Best Flower Gardening » Soil

It is not too early to Start your Fall Garden

Diana — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 03:52:28 +0000

The fall season is approaching fast and this may be a good time to start thinking about your fall gardening. There are lots of things that you can do now that will save you time later in the season. For example, you can start replacing those summer annual plants in window boxes and containers with some fall plants.

If you do get rid of the annual plants, don’t throw away the soil. That soil is still good so just toss it in a flower bed, border or even perennial plants. For your fall plants, be sure to use fresh soil and do follow the instructions given when you purchase your plants. If you want to still keep your annuals for a while, you can get an additional container and fill it up with fall plants. This way, you will have beautiful fall flowers while the annuals are slowly dying out.

Another idea is to keep the container with annuals and as they die out, replace them with fall plants in the same container so that by the time your annuals are all gone, you will have constant color around your garden. Or, if you want to leave things as they are, start a new container with fall plants and keep it in a separate location until you are ready to place it in your desired location.

No idea what you want to do about your fall plants? Start by thinking about the colors and styles you want. Go to your local nursery or any garden center and start looking at the various choices they offer. Do speak with a salesperson and discuss where you want to place the fall plants, the colors that you have in mind, and ask for more suggestions.

Months go by quickly so don’t delay and get going with your fall gardening ideas. Whatever you decide, the time to start is now so that by the time to cooler weather gets here, you will have beautiful fall color around your garden.

To your lovely fall garden,
Diana

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Do you know your Plants Needs?

Diana — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:01:47 +0000

Not all plants are made equal and they have specific needs. Learn about your plants before putting them on the ground. Some plants may refuse to thrive because of too much shade. If this is the case, you can transplant them to a sunny location. Some plants may require rich soil that has nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The solution to this is to give your plants nutrient rich soil.

Although most plants are pruned at the end of each season, some plants require pruning regularly. You can determine if this is the case with your plants by carefully reading the instructions given when you purchased the plant. Because I have lots of plants and it is difficult to keep track of them all, I have a simple chart with details for each. This makes it easy for me to remember which plants have specific needs and when.

Plants such as roses that bloom profusely and for long periods of time need to be fed at least every three weeks. You can also use compost and mix it with the soil to ensure good drainage because roses like moist soil, but don’t like to sit on water. Also, do remember to deadhead your roses or other blooming plants to encourage more blooming.

If you notice that some of your plants start to wilt, it is a sure sign that you need to water them regularly. This is especially true if you have sandy soil and you live in an area prone to excessive heat and drought. Very hot and dry weather will create difficult living conditions for your plants.

You can water your garden by hand or you can set up soaker hoses or even a drip irrigation system. Do try to avoid watering your garden during the hottest part of the day whatever that time frame is for you. In my case here in the south, that will be between 10 am and about 4 pm. And remember, that plants should be kept moist but not wet so don’t over water them.

Enjoy your healthy garden,
Diana

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Keep your Garden in top shape during the Summer Season

Diana — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 04:30:32 +0000

Oh yes, we all love the hot sunny days of summer! But, as much as we enjoy our summer days, our gardens must not be neglected. The scorching days of summer can damage your plants and flowers if we are not careful.

We all tend to look at summer as a time of fun and vacation time. While this is great for us, it is bad news for our gardens. Yes, we should enjoy our vacations with family and friends, but it is our responsibility to make sure that our flower gardens are taken care of as well.

The key to a healthy flower garden that will tolerate the hot days of summer is nutrient rich soil. When the soil is good, your plants will thrive in any climate. During the summer, apply some fertilizer at least every six weeks until late summer. And, be sure to water your garden regularly.

In very hot climates with intense heat and sun, be sure to have a thick covering of mulch in your garden as this will protect your plants from some of the heat, it will retain moisture and control weeds. This is a good thing to do if you are going on vacation. One thing I make sure of before I go away, is that my garden is fully watered and moist.

