects that you may see in brown, red or green color. These insects will cluster under the leaves of your rose bushes and even the flower buds and drain the plant juices. You can spray your roses with Diazinon or Malathion to get rid of these insects.

Roses that look deformed when they open

Thrips could be causing this disease on your roses. They are tiny, slender brown-yellow bugs with fringed wings that also drain the juices from rose buds. Cut and get rid of the infested roses the minute you see this disease on any of your rose bushes. You can use Malathion or Orthene to treat this problem.

And remember that buying quality roses can help eliminate some of these problems. The one place I do recommend  is Jackson & Perkins for excellent rose quality.

Technorati Tags: gardening with roses, rose buds, rose bushes, rose diseases