Did you know that you can plant bulbs to flower throughout the whole year? Yes you can! Planning ahead of time how you want your garden to look will allow you to plant bulbs based on their blooming time. This should be your first consideration when planning your bulb garden. Just give it some thought as to when you would like to see the most flowers during the year and buy bulbs accordingly.

Daffodils, hyacinths, snowdrops and crocus are spring flowering bulbs that are considered hardy and do need cold periods during the winter months to start their growing cycle. These types of bulbs can be planted now and as late as the first frost appears in the area where you live. Don’t wait until snow is in the ground to plant them, do it now and the bulbs should be fine. You should see these bulbs flowering in February when usually snowdrops appear first in your garden. As a general rule of thumb, spring flowering bulbs grow best in zones 4-8.

Anemones, begonias and dahlias are considered summer flowering bulbs and somewhat fall in the tender category, but lilies are hardy. These types of bulbs can be planted in late spring when the weather is milder and there is no chance of snow or frost. They normally bloom in a couple of months and will thrive in most climates but they are not winter hardy at all. If you live in a cold climate, lift your summer bulbs in the fall and store them so you can re-plant them the following year.

The best advise I can give you is the spend some time planning your bulb garden carefully before you buy them. Take a good look at your landscape and do a simple sketch outlining where you want your bulbs planted depending on how you want your garden to look and what color scheme you want. Remember that spring flowering bulbs will be the first to die in early summer so be sure to keep a record of where these are planted just in case you want to add other plants to your garden. Here is a partial list of various bulbs and blooming times to help you in the planning process.

These bulbs bloom very early in the spring:

Snowdrops

Early Daffodils

Snow Crocus

Dwarf Irises

 

These bulbs bloom early spring:

Hyacinths

Tulips (some varieties of early tulips)

Crocus (a variety called giant crocus)

Trumpet Daffodils

 

These bulbs bloom mid-spring:

Blue grape Hyacinths

Daffodils

Tulips

 

These bulbs bloom late spring:

Tulips (some varieties of late season tulips)

Bluebells

 

These bulbs bloom early summer:

Anemone

Dutch Iris

Asiatic Lily

Gladiolus

Alliums

Madonna Lilies

 

These bulbs bloom mid-summer:

Begonias

Iris

Cana Lilies

Gladiolus

Lilies

Dahlias

 

These bulbs bloom late summer:

Dahlia

Begonias

Cana Lilies

 

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

Lead-Safe Cambridge Safer Soil Program - Cambridge Massachusetts
Pansy - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
Flower Gardening: Planning Your Space | MSU Alumni Association
Tatton Park Flower Show - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
2011 Rollouts Hit the Garden - WSJ.com
Washingtonpost.com: Live Online

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It is that time of the year when you need to plant your spring flowering bulbs now in order to have flowers in the spring. Now, you also need to be aware that not all bulbs are made equal. Before ordering or buying bulbs, you need to do some planning in order to figure out how you want your garden to look in the spring. The idea here is to plant bulbs that flower at different times to ensure that you have color at all times.

Keep in mind that although bulbs are considered to be perennials, they also must have a period of dormancy where they die back at the end of each growing season. The end of growing season for spring flowering bulbs is late spring or early summer. The bulbs will go into the dormancy stage but will start to grow again in the fall and flower the following growing season. This is why planting bulbs is a great investment for money spent because you will have gorgeous flowers and color for years to come. Watch this short video courtesy of youtube:

Another thing to remember is that bulbs of all varieties do come in various shapes and heights and a well planned garden area will allow you to have an array of colorful flowers for months. Fall is the time to plant hardy bulbs for spring flowering and most can be planted until the ground starts to freeze. My advice here is to not wait until the real cold weather hits your area to plant the bulbs. Do it now and get over with! As long as you follow the instructions that are included when you receive your order of bulbs, you should be okay.

When planning your bulb garden area, be sure that it is a sunny location and there is no grass or ground cover in the area. The beauty of a bulb flower bed is to plant lots of bulbs. It is not advisable to plant just one straight row of bulbs as this will look sparse and will not give your garden the definition it deserves. So what you want to do is plant lots of them and be sure to not follow a linear design. If you are dealing with a small area, plant them in clumps of five or more. This will give you an attractive garden especially when planting tulips, daffodils or hyacinths.

Stay tuned for my next article where we will talk about the various types of bulbs that flower at different times so you can have color in your garden at all times.

