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.

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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.

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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.

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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)

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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.

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Some of the ways you can try to conserve water include drip irrigation (the use of a pipe or hose with small holes to gradually seep into the roots of the plant), the placement of plants in groups of equal watering needs to prevent wasting water on plants that don’t need it, and using compost or mulch to insulate the water and prevent drainage. But one of the best ways to keep your garden alive during a drought is to take preventive measures.

If you watch your local weather forecasts, you will know that a drought will be predicted far in advanced. You will also be informed on the areas already experiencing a drought and when to expect some heavy rain. If you know in advance that heavy rain is heading your way, plan on setting up several rain barrels. Some people think this would be a time
consuming silly thing to do. But it can save you many gallons of water, and hardly requires any work. By the way, you can get some very pretty painted barrels at the stores.

Finding the barrels will probably be the hardest part. You can use your own garbage cans or visit your home improvement store and get a few 55 gallon plastic drums. Before you go running to the store, keep in mind that these drums or garbage cans are big and bulky so figure out how you will bring them home. I usually borrow a neighbor’s truck to get them home. You will probably want to cover the top of the barrel with a screen to filter out any unwanted leaves or debris that might fall off the roof of your home.

Once you have your barrels ready, you are faced with the decision of where to place them. Usually during rainfall, there is one corner of the house that rain tends to pour off heavily. If you are taking the simple approach to barrel placement, just place the barrel under all the places where you see large amounts of drips. While this might be the easiest way, you won’t see very high volumes of rain in the barrels. But, if you tweak your gutters in the roof of your home and remove each individual segment and place them at slant, all the rain water will be diverted to the nearest corner of the house. Once done, place a rain barrel at each corner to catch all the rain water. Believe me you will have plenty of rain water to use in your flower gardens.

Some people may think that the use of water barrels is an antiquated idea and that is not true. Maybe these people don’t live in a drought prone area and with lots of watering restrictions. I have been doing this for years and know for a fact that those barrels of rain water have been put to use in my gardens and I am saving money in the long run.

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Your summer garden can produce flowers, fruits, vegetables and even be designed so that it attracts certain birds and butterflies. When planning your summer garden, you don’t have to commit to a single prevailing purpose. In other words, it is not at all inappropriate to plant some flowering plants or even herbs as pest control along with your favorite summertime vegetables. It is also acceptable to add a few vegetables of your choice in your flower garden.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to having lots of color in your summer garden. Brightly colored flowers are in abundance during the summer months and these bring a gorgeous splash of color to those hot and humid months when the summer sun is at its peak. By brining a few well placed colors into your garden as a highlight or border you are adding dramatic appeal. If you choose to make your garden a sea of brightly colored flowers, plants, leaves, and vines you can also achieve great results that may be breathtaking in beauty. Do keep in mind that you need to spend time maintaining a summer garden to keep it healthy and beautiful.

If you prefer nice and lush greenery and live in a climate that will accommodate this particular style of a summer garden, there is no reason to avoid this either. Vegetable gardens are yet another option when creating your summer garden and another fine example of just how versatile these gardens may be. Keep in mind that many people are discovering the beauty of vertical gardening and hanging plants for a few favorite vegetables and this may be an option if you wish to use limited space wisely and to greater effect.

Another option when it comes to showing the incredible versatility of the summer garden is raised gardening. This is quite literally planting your garden above the ground. Some people create elaborate ‘sand boxes’ of sorts in which the garden is planted. This allows great versatility for those with smaller spaces in which to plant their gardens as well as those who have landscaping issues that are inhospitable for gardening.

These are but a few examples of just how versatile a summer garden may be but I think they provide excellent insight and food for thought for those who are looking for a little something new and different for their summer gardens. And remember that a summer garden is just what you want it to be.

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For example when working in the garden with your children, they can learn that life works in cycles. This is an important lesson for children and one that will be repeated often throughout the course of their lives. Of course this is only one of the many lessons that gardening will teach but gardening is one of the kindest ways I’ve seen this particular lesson learned by children. Somehow it helps ease children into those times when lessons about the cycle of life are not so kindly or gently presented.

The next lesson that gardening teaches children is that persistent effort often pays out with desirable results. Whether their gardening efforts yields pretty flowers or planting a small tree, there is often a desired result that they achieved. If you really want to capture your children’s attention when it comes to gardening, choose a fast growing flowering plant for their first gardening experience. The ability to see the fruits of their labor quickly appear is often one of the greatest gifts we can give our children.

You don’t have to make this gardening experience sound like a chore to your children. It does not have to make them feel that they are responsible for the success of a summer garden. Make it fun for them and start with a potted plant or maybe a hanging flowering plant or something similar that will yield visible results with less effort or time required for them to see quick results.

Don’t forget to point out interesting facts about the different plants in your garden that may be exciting to your children and they can learn from. Remember your first gardening experiences and share them with your children. You may be surprised to find how much you have in common with your children when it comes to ideas and enthusiasm concerning summer gardens.