Enjoy your gardening and vacations,
Diana

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Beware of Plant Diseases in your Garden

Diana — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 04:56:54 +0000

Gardening is very relaxing and a wonderful hobby for lots of people. But along with this relaxation and great hobby of ours comes the realization that our flower gardens will become diseased. It is a fact. Your garden plants will get some type of disease. The thing to remember is that you need to take care of the situation right away in order to protect the rest of the garden from contamination.

While garden diseases are not entirely avoidable, one way to ensure that your garden is healthy is the have good soil for your plants to thrive on.

Most garden diseases are caused by fungi which will make your plants look sick or have a powdery mildew or black spots on the leaves and they start to wilt. You will also notice that the flowers are not as healthy as they suppose to look and this is a sure sign that the plant is diseased.

What I have noticed is that although plants can get diseased at any time, it is more visible in late summer. However, it doesn’t matter when you notice that there is something wrong with your plants, you just have to take care of the situation immediately.

Some gardeners believe that most garden diseases occur during the rainy season. I do agree with this and also the fact that since most plants do prefer sun, extended cloudy conditions can accelerate plant diseases.

It has been said that diseases and fungus can be transmitted from one plant to another in a short period of time. For this reason, if you see a particular plant that looks very sick, just remove it from your garden.

While there are many products available to treat plant diseases, a friend of mine has suggested something called Serenade to treat all plants. Serenade is supposed to protect the most common fungal and bacterial garden diseases and it is non-toxic. I personally like Fungicide to treat most plant diseases and it works very well.

I also like a product called Bayer 3-1 because it protects most plant diseases and fertilizes as well. Whatever product you decide on, just be sure to follow the instructions given when you purchase it.

Just remember that sooner or later disease will enter your garden and possibly infect other plants. If and when this happens, don’t panic. Cut a couple of leaves from one the plants, go to you local nursery, explain the problem to the person in charge, show them the leaves, and ask them to recommend a product that will take care of the problem.

To your healthy garden,
Diana

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Too Much Water can Kill your Plants!

Diana — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 02:35:39 +0000

While it is good practice to water our flower gardens regularly, be aware that too much water is not good for the plants and can actually kill them. Here in Florida where I live, we go from having long periods of drought to a rainy season where it will rain for several hours just about every day. We are having that rainy season right now and I am constantly checking my garden for puddles of water.

The important element in well drained soil is oxygen which allows plants to grow when the roots are not constantly in water and it will not allow water to settle on it. Soil that does not drain well is usually oxygen deficient which results in drowned and rotted roots. Once the water is gone, oxygen flows into the roots of the plants and they will be fine.

Test your garden for drainage by digging holes in various locations during the rainy season. If you see water in the hole the next day, you have slow drainage. If this is the case, get some compost and mix it in with the soil that is there now. Compost is the best to rectify this situation.

It is also good practice to use mulch in areas prone to intense heat in order to keep the roots cool and reduce the amount of evaporation that takes place in the surface of the soil. If you do use mulch, be sure to always test the soil under the mulch for good drainage.

Good drainage in your garden is the key to having beautiful, healthy plants and flowers. This is especially true if you have a rose garden like I do. Roses like moist soil but they don’t like to be in puddles of water. So be sure to test your garden soil for good drainage during the rainy season. Your garden will love you for it, and you will love your garden!

To your well-drained garden, Diana

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Add Beauty and Color to Bare Garden Spots with Ground Cover Plants

Diana — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:12:53 +0000

Now that the hot days of summer are here, we tend to see some bare spots in our gardens. This is especially true in the Southern regions where the heat is very intense and drought conditions occur. To cover those bare spots in your flower garden, just buy some ground cover plants to and plant them.

Ground cover plants are basically low maintenance plants that spread out to cover any area where you plant them. They can protect bare soil from erosion, can be planted to cover up slopes and banks, or just have a beautiful carpet on the ground with bright colors. There are many varieties to choose from, most of them grow less than 24 inches tall, and thrive in just about any type of soil.

