Maybe it is wishful thinking on my part, but spring is around the corner and time to start thinking about your spring flower gardening. My apologies and sympathies to all of you that are still buried in snow as we speak but think spring flower gardening and you will feel better. If you are a beginner gardener and are serious about starting a garden, I am here to tell you that it is not difficult to have that flower garden that you’ve been dreaming of. The first step for you is to find the location for your garden. The next step is to decide the types of plants and flower color scheme that you want. And think about the design you want for your garden keeping in mind that tall plants should be planted as a backdrop to the rest of your garden.

Once you know where you want your garden, start preparing the area carefully. This is a good time to start getting the necessary gardening tools that you will need. You can buy gardening tools at any nursery or any store that sells gardening supplies. For starters get a tiller because you need to turn the soil in the garden area and it will be easier using a tiller. If you are going to plant tall plants and shrubs you may want to get a round point shovel in order to dig deep into the soil. You may also want to get a large spade for digging into the soil when you are ready to plant your regular flowering plants.

Let’s talk about the soil in the garden area. Good nutrient rich soil is a must! What I mean here is that if you don’t have good soil, your garden will not prosper and your plants will not survive. Keep in mind that soil is not just dirt. Soil is a live matter that needs to be fed in order for it to feed your plants. So go ahead and add some fertilizer to the soil to feed the soil microbes. This controls the flow of nitrogen, sulfur and other nutrients that are essential for plant growth. Start by turning the soil in the area where you want your garden and mix it with some compost.

As soon as your garden area is ready and the soil has been treated, start shopping for the flowering plants you want in your garden. Make sure you choose plants with similar care instructions. What I mean here is that you should buy plants that need to be fertilized and watered about the same time. Remember, not all plants are made equal. Place them all in the garden area just to see if the design and color scheme is what you want. If you are satisfied with the way your plants look, go ahead and start planting them. I also recommend that you read the planting instructions included with each plant.

There you have it! Before you know it you will have a gorgeous garden to be proud of. What I’ve given you here are just simple gardening tips. My recommendation for you is to get The Gardeners Handbook for detailed information on creating the flower garden of your dreams. This gardening handbook is full of great ideas on how to create a garden that won’t take all your spare time or cost you a fortune.

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: beginner gardener, compost, flower garden, Flowering Plants, garden design, gardening tools

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!

Horticulture > Floriculture - Yahoo Directory
Flower Garden Book Reviews
Right Plants for Flower Gardening
4-H PLUS Flower Gardening
Flower garden encyclopedia topics | Reference.com
Flower Gardening : How to Grow Canna Lilies - YouTube

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

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!

Flower gardening? - Yahoo! Answers
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Technorati Tags: Chrysanthemums, container plants, fall colors, fall container flowers, fall flowers, Fall Season, flower garden, Gardening, mums

Most of us think of gardening as a necessary chore that needs to be done in order to grow a beautiful flower garden. But in reality, gardening is great exercise for all of us. Some experts say that you can actually get as much muscle gardening as you do in a regular workout session at the gym. So if going to the fitness center is not your cup of tea, just get out there and start gardening. It is a very productive way to exercise. If you are wondering how it’s possible for gardening to give as much exercise as working out, just think about all the different things you do when gardening.

To mention a few, there are plenty of heavy bags and pots to be carried, holes to be dug, weeding to be done, planting new plants, and pruning old ones. Almost every muscle in your body gets a workout when you do all these things. If you don’t garden regularly, be sure to stretch out before you start working even if your goal is not to workout or get exercise. You should also pay attention to your posture when gardening. I’ve seen some gardeners hunched over or bending over for a long time and this is not good for your back. My advice here is to take frequent breaks and give your back a rest.

To me, weeding and pruning gives you the best workout when gardening. Your legs will get a great workout because of the constant standing and crouching. If you have weeds that are difficult to pull out, you will be giving your arms a good workout just from the effort needed to remove those nasty weeds from the ground. If you have lots of weeding to do, be sure to switch arms and positions to spread out the work between different areas of your body.

Another great way to get exercise is by carrying and lifting those heavy bags of soil and large heavy pots around the garden. Just think of it this way. Between the nursery and your home you will have to move the bags and pots several times like going to the checkout, to the car, to the garden and then spreading them out where you want them. As long as you remember to lift with your legs and not your back, transporting bags and pots can give you a fairly good workout, even though you probably don’t make those purchases very often.

Mowing your grass can also be a great exercise. If you’ve got an older mower that isn’t self propelled, just the act of pushing it through the grass will give you more of a workout than going to the gym. During the course of mowing the grass, you use your chest, arms, back, and shoulders to keep the mower ahead of you. Your thighs and butt also get worked a lot to propel the mower. Not only do you get an all around muscle work out, but it can improve your heart’s health too. It’s good for you as a cardiovascular activity, as well as a great way to loose weight due to the increased heart rate and heavy breathing.

So like I told you earlier, gardening is not just a chore that needs to be done. It can also be a great way for you to get in shape and possibly loose some weight. Remember that it is a good thing to stretch out before you head over to do some gardening. Also, drink lots of water and don’t forget to use sunscreen. You need to avoid dehydration, sunburn and pulled muscles at all times. Just have fun gardening and you might even end up being a healthier person.

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 Plant a Flower Garden - YouTube
Purdue University Garden Publications
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