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.

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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.

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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

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

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

I live in Florida and the blue flowers that I will describe below will not tolerate the intense heat. My daughter has most of these in her garden and they are absolutely beautiful. I was so impressed by these blue beauties that I asked her for some information about them and with a little more research was able to describe them here for you. If you live in a Northern climate, do consider some of these for your garden.

Primula You and Me Blue – Botanical name is Primula x Tommasinii You and Me Blue
Primula You and Me Blue is in the Primrose family. Did you know that Primroses go back to Elizabethan times in England and it is the favorite of British garden lover Sachaverell Sitwell? Yes, Primroses go back in time and yet, it is also a favorite of modern time gardeners as well. What makes this Primrose unique is that each flower consists of two identical petal structures, one sitting almost on top of the other. The petals are dark blue flushed with red at the base and small yellow strokes in a rayed pattern and it is very fragrant too. Really beautiful! The blooms sit on top of thick sturdy stems that are ideal as cut flowers to place in a vase. Primroses do well in colder climates and you will see them poking through the soil in late winter and they continue to bloom until the hot days of summer begin giving you 3 to 4 months of bloom. You and Me Blue grows up to 12 inches high and 9 inches wide and grows well in zones 3-7.

Campanula Poscharskyana – Botanical name is Campanula Poscharskyana
This plant is native to the Balkans and its common name is Serbian Bellflower. It is a ground cover that actually chokes out weeds which can be a real benefit in any garden. Campanula starts blooming in late spring and continues through the summer and it is ideal for Northern and cool summer climates as it is hardy to 40 degrees temperature. It does not tolerate temperatures above 70 degrees and prefers cool summers. Campanula spreads quickly into a weed choking mat of bright green foliage and its starry blue blooms last for a long season. It grows 6 to 12 inches high and about 12 to 18 inches wide and grows well in zones 3-8.

Malva Sylvestris Blue Fountain – Botanical name is Malva Sylvestris Blue Fountain
Blue Fountain has rich blue and violet blooms over an even longer season, from early summer until the fall season. The blooms are rich pure blue with darker blue to violet veining and shading. It will look beautiful if you plant it as a small grouping or maybe place it in the rear of a perennial border. It grows up to 4 feet tall and up to 24 inches wide. Blue Fountain grows quickly and without much care but loves the sun and plenty of water. It is untroubled by pests and diseases and grows well in zones 4-8.

Corydalis Ex Dufu Temple – Botanical name is Corydalis SP. Ex Dufu Temple
This is one of the most beautiful blue flowers you will have in your garden. It comes from the Sichuan region of China and its tubular blooms begin in spring appearing in shades of blue that can range from powder to violet and continue blooming until fall. Dufu Temple is ideal as a ground cover as it only grows from 4-12 inches high and it spreads about 12 inches wide. It likes well drained soil and grows well in zones 5-8.

Syringa President Lincoln – Botanical name is Syringa Vulgaris President Lincoln
Here is a very rare color blue which is in the Lilacs family. President Lincoln has long open pyramidal clusters of single flowers in Wedgwood blue which are fragrant and very unique. It is recommended that you space these Lilacs 6 to 12 feet apart and plant them in full sun. Grows well in zones 3-7 and likes well drained soil.

As I stated before, these blue flower plants do well in colder climates so if you live in Northern regions, do consider getting some of these for your flower garden. You will be glad you did as these are absolutely beautiful.

Technorati Tags: blue flowers, flower garden, Flowering Plants, Gardening, gardening plants, Perennials

Do you love flower gardening and are you dreaming of creating a beautiful garden? Well, you have come to the right place. It is my sincere hope to provide you with all the latest information to guide you in fulfilling your desire for a beautiful and healthy flower garden.

Gardening is an absolutely wonderful hobby for many people. While we commonly think of a few dozen flowers that we typically grow, there are actually hundreds, if not thousands, of different varieties. Each species may have many varieties and that is good because it allows us to grow new and unique gardens.

It does not matter the size of the garden plot you have, your time and budget constraints, or who you are, you can design a flower garden that allows you to express your creativity, to get closer to nature, and just enjoy being you.

Flower gardening runs in my family and my mother is one that cannot pass a nursery without stopping in and buying different kinds of flowery plants for her garden. I too just love to grow flowering plants and see them just bloom to perfection.

A home flower garden is above all a place to create and dream. It is also a place to play, work hard and rest, contemplating what human beings and nature can create by working together. My flower garden is a place of sentiment, thoughts and dreams which grows as freely as the flowers.

To your best flower garden ever,

Diana

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