What I normally do is to try and match the color scheme that is already in my garden. For example, I have red Roses in the front of my house and red and white Pentas all around the edge. To cover a few bare spots that I have, I bought white ground cover plants. It looks great because the white breaks the red color nicely and I am basically not changing the colors I already have.

If you have some bare spots in your garden, just visit your local nursery and get some ground cover plants. Or, if you prefer to buy online, Proceed to this site. It is a good source to buy from. Here are some of the ground cover plants that I am familiar with:

Bee Balm Coral Reef – Botanical name is Monarda Didyma

If you like butterflies around your garden, then this ground cover is for you. Coral Reef has a rich minty scent that attracts butterflies. A native of North America, this plant thrives even on wet soil and has been seen along side of creeks and ditches in some areas.
Coral Reef requires no special attention and will spread quickly. You can thin the plants out every year and start another bed elsewhere in your garden.

Coral Reef hot pink blooms begin early summer and continue until the fall. Plant them in full sun and keep it in moist soil and you will have beautiful flowers all summer long. Coral Reef grows to 36 inches tall and up to 48 inches wide, and thrives in zones 4-9.

Bergenia Redstart – Botanical name is Bergenia Cordifolia Redstart

This one is an evergreen ground cover that you can use in just about any location for year-round beauty in your garden. Although it is a low growing plant, it is very vigorous and forms mounds of leathery, dark green foliage. The leafs are heart shaped and in the spring, gorgeous 18+24 inch bloom stalks appear which are covered with bright red flowers. Bergenia Redstart is only 6 inches tall, loves full sun, and grows well in zones 3-8.

Blue Fescue Boulder Blue – Botanical name is Festuca Glauca Boulder Blue

A must have for every gardener as this ground cover tolerates poor, dry soil. If you have some hard to plant areas in your garden, then consider planting Boulder Blue as this plant will grow anywhere and tolerates just about any drought conditions, extreme heat and poor soil. Boulder Blue has silvery blue foliage that will continue year-round held in a cascading mount for an awesome look. It grows to 8 inches high and 10 inches wide, it is maintenance free, loves the sun, and thrives in zones 4-8.

As I mentioned before, there are many varieties of ground cover and listed above are just a few of the ones that I am familiar with. When you purchase them, be sure to follow the instructions given for each plant and you will have beautiful color in your garden and all your bare spots will be covered.

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Crepe Myrtle – the Southern Belle

Diana — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 05:40:31 +0000

Known as shrubs and trees that thrive in the Southern climates, Crepe Myrtle is absolutely beautiful and literally maintenance free. This very popular tree is native to Asia and was introduced to America in 1747. Its common American name can be spelled as crape myrtle or crepe myrtle and it is believed that it was named this way because the ruffled petals do resemble crepe paper. The wide assortment of various colors, coupled with a long flowering period have made the Crepe Myrtle an extremely sought out and must have in most Southern landscapes.

Because of its beauty, Crepe Myrtle breeding programs have been established in the US and Europe generating a wide range of plant sizes, various growth habits, different color flowers and fall foliage colors. As a result, there are approximately eighty different species in the botanical name of Lagerstroemia.

Crepe Myrtle can be described as a multi trunk medium to large shrub or tree. The trunks or stems are smooth, fluted like, pale brown with sort of like peeling bark. The leaves are green and oblong shaped and depending on the climate, the color of the leaves can turn to various hues. The flowers are ruffled and you can get red, white, lavender, and pink colors. The petals have broad fringed blades with their lower portions narrowed into long, slender claws.

There are several botanical names for Crepe Myrtle that go back in history but the Lagerstroemia is very popular and native to Asia, although popular also in India, China, Bangladesh, Nepal, Burma, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Japan, Philippines and Australia. One of the first species was Lagerstroemia Indica which was described by Charles Linnaeus in 1759 and he used the name Lagerstroemia in honor of his friend Magnus von Lagertroem who was an avid naturalist and director of the Swedish East Indies company.

