It is the fall season and some gardens are looking somewhat bare now that all the colorful annuals are basically gone. It doesn’t have to be this way if you planted some late blooming flowers in the summer. Yes, the fall is a good time to do lots of chores like pruning roses and trimming your perennials. But your flower garden can still look beautiful for months to come. There are lots of flowers that bloom late summer to fall that you can plant in the summer and enjoy them through the fall season.

For starters, do some research on late blooming flowers and chances are that you will find many varieties. If you like lots of color in your flower garden, choose plants like Zephyranthes Robustus (also known as grandiflora) with gorgeous clear pink flowers. They bloom late summer through fall bearing pink flowers that resemble a lily. The growth is just about ten inches tall and these can be planted on rock gardens or you can mix them with your ground cover plants. The leaves are deep glossy green and the flowers grow straight up giving your flower garden a stunning look. Zephyranthes Robustus likes full sun and medium wet soil. (photo courtesy: wikipedia.com)

Another late blooming flower for you flower garden is Salvia Uliginosa which is considered a herbaceous perennial. Be careful where you plant this one as it can grow up to six feet tall. You can plant this one as a background flower in your garden. This is a pretty plant with lots of thin stems and yellow-green leaves with serrated edges. The flowers are bright blue with a white line in the throat that points toward the nectar and the pollen. Salvia Uliginosa starts blooming in the summer and bears lots of flowers well into the fall.

And of course, let’s not forget about the old time favorite Chrysanthemums that are known as true fall flowers. The gorgeous mum like flowers will add beauty and color to your flower garden. Although Chrysanthemums are sometimes called the golden flower, they come in white, pink and red also. You can plant them in your flower garden or in large containers that you can place in a patio or any other place that you want to brighten up. Chrysanthemums are herbaceous perennial plants with deeply lobed leaves and large flower heads and are easy to grow. Mix all the colors in one container for a stunning look in your flower garden. (photo courtesy: wikipedia.com)

While it is actually too late to plant those summer flowers that bloom into the fall, you can still have a colorful flower garden by just getting Chrysanthemums in different colors. There are other blooming flowers that can add beauty to your garden in the fall and Chrysanthemums is just one of them that will last for months to come. And your garden does not have to look dead in the fall.

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: Chrysanthemums, container plants, fall colors, fall container flowers, fall flowers, Fall Season, flower garden, Gardening, mums

I just love African Violets and growing up my mother always had them all over the house. Saintpaulia, commonly known as African Violets are in the Gesneriaceae family and it is native to Tanzania and southeastern Kenya in Africa. The history behind this beautiful flower is fascinating.

The African Violet genus is named after Baron Walter von Saint Paul-Illaire dating back to 1860 who was a district commissioner of the Tanga province and discovered the plant in Tanganyika now called Tanzania in Africa in 1892. It is said that the Baron then sent seeds of the plant to his father who was an amateur botanist in Germany.

In 1884 and 1887, Sir John Kirk and Reverend W.E. Taylor who were British plant enthusiasts, had collected and submitted specimens to Royal Botanic Gardens Kew but the quality of the specimens was not good enough to permit scientific description of the plant at that time. The genus Saintpaulia was scientifically described by J.C. Wendland in 1893.

African Violets are cultivated as house plants and usually kept in the house. I remember mother buying very pretty pots for her African Violets and placing them in window sills all over the house.  These come in different colors such as white, pink, violet and hard to find dark red and yellow. The flowers can be either single with five petals or double which has more than five petals. (photo courtesy of Park Seed Co.)

 

African Violets prefer temperatures between 65-75 Fahrenheit and thrive best if planted in well drained rich soil. Compost is also good as it promotes good drainage. You can plant them in hanging baskets, containers or flower pots but it is best to keep them in the house in colder regions.

 

Although you can start African Violets from seeds, my recommendation is to get already established plants at your local nursery. These are easy to care for and all you need to do is keep them moist and give them indirect sun light. Be careful not to over water African Violets as they do not like to be swimming in water and excess water may damage the roots.

 

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!

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Technorati Tags: African Violets, compost, container plants, flower pots, Flowering Plants, growing african violets, hanging baskets, House Plants, indoor plants, rich soil

Get beautiful color during the winter months by planting Cyclamen. It is native to the Mediterranean region from Spain to east of Iran, and also in northeast Africa. Although Cyclamen has been confused with Persian violet or primrose, it is actually in the myrsinaceae family and has nothing to do with primroses or violets.