When planning a summer garden with kids you need to consider all of the things you would consider when planning other summer gardens but relate those things to pint sized hands and sponge-like minds. Kids soak up every ounce of information we provide them at an alarming rate. Be careful that you aren’t teaching them incorrect logic when it comes to gardening and growing beautiful summer plants. More importantly, you should make a concerted effort to make sure that you are teaching your children the positive aspects of gardening so that this becomes an activity they look forward to for enjoyment rather than approaching it with dread.

You should also take great pains to insure that you allow your children to grow the things they will like in your summer garden too. Remember that when gardening with children there are many lessons that you can teach your children along the way. Science, math, and meteorology all have roles in gardening. But you should also be on the lookout for valuable lessons that your children can teach you about gardening and life in general when you take them out to work with you in your summer garden.

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Before you start planting, keep a list with the date that each area in your summer garden will be planted as different flowers and vegetables have different growing seasons. Some prosper by earlier plantings while others prosper later in the season. If you are planting a summer vegetable garden then it is quite possible that some of the plants will need a precise number of days between planting and harvesting. Both the plant and harvest days should be noted. This provides an excellent opportunity to plant more of the vegetables and maybe some flowers every two weeks to provide a continuous rotation of the vegetables you love well into the gardening season.

An important thing to remember is that climbing plants can be trained to climb poles that you can easily set up in the garden. This is highly recommended if your garden space is limited. Doing this also provides an opportunity to shade plants that prefer less direct sunlight when planted next to these climbing vines that are climbing vertically. Also make sure you have enough stakes for all the plants that require them for best effect. Be sure to read the planting instructions that are provided with each plant and plant them so that those needing shade get the shade they need and those that require the most water are located on a downward slope so that they get the water that runs off from the plants that require less water.

This is a trick that seasoned gardeners know and it makes the most of sometimes limited resources such as water for the purpose of creating a better environment for optimal growth. At the same time you want to avoid planting vegetables and flowers that require less water at the bottom of these slopes as they are likely to become over hydrated, which can be just as devastating as not getting enough water.

Another important thing is that you need to be sure your soil is healthy so that it can create the healthy plants you are hoping to have. Fertilize the soil where these plants, flowers, and vegetables will be grown. This provides the foundation necessary for optimal performance from your plants and greatest yield from your vegetables. You should also take great care once the planting is done and be sure that the plants, flowers, and vegetables that make up your summer garden are well fed in order to produce even better results.

There are plenty of fertilizers and plant foods from which to choose so be sure to check local laws in order to make sure you aren’t using a combination that is not recommended for your region where you live. This is often overlooked but keep in mind that there are regulations that vary from one state to the next Also, plan your pest control before you begin planting your summer garden. There are some plants, flowers, and herbs that work as natural pest controls. These make an excellent addition to your garden as they offer no harmful side effect and can rid your garden of many of the pests that create problems for you. Another thing you may wish to consider is the use of chicken wire to protect some of your plants from things a little bigger than the average bug. The more humane the methods of pest control and the less you rely on pesticides the better it is to protect our environment.

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What does this mean to gardeners when it comes to efforts directed towards keeping out potential pests? Quite honestly, it means we are going to have to get a little bit creative in those efforts turning to natural solutions rather than chemicals. One way in which this can quite easily be accomplished is by encouraging animals that prey upon the pests to make your garden their home. Of course, this could potentially bring about its own set of problems but from a gardening perspective it is often very sound reasoning.

Use organic mulch. While this isn’t necessarily a means of pest control it is a wise move when it comes to organic gardening. Not only does the mulch provide the very useful mulching properties throughout the growing season but once the growing season has ended can be turned over and used in order to boost the organic material within the soil. This in turns provides nutrients that are important to keeping the soil fit for sustaining plant life in future growing seasons. For great information on going green in the garden with compost visit The Gardener’s Rake site.

Attract birds to your garden. This has a two-fold benefit for the organic gardener. First of all the birds are often natural predators for many of the bugs that make a nuisance of themselves in the average summer garden. Second, birds leave behind their own little fertilizing additions to the landscape of your garden. Don’t you wish all solutions were this simple?

Keep your garden healthy, well fertilized, water regularly and appropriately, and free of weeds. A good offense is the best defense. A good immune system and constant hand washing are the best defense the human body has against catching colds and viruses. The same holds true for gardens and their ability to fight pests. Keep your garden strong and healthy and it will repel many of the pests that may cripple other gardens on its own. It certainly doesn’t hurt to keep this philosophy in mind and you may be amazed at how well it works.

Organic gardening is more than a plan for your garden it is a return to the ways of old in the world of gardening. For centuries before pesticides were created people managed to live off the abundance of their gardens. It makes sense that by returning to those ideals we can also enjoy great food and a bountiful harvest in the modern world. Make the choice today to make your summer garden an organic garden and reap the benefit in better health and greater enjoyment of the gardening experience. To learn more about going green at home visit Our Green Planet Earth site.

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