Crepe Myrtle requires very little care but according to most gardeners, you should never prune them where you actually dehorn the plant. Cutting them too low actually stops the plant from flowering effectively. You can go ahead and remove dead flowers from the shrub or tree and this will enhance the flowering performance of the Crepe Myrtle. Just be careful and don’t go too low with your cutting.

The most common types of Crepe Myrtle that you can get at any local nursery are dark pink flower Miami and Tuscarora, red flower Tonto, lavender flower Muscogee, white flower Acoma and Natchez, pale pink flower Biloxi and bright pink flower Sioux. You can plant these in any type of soil but must be a sunny location and be sure to use some compost at planting time to hold the soil together for rapid growth.

Crepe Myrtle produce crepe like flowers all summer long and in the warmer climates it can go on blooming long after the fall season. Somehow, when I think about Crepe Myrtle, I envision warm summer days. And As I mentioned before, the flowers are beautiful and so is the tree or shrub in itself. It is just a very attractive plant that will add awesome beauty to any flower garden or landscape.

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Nutrient Rich Soil is Key to your Gardening Success

Diana — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 04:50:35 +0000

Did you know that soil is considered to be alive and should be treated as a living substance? And, it is the most important component if you want to have a beautiful flower garden. Check the soil in your garden and if it is crusty, it feels hard and you see standing water or erosion, then you have poor soil.

The soil in your garden consists of particles which are mainly minerals that come from the breakdown of rocks and other substances with some organic matter. Since soil is the basic element in the cultivation of all plants, it is very important that the soil in your garden is nutrient rich to promote growth. Of course, other growth factors such as sun, light, moisture and weather conditions are important as well.

Many gardeners believe that the ideal soil should be loose, deep, well drained, has lots of organic matter and is free from diseases and weeds. Good soil must have three main ingredients which are Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium in order to become that ‘ideal’ type of soil. So if you have soil that is deficient in these nutrients, you can mix it with colloidal rock phosphate and green-sand to improve its quality.

Another thing to remember is that clay based soils dry much slower after a rainy day than other types of soil. However, sandy based soils dry out quickly. If you have clay or sandy based soils, you can improve it by adding organic matter such as Peatmoss, Manure, Compost, or even sawdust and bark. Increasing the organic matter of these types of soils makes it easier for you to garden and you will see improved internal drainage.

I prefer Compost for clay and sandy spots in my garden because it binds them together and retain moisture. I also like to add Compost to my potting soil prior to planting anything. Composted manure that you see at your local nurseries is good and you can spread a layer on top of your garden soil prior to tilling thus getting some much needed organic matter in the ground. Whatever you do, don’t try to make your own Compost at home. If you are not an expert at this sort of thing, you can bring unwanted diseases, bugs and weeds to your garden. Leave the work to someone else and just go and buy it at your local nursery.

It is important to mention here that adding fertilizers to your garden does not improve the quality of the soil. Fertilizers are considered chemicals that are applied as a nutrient for the plants and it is not to be confused with organic matter for your garden soil although fertilizers are essential for producing beautiful flowers in your garden. Be sure to follow the instructions given with the purchase of any type of fertilizer and don’t use more than the recommended dosage as it may burn or even kill some of your plants.

Getting back to the soil, if you notice that your plants are short, not growing as they should, show poor color and have bad roots, than you need to check the quality of your garden soil. If you want to have a beautiful flower garden the first step is to make sure you have good quality soil. It doesn’t matter whether you are planting perennials, trees or even a vegetable garden, the quality of the soil will determine how well these will grow.

If you want a great looking garden, then you must have nutrient rich soil in order for your plants to thrive on. Use top quality soil, not some old one that has been around your garage for a long time. Remember that different plants have specific soil needs and the best thing to do is to follow the instructions that come with the plants when you purchase them. And, adding Compost or other organic matter to your soil will make your garden flourish.

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