Most of us feel the fresh air and warming temperatures signaling the coming of spring and want to get out and start gardening. We also know that it has been a long, miserable winter and look with anticipation to those gorgeous spring days ahead. You are probably wondering why I am talking about a long winter when I live in the sunshine state of Florida. Well, let me tell you that we had the coldest winter on record here in central Florida this year. With two very cold spells that brought down our temperatures to the mid-twenties, all my flower gardens are basically dead with the exception of roses that seem to be coming back slowly. All my other plants look dead so I have lots of gardening to do this year. (photo courtesy: Breck’s)

During the month of March, most gardeners want to start planting new flowers. But be careful and watch your weather patterns carefully before you plant any new flowers. If you live in a colder region, be sure that dangers of frost are gone before planting anything new in you garden. If it is still cold in your area, just go out to your garden and start doing some clean up and get rid of plants that didn’t survive the winter. If you have snow in your flower garden that is beginning to melt, you can start removing it from the roots of the plants carefully to allow the sun to reach the roots and promote growth. Don’t do any cutting for now, just remove the snow.

In warmer climates like mine, it is time to go out there and start gardening. In my case, I need to first assess how many of my gardens survived the cold winter spells we had and start cleaning up all the dead plants. So far, it looks like my roses survived and I see some growth especially with my knock out roses. I am grateful for this as I have 16 of these planted and don’t want to loose them. The hibiscus shrubs look dead and I am surprised because hibiscus is usually very hardy. This week, I will cut the hibiscus short and wait to see if new growth begins within a few weeks. It is really sad for me to see my beautiful gardens so dead and lifeless but we have no control of weather patterns.

Once I clean out all the dead plants in my flower gardens, it is time to buy new plants and start planting. I will most likely start replacing the flower beds around the rose garden and buy colorful pansies and pentas. The next task will be to get rid of all the tropical shrubs that are dead and decide what I will plant in that area. One idea here might be to look for shrubs that survive cold weather and Indian Hawthorne comes to mind. Not sure if my clematis vines will make it as they look dead right now. What I will do here is to cut them back and wait and see if new growth starts. (photo courtesy: Breck’s)

Yes, my work is cut out for me this year with my gardening and it is time to get started. And you can do the same, so go out there and start gardening too. Also remember that if you want to plant summer flowering bulbs, the time to order them is now. Summer flowering bulbs ship in the spring and you can get a great selection at Breck’s. This is the company that I use for all my flowering bulbs and love doing business with them because of their great quality bulbs from Holland.

Growing up, I remember that my mother always had hollyhocks planted all over our flower garden. Mom would tell us stories of how my grandmother made sure that she had hollyhocks planted as well and considered them a must have flowering plant for any garden. Everyone that I talk to about hollyhocks tells me that somehow they inherited some hollyhocks seeds from their grandmothers. It seems that hollyhock seeds do get passed on from generation to generation mainly because they are beautiful but also because they are easy to grow. (photo courtesy: Breck’s)

It has been said that hollyhocks go back to ancient Roman and Greek times and these existed in lots of their gardens. Some say that they were planted amongst lilies and roses and hollyhocks were also depicted in ancient art work. The Romans used hollyhocks in many culinary recipes and the ancient Greeks used it as a sacrifice to Apollo in many celebrations and also for medicinal purposes. In Greece, the roots of hollyhocks were used to treat indigestion, toothache, inflammation and even earaches.

Hollyhocks are also found in many cottage gardens and the reason might be that these types of gardens don’t really have any design to speak of. In a cottage garden, flowers are usually planted together and all over the place so that it looks like the flowers grow wild. So in country cottage gardens, anything goes and it is okay to just plant flowers any way you like. Cottage gardens are informal where you may have a path that leads to the flower garden and nothing more. But one thing is for sure, you will see hollyhocks planted there because these require very little care. (photo courtesy: Breck’s)

Hollyhocks come in many colors but the most popular ones are pink, red, rose and white. Most of the bloom from July to September and can grow up to 6 feet tall so be sure to plant them in an area in your garden where these will not crowd your other perennials. Ideal places to plant hollyhocks are fences and walls where these can create a backdrop for other smaller flowers. Hollyhocks tolerate drought conditions and do well in full sun.

