Gardening | Best Flower Gardening

Tips on Indoor Seed Starting

Mar 022011

Most of my friends that live in colder areas and love flower gardening are suffering from cabin fever. Needless to say, this has been a tough winter for most states in the northern region with lots of snow and bitter cold days. But, this is a good time to start your seeds indoor. Be creative while waiting for spring to get here and keep busy starting new seeds for your flower garden. Keep in mind that ventilation, temperature and moisture are important to good seed germination along with proper light, containers and the seeds you use.

From personal experience I can tell you that buying good quality seeds is very important to get your desired results. You need to find a reputable seed company or supplier and get your seeds from them. Be sure to read all the instructions that come with the seeds packets and find out if special care is required during the growing period. Another way to get those special seeds that you want is to trade seeds with family members or friends. In this case, make sure that you find out the type of seed you are getting and any planting instructions.

Choose the type of light carefully. Sunlight is ideal but new seedlings require at least twelve hours of sunlight each day to grow. This is almost impossible for most gardeners to do so be creative and use artificial light in conjunction with natural sunlight. To get natural sunlight, just place the containers on the windowsills or in an area around the house where the sun shines in most of the day. In addition to natural sunlight, you will need some artificial form of light like fluorescent light. The idea here is to have your seedlings get lots of light during the day and let them rest at night.

When buying the containers for indoor seed starting, choose the ones that can hold at least 2 inches of soil with good drainage. Keep in mind that individual containers are beneficial in that there is more protection to the plants roots when you are ready to plant in your flower garden. Shop around for the containers and pick the types that are more suitable for you or just use eggshells. If you want to have a greenhouse effect and provide more humidity to the seeds, buy containers with covers. Make sure that your new seeds are planted on good soil for healthy growth.

Follow the tips above and you will have new plants for your garden in no time. You can save some money by starting your plants from seeds because seeds are cheaper. Do buy seeds from a good seed company for best results. Personally, I buy my seeds from Park Seed Company and they have been in business for many years.

Here are some other flower gardening sites that I found for you to browse. Thanks for visiting Best Flower Gardening!

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Technorati Tags: indoor containers, indoor gardening, indoor seedlings, seed starting, seeds

Flower Gardening with Daffodils

Flower Gardening, Gardening No Responses »

Nov 152010

Just like tulips, daffodil bulbs need to be planted now for spring flowering. Daffodils are such a beautiful flower and it will surely add lots of color to your flower garden in the spring. Did you know that the daffodil is the national flower of Wales? Indeed it is! In other countries, the yellow daffodil is mostly associated with Easter. For example, the German name for daffodil is osterglocke which means Easter bell. Throughout the world, several cancer charities use the daffodil as a fundraising symbol where they offer daffodils in return of a donation.

Daffodils are easy to grow and according to Breck’s which I consider a reputable Dutch bulb company, a successfully naturalized daffodil garden can bloom for up to 30 or even 50 years! How is that for a great flower gardening investment? Plant them once and you can almost forget about them. When you are ready to plant your daffodil bulbs, choose an area that has good sunlight and good drainage. You can even select an area where grass does not have to be mowed. Areas like hillsides or the edges of woods are ideal for planting daffodils. For a splendid look, plant lots of drifts of like kinds and in different colors. You can just take a handful of bulbs and literally throw them in the area you selected and just dig where the bulbs landed. (photo courtesy: wikipedia)

Plant your daffodils properly in order to get best results and many years of glorious blooms. Keep in mind that if you are planting your daffodils in an area with thick sod, you need to give each bulb a custom cultivated hole. You can just lift out soil from the area to make sure the hole is big enough for the daffodil bulbs. Mix the soil from the hole with some peat moss and a little low nitrogen fertilizer. Refill the hole just below the planting depth with this mix. You can also add a handful of sand to the hole and then the bulb. Adding the sand is essential as you don’t want the bulb to be in direct contact with the fertilizer. The next step is to fill the hole with more sand and then replace the sod.

That is all you need to do to plant your daffodils and have an array of gorgeous flowers in the spring and for many years to come. Be sure to buy your daffodil bulbs from a reputable company like Breck’s for best quality. There are many varieties of daffodils and different colors so be sure to select the colors you want in your flower garden or the area where you will plant them. Keep in mind that you don’t have to plant daffodils in an area with sod. You can also plant them is a small flower garden or even containers. Daffodils are very hardy and will grow in any area you choose. And you will have beautiful flowers for many years. (photo courtesy: wikipedia)

Here are some other flower gardening sites that I found for you to browse. Thanks for visiting Best Flower Gardening!