Cyclamen are herbaceous plants with a surface or underground tuber which produces leaves and blooms during the winter months and continues to bloom until April each year. They can be propagated from seeds but usually takes between 9-18 months to reach the flowering stage. For this reason, it is best to buy the plants at a local nursery which are already established.

These garden beauties rarely do well in warm weather and they do have a dormant period during the summer months. One key feature of Cyclamen is its unusual variety of leaves and markings which range from round to oval, arrowhead shape, and ivy-leaved ones. Cyclamen is a tuberous potted plant that loves the cool weather and indirect sun light. They thrive in temperatures ranging from 55 to 65 degrees.

This gorgeous plant will give you lots of much needed color during the winter months and will continuously bloom all season long. The leaves are deep green heart-shaped with silvery marbled patterns. Cyclamen will do well if planted in the garden where winters are mild, but my advice is to plant them in containers and place them in the patio. They also do well in balconies, window boxes and large flower pots.

Caring for Cyclamen is easy as these require very little care. Just make sure that the soil if kept moist but be careful not to over water them and that they have indirect sun light. With proper light, adequate moist soil and cool temperatures, you will have beautiful color in your garden all winter long. If your garden lacks color during the long winter months, go ahead and get some Cyclamen plants and place them in your garden. To get you started, here are some Cyclamen that I am familiar with.

Hardy Cyclamen Lily Pad White – Botanical name is Cyclamen coum Lily Pad White

This hardy Cyclamen blooms continuously from December to April with gorgeous white blooms above silvery green foliage. The blooms seem to arch above the wide rounded heart shaped foliage which looks like little frogs jumping from one lily pad to the next. The leaves usually arise in autumn and are olive green shade with silver overtones. These will tolerate frost and other inclement winter conditions and around December, white blooms will appear which will continue for up to 5 months. Lily Pad White likes the shade and thrives in zones 5-9.

Hardy Cyclamen Neapolitanum – Botanical name is the same

Wow! This Cyclamen is hardy even in 20 degrees Fahrenheit. This dainty Cyclamen is ideal for planting under the shade of trees to add beauty and color to your garden. It offers masses of lilac flowers with rich dark eyes and petals curving upward above heart shaped foliage. It thrives in zones 5-9 and in the shade beneath trees and shrubs and can also be planted in containers or pots.

Hardy Cyclamen Lily Pad Pink – Botanical name is Cyclamen coum Lily Pad Pink

This Cyclamen actually tolerates frost and inclement winter weather. Recommended for the shade garden, Lily Pad Pink blooms continuously from late winter to mid spring. It has lavender-pink flowers and two tone green foliage marked with silver. Plant these in containers or large pots or even beneath trees or shrubs for a stunning winter flowering garden.

To a beautiful winter garden,
Diana

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: Bulbs, container plants, Cyclamen, cyclamen seeds, Fall Gardening, flower pots, Perennials, persian violet, primrose, shade plants, tuberous plants, window boxes, winter blooming bulbs

Chrysanthemums which are often called mums are truly a winner for your fall and winter garden and after trying to spell and pronounce that name, I much rather call them mums. This hardy plant in the Asteraceae family will add lots of color to the somewhat bare garden when all the annuals have withered.

There are approximately thirty species of Chrysanthemums which is native to Asia and northeastern Europe. The history of this plant says that it was cultivated in China as a flowering herb as far back as the 15th century. However, its name is actually Greek and comes from combining the Greek word chrysos which means gold and the word anthemon meaning flower.

In China, the leaves were steamed or boiled and used in teas and as greens in Chinese cuisines. In addition, Chrysanthemums was used as Chinese medicine as an aid in healing from influenza and acne. Tea made of Chrysanthemum is very popular and used as a relaxant.

Although you can plant Chrysanthemums in your outdoor garden, it is most recognized as a pot or container plant that most gardeners use to accentuate an entrance way or patio with its beautiful fall colors. These are also a favorite of florists for flower arrangements because of the longevity of the blooms. Its daisy-like flowers comes in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors.

 

Chrysanthemums are a great choice for a landscaping plant in your garden adding gorgeous color before the cold winter months arrive but you must plant them at least six weeks before heavy frost starts in order to allow the plant to establish in the soil. Don’t forget to remove the tips of new growth on your plants. This will give you bushy plants and more blooms.

 

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!

At The Chelsea Flower Show Photos - CBS News
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In the Garden Getting Ready for Winter - NYTimes.com
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Technorati Tags: Annual Plants, Chinese medicine, Chrysanthemums, container plants, daisy plants, Fall Gardening, Flowering Herbs, healing plants, mums, outdoor gardening