Sep 142008
 

Autumn is a beautiful time of the year when trees begin to change colors in shades of yellow, orange and red. It is also a time when most gardens look dull and gray as most of the colorful annuals plants are gone. But it does not have to be this way.

Did you know that you can have a thriving flower garden in the autumn? Yes, you can! There are lots of autumn blooming bulbs that you can plant now and these will bloom next fall. Plant them this year and as other flowers begin to disappear in your garden, next year beautiful blooms will appear in the fall season.

Start visiting your local nursery or shop online for autumn blooming bulbs and get busy in your garden. Next year, you will be glad you planted your bulbs when you see the flowers come up. To help you get started, here is a short list of some autumn blooming bulbs that you can plant now.

Autumn Crocus ‘The Giant’ – Botanical name is Colchicum Speciosum ‘The Giant’

Rose color flowers streaked with white will appear from this bulb. See the picture below. This is a very easy plant to grow. Just set the bulbs in well drained, moist soil in a sunny area of your garden. The Giant is pest resistant and grows well in zones 5-8. It blooms from early fall to mid fall.

Colchicum Cilicicum – Botanical name is the same

A native of Turkey, if you like Colchicums this is one of the most reliable to plant in your garden. It blooms freely with about 15 flowers per bulb. The flowers are about 2 inches and the shade is a dark rosy-purple. When the flowers die, large 1 foot strap-shaped leaves will appear. Colchicum likes full sun, well drained soil, and grows well in zones 4-9. Blooms early fall to mid fall.

Autumn Crocus ‘Waterlily’ – Botanical name is Colchicum Waterlily

Somehow, the blossoms of this colchicum resemble floating waterlilies. Large, 4 to 5 inch lavender-pink double flowers appear on leafless stems in mid-autumn. It is easy to grow, just plant the bulb in well drained soil. Colchicum likes full sun, it is pest resistant and grows well in zones 5-8. Blooms early fall to mid fall.

Hardy Cyclamen Neapolitanun – Botanical name is Cyclamen Neapolitanum

Wow! This Cyclamen is hardy to -20 degrees Fahrenheit. It offers masses of lilac flowers with rich dark ‘eyes’. The petals curve upward above variegated, heart-shaped foliage. You can plant this bulb under trees, shrubs or pots as it likes the shade. Blooms early fall to mid fall and grows well in zones 5-9.

To your gardening success,
Diana


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

How To Get Your Flower Cutting Garden Up and Running
Flower Gardening - YouTube
Washingtonpost.com: Live Online
Flower Gardening - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Flower gardening is inn! ficwnr
Fall Flower Gardening - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com


Technorati Tags: , , ,

Mar 132008
 

Spring is around the corner and it is time to start thinking about your flower garden. This is my favorite time of the year as I see my flower garden come back to life and watch as the birds that migrated for the winter season return. It is also the time for most gardeners to begin to gather their tools in happy anticipation of their spring flower gardening. (photo courtesy: theepochtimes.com)

Although most gardeners do enjoy the spring gardening season, just remember that it does require work in order for you to have a beautiful flower garden later in the season. To help you tackle those tasks, here are some tips to make your spring gardening a little easier.

If you planted flowers last fall such as bulbs, you should be delighted to see those come back in full bloom this spring. But, along with those beautiful flowers you will also have weeds. So, weed your flower garden first. Remove dead plant materials from your garden including old winter mulch. (photo courtesy: hickerphoto.com)

Get your flower garden soil ready once the snow melts (if you live in colder areas) and days start to warm up. Till the soil and keep it moist but not soaking wet. Add compost and peat moss to the soil and let it sit for a day or so before planting anything else in your garden.

Spring is the time to add new plants to your flower garden, so if need be, decide on what additional flowers you want. You can choose from annuals, roses and perennials and the varieties of these are endless. Visit your local nursery to get ideas on the various plants and don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions.

So, enjoy this beautiful spring season as you begin your flower gardening. Remember that you do have many options when it comes to spring gardening and maybe this is the reason why to many gardeners, spring is their favorite time of the year, including yours truly.

Happy spring gardening, Diana


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

Annual Flower Growing - CBS News Video
SiteSeer Online gardening guides Playing in digital dirt - CNN
BloomIQ.com Expands to Include New Features for Gardeners
Let a Billion Wildflowers Bloom : People.com
Page 2: Great Potted Flower Arrangements - ABC News
Queen Elizabeth of England Seeking Royal Gardener - ABC News


Technorati Tags: , , , ,

The owner of this website, Diana, is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking Best Flower Gardening to Amazon properties including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com.