When you plant the seeds, Hollyhocks will only bear leaves for the first year. It is recommended that you add some compost to the soil when the leaves die and mulch around the plant to protect them during the winter months. Don’t worry, hollyhocks do well in zones 3-9 and are very hardy so these will come back in the spring. And because these are perennials, you will have them for years to come. If you don’t have any seeds and would like to have hollyhocks in your garden, check out Breck’s as they have some plants that come already established in 3 inch pots. You can then start saving the seeds and adding more hollyhocks to your flower garden every year. (photo courtesy: Breck’s)

Back in 1921, Edward Bok used to spend winters in a residential community in Lake Wales, Florida. He especially enjoyed the tranquil beauty of this place and enjoyed taking walks to the top of a place called Iron Mountain to watch breathtaking sunsets and experience bird life. It was during one his walks to the mountain that he got the idea of creating a bird sanctuary and flower gardens on the hilltop, a serene and peaceful place. (photo courtesy: Bok Tower Gardens)

To accomplish his quest, Edward Bok contacted a famous landscape architect by the name of Frederick Law Olmsted. He then proceeded to buy the land on the hilltop and told Frederick Olmsted to analyze that sand hill and turn it into a place of beauty. After laying water pipes for irrigation, loads of black soil was brought in. Wanting to create tropical gardens, the architect decided to plant trees and lots of bushes in order to provide food for the birds. These plantings are still there today and serve as a refuge for squirrels and hundreds of bird species. (photo courtesy: Bok Tower Gardens)

The gorgeous garden is one of the greatest achievements of the famous landscape architect Frederick Olmsted. The gardens consist of 250 acres of tranquil resting places, shady areas, picturesque vistas and awesome splashes of color. Here you will also find many family friendly garden areas where children can learn about the gardens and play with butterflies and watch lots of different species of birds. There are also many acres of oaks, pines, ferns and palm trees that create different shades of green. In between all this greenery, you will see a spectacular array of magnolias, camellias and azaleas blooms that is magnificent. (photo courtesy: Bok Tower Gardens)

The Bok gardens are known for the gorgeous landscape trails and gardens but you will also find human friendly squirrels that you can feed by hand. There is a place called ‘Window by the Pond’ where it might be the best place to see the garden’s native birds and wildlife throughout the place. This is a wooden building with benches and a large window and visitors are encouraged to observe butterflies, reptiles, and many species of birds in their natural habitat.

This historic Sanctuary is open daily and there is an admission fee of $10 for adults and $3 for children ages 5-12. Children under 5 years old are admitted free of charge. The Bok Tower Gardens is located about 50 miles south of Orlando in Central Florida. The gardens are open from 9 am to 5pm daily. For more information go to: http://www.boktowergardens.org

It is not too early to start planning your spring flower gardening. Think of it, spring is around the corner. Even if it is still snowing in your area, think spring and start planning now for that colorful flower garden of your dreams. There are so many beautiful spring flowers that you can get but you can also start by getting your spring bulbs now. While there are lots of spring bulbs to choose from, I especially like Anemones. These are just so unique and beautiful and will give you beautiful flowers from late spring to mid summer. So if you want anemones in your garden this spring, you need to get your bulbs now. (photo courtesy: Breck’s)

There are hundreds of species of anemones and most of them have become favorite garden plants for generations. Anemones belong to the buttercup family and grow from rhizomes or tubers. They are considered a perennial herb with basal leaves that have long stems and some of the species provide flowers throughout the year. One of the most commonly known anemones is called the poppy and it is a tuberous rooted plant that has poppy like blossoms. Anemones come in various colors but the most common ones are blue, purple, white, crimson and scarlet. There are also double flower varieties where the stamens in the center look like a tuft of narrow petals.

Anemones grow better in a loamy soil that has been enriched with well rotted manure and if you want flowers in May and June, plant them now. When the leaves turn yellow and die, you can dig the bulbs up and place them in a dry room. Anemones thrives in partial shaded areas or even full sun but in southern areas be sure to shield them from the afternoon sun which is the hottest part of the day. So think spring and get your anemone bulbs now. Lots of companies that specialize in bulbs are running specials and this is the time to buy. Here are two of my favorite anemones.

Glacier Anemone
Gorgeous white flowers with a unique purple-blue flame design on the outside of the petals. This unusual combination of colors is very unique with its contrasting blue anthers and small cone-shaped green centers that offset the white blooms. These are ideal for a bouquet of flowers in your home. Thrives in zones 5-8 and likes sun to partial shaded areas. (photo courtesy: Breck’s)

Poppy Anemone Burgundy
Deep burgundy two inch cup-shaped blooms with a very unique black cone-shaped center circled by a white ring makes this anemone very dramatic and beautiful. This anemone will certainly make a big impression and you can plant these with other spring perennials for a spectacular show. It thrives in zones 6-10 and likes sun to partial shaded areas. (photo courtesy: Breck’s)