Gardening | Best Flower Gardening

Indian Hawthorn Flowering Shrubs

Mar 122012

Indian Hawthorn shrubs are easy to plant and almost maintenance free. Most commonly used as foundation plantings, these shrubs can be planted anywhere in your garden. Where I live, we are not allowed to build garages facing the front of the house so our garage entrance is on the side of the house. To cover the foundation wall that is part of the garage and faces the front, I planted a row of Indian Hawthorn shrubs along the wall. They are absolutely beautiful!

Most gardeners say that Indian Hawthorns grow between 2 to 5 feet tall and that may be true, but there are large ones that can grow much taller than that. You can also train the large shrubs to a small tree form by simply trimming it regularly. And what most people like about this shrub is the neat mounded form it has and its clusters of gorgeous pink or white flowers which you will start seeing mid April to the end of May. In late summer, those clusters of flowers turn into berries and persist through the winter.

The smaller species of Indian Hawthorn can be used as foundation shrubs or you can plant them along fences. Some gardeners use the larger shrubs as hedges, or for screening an area and some even use them as mass plantings. They grow well and prefer sun but will also grow in partial shade. Although Indian Hawthorns tolerate drought, it is best to keep the soil moist and well drained. Most Indian Hawthorns don’t need to be pruned but if necessary, it is best to do it after their blooming season.

One thing to remember is that although Indian Hawthorns are very hardy, they do get some diseases. The most common one is called entomosporium leaf spots. This disease usually occurs after frequent rainfall in spring and fall. If you see tiny red spots on young leaves, it is the beginning of leaf spots disease which can spread through the shrubs forming large blotches. You can slow the progression of the disease by spacing the shrubs in order to allow air movement in between the plants.

So far, I haven’t had any problems with my Indian Hawthorns and that may be due to the fact that I installed a drip irrigation system so they stay moist not drenched. And did I mention that the flowers are fragrant? The scent from my shrubs when in full bloom is delightful.

Here is a short video (courtesy of YouTube) about Indian Hawthorns.

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

Cottage garden - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
Flower Gardening - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Right Plants for Flower Gardening
Embrace the Chill: Plant Bulbs - WSJ.com
AOL.com Search Video - Flower Garden Tips
At The Chelsea Flower Show Photos - CBS News

Technorati Tags: Gardening, Indian Hawthorns

Gardening with Roses

Flower Gardening 2 Responses »

Apr 052011

Ask anyone who has a green thumb about rose gardening and you may need a tape recorder to remember all the advice you’ll get! Almost anyone who has an interest in gardening with flowers and plants will eventually start talking about roses. It’s almost irresistible because of the beauty and scent of one of the most popular flowers on earth. A rose is in a class of its own. Rose gardening seems to always be subject of discussion and sometimes it may even create some controversy among some gardeners.

To the rose gardening crowd, their plants often become better ones and the most beautiful ones. Some gardeners treat their roses like family. I have some neighbors that literally talk to their rose plants to coax them into perfect health. Of course, I was curious about this so I asked them why they do this. Their answer was that roses must be fed and nourished and guided properly to bloom and flourish into their majestic beauty. I can’t disagree with this!

The one thing to remember is that rose gardening, like any other type of gardening, does involve getting your hands dirty. If you want to truly enjoy the experience, you must dig into the soil and heartily embrace your adventure. Yes you can wear gloves which I do most of the time but it is fun to get your hands dirty once in a while. My neighbors tell me that they find it gratifying when they work with the soil in the garden. I prefer to wear gloves because it is difficult to get the dirt out of my fingernails.

Some gardeners have told me that there is an art to rose gardening. To me, the experience can be as simple or as scientific as you so choose. What I do know is that you may want to stock up on things like mulch, a shovel, a hoe, weed-killer, a watering can or hose, and maybe Miracle Grow or plant food for your rose plants. Not to mention band-aids if your plants have thorns which most rose plants do have. You will need band-aids as you will get pricked at some point if you have the type of rose plant that produces thorns. It’s all part of the true rose gardening experience.

Roses have been known to contract diseases so do get to know your plants well to be able to recognize unhealthy changes in their leaves, color and overall health. Any living thing is susceptible to such and must be monitored. The good news is that there are various products in the market today to treat your roses when you see signs of disease on your plants. If in doubt, just cut a leaf off one of the rose plants and bring it to your nursery or any place that sell plants and ask for advice.

Before you purchase your rose plants, do some research and decide the type of roses you want. There are many varieties of roses and all require different care. Also keep in mind that a rose that grows well in the northern region may struggle if planted in the south. So where you live does matter when planning your rose garden. Visit your local nurseries and ask questions about the care, maintenance and best roses that will thrive in the area where you live. You can also do some research on the Internet, your local library or buy a book on roses.

When in doubt, just ask your friends or neighbors for advice on rose gardening. Friends are usually your best source for good information on this. Like any other project, creating a rose garden requires some planning and work but the enjoyment you will get from having beautiful roses will be worth the effort.

