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!

Horticulture for the Home: Flower Gardening — NDSU
How to Learn the Top Flower Gardening Tips on MSN Video
Helping a Flower Garden Survive Summer - NYTimes.com
Flower arranging encyclopedia topics | Reference.com
Chrysanthemum encyclopedia topics | Reference.com
Northwest Flower and Garden Show - Wikipedia the free ...

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

In my humble opinion, yes, flower gardening can be addictive. The addiction referred to here has nothing to do with food cravings or other known additions but rather the compulsion of shopping in abundance for roses, different types of plants, flowering shrubs, bulbs and even seeds. For me, the compulsion is roses as these are my favorite flowers. For some, it’s the stunning colors of annuals come spring time. And those of you who love bulbs completely ignore your budget and buy tons of these.

It goes without saying that most flower gardening enthusiasts love to have a beautiful and colorful garden but tend to overspend when buying plants, trees and shrubs. For example, I have a friend who loves irises and she always has to have the latest type of iris that is available. Recently she confided in me by saying that she was spending a fortune on her iris garden. My reply to her was that if she loves her iris garden and has the money to spend, she should just sit back and enjoy every minute of it. I also suggested to her to shop online for irises and she could spend less money than going to her local gardening place.

When redoing my gardens, I am tempted to just buy everything on site when I visit my local garden stores or even when I buy from online places like Breck’s. Knowing that this is not a good idea, what I normally do is to design the garden area first. If you design your garden area before shopping for plants, you can basically count how many plants you will need for your garden. Believe me this will save you lots of money. You will be tempted when you visit your local gardening place but just make a decision to buy the plants you need and nothing more.

So yes, flower gardening can be addictive but this is one addiction that is easy to combat and it is a positive one. Don’t be tempted when you see a two for one sale at your local gardening place and just buy what you need to redo your flower garden. Be sure to take you garden design plan with you when buying your plants and this will help you to control your spending. Whatever you decide to spend on your flower garden will be money well spent. Remember that a beautiful flower garden adds value to your home and your heart and soul. There is nothing more satisfying than stepping outside and seeing a flower garden in full bloom.

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

flower gardening - a set on Flickr
Guerrilla gardeners green their city on secret moonlit missions - CNN
BBC - Gardening - Gardening Guides - Techniques - Grow cut flowers
History of Flower Gardening
Spring is Just Around the Corner! – Hildreth Public Library
Washingtonpost.com: Live Online

Technorati Tags: Bulbs, Flower Gardening Design, Flowering Plants, Gardening, Iris, Roses

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!

Flowergardener
Jasmine the fragrant harbinger of spring - latimes.com
Flower Gardening Tips : How to Grow English Daisy (Bellis Perennis ...
BBC - Chelsea Flower Show 2011 - Trailfinders Australian Garden ...
Gazebo Gardening
Year Round Colour for Your Ever Flowering Garden

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

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.

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

Coneflower | Define Coneflower at Dictionary.com
Washingtonpost.com: Live Online
In the Garden Getting Ready for Winter - NYTimes.com
MyEnchantingSilkGarden.com Promotes Lasting Floral Beauty ...
Purple coneflower | Define Purple coneflower at Dictionary.com
Gallatin County MT - Horticulture

Technorati Tags: flower garden, Flowering Plants, garden plants, Gardening, nutrient rich soil, plant soil