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

H&G at the Chelsea Flower Show: Trailfinders Australian Garden on ...
Flower Gardening and The Spring Season
Right Plants for Flower Gardening
Flower Gardening - YouTube
At The Chelsea Flower Show Pictures - CBS News
Lead-Safe Cambridge Safer Soil Program - Cambridge Massachusetts

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September means that summer is almost over and some gardener’s think that it is also the end of flower gardening. That is not true! Your garden should still have plenty of annuals that are still flowering and still look healthy. Don’t neglect your garden just yet and give it plenty of water and fertile soil. Remember that if you live in an area prone to dry weather, your plants needs to be watered more frequently.

Instead of thinking that your garden has had it, start thinking fall flowers. This is the time of year that you can find gorgeous chrysanthemums in an array of beautiful colors. Replace any dead annuals with chrysanthemums which are available in most nurseries and garden stores. Try and find some perennials and plant them in between your annuals. Remember, perennials are hardy and do come back every year.

You can also plant bulbs instead of perennial plants in your garden. Most places that sell bulbs do encourage gardeners to get their spring flowering bulbs now. So maybe you are thinking spring flowers and if so, go ahead and get those bulbs planted. If you do get some bulbs, make sure you plant them at the correct depth. Read the instructions that are included with the bulbs and follow them carefully for best results.

If you still have plenty of flowers in you garden, prune them a bit to encourage more blossoms. By simply snipping the flower head after it is wilted, it will make the plant produce more flowers. A word of caution here, collect all flower heads and get rid of them. The reason for this is that you don’t want mildew or other plant diseases to infect your thriving plants.

If you are a rose lover like me and have some in your garden, you should still have roses that look healthy. Roses are very hardy and can go on blooming through the fall season with no problem. Cut off any wilted or dead roses from the plants, add some nutrient rich soil to each rose bush, water them regularly and you should keep them looking beautiful for months to come.

So don’t neglect your flower garden just yet. The possibilities are endless when it comes to having gorgeous flowers through the fall season. And most important, enjoy every bit of it!

 

 

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

Garden flower encyclopedia topics | Reference.com
At The Chelsea Flower Show Pictures - CBS News
NCDOT Wildflower Program
I am looking for some PA gardening websites and blogs? - Yahoo ...
Should I wait for flower gardening or can I start now? - Yahoo ...
Explore Cornell - Home Gardening - Flower Garden Design Basics

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For some reason, humans are drawn to gardening and I am not sure why that is. The only thing I can figure out is that gardens have always been very popular and do become a part of people’s lifestyles. Here is food for thought! Going back in history, most religions do feature a garden as the settings for big events. And according to Christianity, humanity began in a garden and the son of God was resurrected in a garden. Awesome! Also, the Buddhist build gardens to allow nature to permeate their surroundings. Come to think of it, just about every major palace and government buildings have gardens. Why are gardens so special and sought after?

Do people plant flower gardens just for the sake of having an area that looks nice? What are the benefits of having a bunch of flowers in your yard? Well, I have a couple of theories on this subject. For me, the love of gardens means a deep love for nature and a way for much needed relaxation. It is a way for me to get closer to nature, to express who I am and a place where I can create and dream big.

It is a place where I feel pride in knowing that humans and nature can create beautiful things. It is a place where my dreams can grow as big as flowers leaving behind all the hustle and bustle that life places on us. Flower gardens to me are small outlets of nature and it allows me to regress to an earlier stage of humanity where I am happy and comfortable. This is why gardens are so relaxing and give us a calming feeling!

Gardening is not only good for the soul but also a healthy habit that gives us lots of physical exercise. It is also good for the environment we live in as we try to give nature back some of its beauty by planting flowers, shrubs and trees. So no matter what the underlying psychological reason is for creating gardens, it is a hobby that is good for all of us. Although I am not a psychologist, I often wonder why I love to go outside and play with dirt. And the thought that comes to mind is that I am helping nature to reclaim its beauty by planting flowers that normally grow naturally on their own.

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

ALL THAT GLISTENS IS GLASS - USATODAY.com
Flower gardening tips on Squidoo
Flower Gardening--Gardening Tools
Cut flower gardening on Squidoo
Gardening - Free Tips on Flower Gardening
BBC - Chelsea Flower Show 2011 - Irish Sky Garden - Diarmuid Gavin

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