Cigar Flower - Gardening in a Minute
Why gardening is good for your health - CNN.com
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Winter Flower Gardening

Flower Gardening, Gardening, Winter Gardening 1 Response »

Nov 142010

Now that most of the main chores are done in your flower garden and winter months are rapidly approaching, it is time to add some color to your garden. There is no reason for your garden to look empty and dull when there are many varieties of winter loving plants that you can add to your garden. By now you should have planted some chrysanthemums which are considered a fall flowering plant for your flower garden. But it doesn’t have stop there as you can also start adding some winter flowering plants to your garden.

Camellias come to mind as a favorite winter flowering plant that you can add to your garden. One preferred winter blooming camellia is called japonica and as the name infers, it is native to Japan but widely seen in Korea and China as well. It is also the official state flower of Alabama and also called the rose of winter. Although many hybrids have been developed from the camellia japonica, one of the most beautiful of all camellias is the Alba Plena. The flowers are pure white and extend 3 to 4 inches across. It blooms early winter and can continue blooming into spring. (photo courtesy: wikipedia)

You can also plant American winterberry (Ilex verticillata) and it will add gorgeous color to your garden with its bright red fruit that only ripe in the winter. The American winterberry is a species of holly that is native to eastern North America in the US and southeast of Canada and south to Alabama. During the summer months, the winterberry plant has large green leaves and it blooms with flowers bearing up to eight petals each. When the cool weather approaches, the winterberry will begin to loose its foliage and the plant will display a splash of bright red berries. Those bare branches covered with red berries will add much needed color to your flower garden.

If you don’t want to plant flowers in your garden during the cold weather, plant some in containers inside the house and place them in your window sill. The paperwhite narcissus is a gorgeous plant that is easy to plant in containers and it blooms during the winter. The white flowers come up in bunches and are very fragrant. It is best grown as a house plant and you can force it to bloom around mid December. Unlike other narcissus, paperwhite does not require chilling to promote blooms. The bulbs begin to grow as soon as you plant them and flowers appear in about 3 to 4 weeks. Remember to buy your bulbs from a reputable company like Breck’s for the best quality. Just follow the instructions that are included with your purchase and you will have beautiful flowers properly displayed on your window sill during the winter months. (photo courtesy: wikipedia)

Here are some other flower gardening sites that I found for you to browse. Thanks for visiting Best Flower Gardening!

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Technorati Tags: camellias, Chrysanthemums, flower garden, Gardening, Narcissus, winterberry holly

A winter jewel for your Flower Garden – Camellias

Flower Gardening, Gardening No Responses »

Nov 122010

If you are feeling the pain of seeing your flower garden looking dull for the winter months, get some camellias and you will have flowers in your garden. Camellias are a delightful winter flowering plant that can add beauty and color to your garden and are easy to grow. And camellias are known to attract hummingbirds to your flower garden. There are many varieties of camellias so do some research before you buy them. Some varieties are short and can be used as groundcover while others can be classified as trees that can grow up to 15 feet tall. (photo courtesy: wikipedia)

For some types of camellias, the blooms begin early winter and continue until spring. Some bloom from early fall into Christmas so be sure to check your gardening zone as it will tell you whether or not camellias will thrive in your area during the harsh days on winter. One thing is for sure, camellias will add much needed color to your flower garden during the winter and well into the spring season. Use them as hedges or in mixed borders where they can provide fall and winter color to your flower garden. It is recommended that you give camellias a heavy coating of mulch and some acidic soil for the plant to stay healthy.

Camellias are classified as evergreen shrubs or even small trees but there are some that grow short and you can plant them as groundcover or mixed them with other perennials in your flower garden. You can also plant camellias in containers or planters and they look spectacular when they bloom. This is such a beautiful plant bearing thick, glossy like leaves and flowers that come in red, yellow, pink and white. Camellias also bear seeds that are sometimes called the fruit of camellia plants. Follow the instructions that are provided when you buy camellias but as a general rule they don’t tolerate drought conditions so give them lots of water. (photo courtesy: wikipedia)

The leaves of a specific type of camellia are used for tea in China and Japan. The seed or sometimes called the fruit is used to make cooking oil which is widely used for millions of people especially in southern China. Other types of camellias are basically grown as ornamental plants in flower gardens to add beauty and color during the winter season which is the time when most flower gardens need it the most. Again, check the gardening zone for your area as most of the camellias I’ve seen thrive in zones 7-10. The good news is that cultivars are coming up with many new varieties that will tolerate greater cold hardiness.

Here are some other flower gardening sites that I found for you to browse. Thanks for visiting Best Flower Gardening!

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How to Learn the Top Flower Gardening Tips - Video Details

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