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

Recession grows interest in seeds vegetable gardening - ABC News
Blanket-flower encyclopedia topics | Reference.com
Book Review - Founding Gardeners - By Andrea Wulf - NYTimes.com
My Not-So-Exotic Garden - WSJ.com
flower gardening - a set on Flickr
April showers bring...April flowers! - Capital Weather Gang - The ...

Technorati Tags: Gardening, gardening with roses, rose gardening, rose varieties, Roses

Time to prepare your Soil for Spring Gardening

Flower Gardening No Responses »

Mar 112011

Time is moving rapidly and before you know it spring will be here. The time is now to start preparing the soil in your garden. Soil preparation is the most important step of spring planting because without good soil your plants will not thrive. Many gardeners, including me, learned this lesson the hard way. As a first time gardener and not knowing what I was doing, I skipped the soil preparation step for my flower garden and lost many plants. Needless to say, this was an expense that I didn’t need not to mention the disheartening experience this caused.

Start by cleaning your garden site thoroughly by removing stumps, dead leaves or plants, sticks, rocks and old mulch. If you have any weeds, get rid of them. Once your garden area is clean, use a tiller and turn the soil to promote drainage. Get some organic material and mix it with the soil in your garden. Organic material can be as simple as getting some peat moss, compost or aged manure. I usually buy compost and it works very well in all my gardens. You may also want to add some plant food to the organic matter and mix it all together with the soil.

If you have drainage problems as a result of having hard soil, get some gypsum and added to the soil. This is a natural product that will improve your soil by flushing out salt buildups that can cause drainage problems in your flower garden. There is another product you can use called perlite. Have you noticed those white specks when you buy potting soil? That is perlite which is an organic material to help keep hard soil from compacting. It also increases the oxygen level down to the root of your plants.

Once your garden soil is ready, go ahead and buy your plants. Before you start planting, set all the new plants in the garden on top of the soil. Take a good look and make sure that you are happy with the look of your garden, the color scheme of the plants and overall design. What you can do is plant taller plants as a backdrop or against a wall. Plant medium size plants in front of the tall ones and short plants in front of the medium ones. This will give you a very nice design as all your plants will be visible in your flower garden.

As stated before, your soil preparation is the most important step for spring flower gardening. While we know that the soil preparation step is essential at any time of the year, it is a must for spring gardening. Planning your spring flower gardening and preparing the soil properly will ensure that you will have strong, healthy and gorgeous looking plants all summer long.

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

Twitter / Sharen Chatterton: Flower Gardening 101: Spri ...
Perennial Flower Gardening
BBC - Chelsea Flower Show 2011 - RBC New Wild Garden - Nigel ...
Flowering fern | Define Flowering fern at Dictionary.com
Flower Gardening - Yahoo
AOL.com Video - Create the Perfect Flower Pot

Technorati Tags: compost, Gardening, gypsum, peat moss, perlite, spring gardening

Gardening Tip: How to protect Shrubs and Plants from snow in the Garden

Flower Gardening No Responses »

Jan 072011

It is difficult for gardeners living in colder areas to maintain healthy plants and shrubs during the winter months. But in reality, snow is actually good for your garden and it protects them during the winter months. Snow acts as an insulator to your plants and shrubs to keep the roots warm so leave it alone and don’t remove it.

A snow covered garden means that plants remain moist and are protected from all the freezing temperatures. When it is freezing cold out, snow is actually warmer than the temperature of the air and this protects your plants and maintains healthy roots. Also, all that snow on your flower garden helps to lock in moisture on the roots of your plants before the top layer freezes allowing the plants to have enough water until spring arrives.

All that snow covering your plants is providing a steady temperature for all your bulbs, shrubs, trees, and perennials. One problem that I had with my flower garden when I lived in New York was that when the ground began to thaw, some plants and bulbs just came right out of the ground. If this happens, just push them back into the ground. The following year, I covered the garden with a thick coat of mulch in the fall and that extra protection stopped the problem with plants coming up from the ground.

Did you know that most of the damage done to your garden is not from the snow? Damage to your plants is actually caused by ice, freezing temperatures and wind. But the damage is caused by these is usually done above ground so the roots are protected. Lots of shrubs and trees suffer from cracking and splitting when they get hit by freezing temperatures and ice forms.

So remember that a snow covered garden is good for your plants and bulbs and it is best to leave it alone. If trees and shrubs become frozen as a result of freezing temperatures, leave it them alone too. Trying to scrape ice from them may break all the branches and create more problems. Also, be careful when salting near your garden or flower beds. The chemicals from de-icers can poison your plants. Remove the snow near you garden using a shovel to protect the plants from harmful chemicals.

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

Beginners flower gardening help? - Yahoo! Answers
garden: Definition Synonyms from Answers.com
July gardening checklist - MSN Real Estate
Advice for Novice Gardeners - WSJ.com
City of Rochester | Flower City Looking Good Series--Rochester ...
AOL.com Video - Three Tips for your Flower Garden

Technorati Tags: Bulbs, Gardening, Perennials, shrubs, snow covered garden, trees, winter plant protection

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